RULES OF THE NORFOLK RUGBY
FOOTBALL UNION

1. NAME
The name of the Union shall be the ‘Norfolk Rugby Football Union’.

2. OBJECT
The object of the Union shall be the promotion of Rugby Football as
regulated by the bye-laws of the Rugby Football Union and of the
Eastern Counties Rugby Union.

3. AUTHORITY
The authority of the Union shall extend throughout the County of
Norfolk and the Boroughs of Lowestoft and Beccles in Suffolk; subject
always to the jurisdiction of the Rugby Football Union and the Eastern
Counties Rugby Union.

4. MEMBERSHIP
The members of the Union shall be:

(a) Those clubs listed by the Union as being members at the time of the
adoption of these rules.

(b) Such clubs within the area of authority of the Union (including
Unions, Universities, Referees Societies, Coaching Societies and Service
Clubs) as shall be proposed and seconded by existing members and
admitted to membership by the majority vote of the General Committee
of the Union and shall abide by the rules of the Union.

(c) The Officers of the Union and co-opted members of the General
Committee.

(d) The Past Presidents, Hon. Life Members, Hon.Vice Presidents and
subscribing Associate Members elected by a majority vote of the General
Committee.

5. INSURANCE
Clubs not in membership of the Rugby Football Union must have cover
under the Rugby Football Union Death and Disability Accident
Insurance Scheme with the minimum number of units of benefit agreed
annually by the Rugby Football Union or some other insurance policy
which has been agreed in writing by the Union for each and every team
including Colts,Youth and Mini which it runs during the season.

6. OFFICERS
The Officers of the Union shall consist of the President, President Elect,
Hon. Secretary, Hon. Assistant Secretaries, Hon.Treasurer, Hon. Press
Officer,Hon.Youth Chairman and Chairman of Selectors.

7. MANAGEMENT
The management of the Union shall be in the hands of the General
Committee which shall consist of:

(a) The Officers of the Union.

(b) The three immediate Past Presidents.

(c) One representative from each member club as defined in Rule 4(b).

(d) The representatives of the Union on the Eastern Counties General
Committee.

(e) The representatives of the Associate Members.

(f) Hon. Life Members of the Union.

(g) Additional members who may be co-opted by the General
Committee at its discretion.

The representative from each member club should be nominated by his
club in writing to the Hon. Secretary.

8. SUBSCRIPTIONS
The annual subscription due on 1st September in each year shall be £30
for each adult team playing regularly and nil for each team of Under–19
or younger of each member club with discretion to the General Committee or reduce or waive the subscription in special circumstances.

Clubs whose subscriptions are not paid by 1st March shall cease to be
members of the Union at the General Committee’s discretion and will in
any case lose all privileges and power to vote for any purpose whatsoever
until their subscription is paid.

An annual subscription of £15 shall be paid by Associate Members.Any
alteration to the above normal rates of subscription shall require approval
by a majority vote at a General Meeting of the Union.

9. MEETINGS
(a) The General Committee shall have power to regulate its meetings and
seven members of the General Committee shall form a quorum.The
Committee members present shall have equal voting rights, the
Chairman having a second casting vote in the event of equal voting.At its
first meeting after the Annual General Meeting the General Committee
shall appoint Selection Sub-Committees and a General Purposes
Committee.

The General Committee shall have power to appoint Sub-Committees
for other purposes and fill vacancies occurring during the season
amongst the Officers.

The General Committee shall appoint the Chairman of each Sub-
Committee.

The General Committee shall appoint two representatives to the
Norfolk Schools Rugby Football Union and one representative to the
Norfolk Coaching Society.

(b)The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than 15 June in
each year at such time and place as the General Committee, may by
fourteen days notice at least, appoint.Seven members present shall form a quorum.

The following business shall be transacted:-

(i)The Hon. Secretary shall submit a report on behalf of the General
Committee with sections dealing with Norfolk Schools RFU and
Norfolk Coaching Society.

(ii)The Hon.Treasurer shall submit audited accounts made up to 30 April
in each year.

(iii)The Chairman of playing shall submit a report on all the playing
activities of the County sides.

The following elections for the ensuing year shall take place:-

(i)Ratifying Past Presidents nomination for President Elect

(ii)Officers of the Union except the Presidents and President Elect (as in
Rule 6).

(iii)The Hon.Auditor.

(iv)The Hon. Solicitor.

No other business shall be transacted unless it has been proposed and
seconded by members and lodged with the Hon. Secretary by 15 May in
each year.All nominations for the elections shall be lodged with theHon. Secretary by 15 May in each year. In the event of there being more
than one nomination for any election the decision shall be a majority
vote of those present and voting.

Every member (with the exception of Associate Members and Honorary Vice Presidents) shall have one vote but member clubs having more than one regularly playing team shall have one vote for each subscription paid.
The voting rights of the Associate Members and Honorary Vice Presidents shall be exercised through the Associate members representative who shall have one vote for every fifty members or part thereof. In the event of equal voting the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

(c) An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened at the instigation of the President or on receipt by the Hon. Secretary of a requisition signed by not less than five members stating the purpose of the meeting.The Hon.Secretary shall forthwith notify the time and place for the meeting giving fourteen days notice at least and not more than twenty-one days notice.The necessary quorum and the voting shall be as at the Annual General Meeting.

(d)Associate Members and Honorary Vice presidents attending the
Annual General Meeting shall prior to the meeting elect a representative
to represent them for the ensuing year on the General Committee and at
the Annual General Meeting.

10. SCHOOLS
The management of Schools Rugby within the County shall be delegated by the Union to the Norfolk Schools Rugby Football Union and shall remain so delegated while that Union is a properly organised body, in satisfactorily fulfilling its functions, and until a resolution cancelling that delegation is made at an Annual General Meeting of this Union and approved by a simple majority of those present and voting.

11. REPRESENTATION ON OTHER RUGBY BODIES
(a)The Union shall be represented on the General Committee of the Eastern Counties Rugby Union by such number of representatives as prescribed by the bye laws of the Eastern Counties Rugby Union.

(b)The Union shall be represented on the Committee of the Norfolk
Schools Rugby Football Union by the president and one other delegate
who shall be appointed by the General Committee.

12. TEAM SELECTION
The selection Sub-Committees shall pick teams to represent the Union. The 1st XV Selection Sub-Committee shall be responsible for the election of the Captain of the Union’s 1st XV. He shall be an ex officio member of the 1st XV Selection Sub-Committee.

The Committees will have the responsibility of assuring that players selected to represent the County possess the necessary qualifications.

13. QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS
A player may qualify to play for the County by:

(a)Being a bona fide playing member of a club.

(b)Having been born within the County.

(c)Having his home or ordinary place of residence in the County as defined in the Rugby Football Union regulations on County Championship qualifications.

No player shall play for more than one Sub-County of the Eastern Counties Union in a Season.

To play for any age level team the player must be under the age for that
level on 1st September at the beginning of the season.

14. COLOURS
The playing colour of the Union shall be black jersey with a broad gold
band around body and sleeves and black shorts.The stockings shall be
black with gold bar at the top.

15. TIES
(a) The Union ties shall be a black background with narrow diagonal
stripes in gold with the County crest superimposed. The tie shall be
available to members of the General Committee and to those approved
by the General Committee.

(b) Players who represent the Union 1st XV in an Inter-County match
are entitled to wear a black tie bearing XV and the County Crest.

(c) The Union tie for Under 18 Colts shall be similar to the senior tie but
on a light blue background. The tie for Under 16 shall be on a dark blue
background.The ties will be available to players who have represented
the County at the respective levels against another County.

(d) The Union tie for Under–21 and Under–23 shall be similar to the
senior tie but on a green background and shall be available to players who
have represented the County at Under–21 and Under–23 level.

16. VOTING
Where at an Extraordinary General Meeting or at an Annual General
Meeting a vote is taken, those persons entitled to vote but not present
will subsequent to the taking of the vote be assumed to have voted in
accordance with the decision of the vote.

17. RULES
These rules were adopted by the Union at the Annual General Meeting
held on 30th May 1985, and from that date take the place of those which
were previously operative.

Amended: 29 May 1986; 28 May 1987; 25 May 1989; 23 May 1991;
23 May 1996; May 1998 and May 2003

Notice of any proposed alteration to these rules shall be proposed and
seconded by members and lodged with the Hon.Secretary by 15th May in
any year and to be effective must be carried by at least two-thirds of those
present and voting at the Annual General Meeting. The General Committee shall be empowered to deal with any questions arising in connection with the Union for which no provision is made in these rules