7. Constitution

Organisation Aims and Ideals

“CONSTITUTION” of the NAMS Rugby Competition

Title
1. The Competition shall be called the National Association of Medical Schools Rugby Competition (hereinafter referred to as “NAMS” “NRC” or “Competition”)

2. The name of the NAMS Rugby Competition may be modified or changed by the NAMS Rugby Organising Committee (NROC) if and when required.

NAMS RUGBY - Ethos Statement
3. The Competition shall be so organised as to promote and facilitate the playing of equitable competitive games of Rugby Union Football between Medical Schools.

4. The NRC exists to serve the Players of the NAMS Rugby Competition, and shall organise such fixtures in Leagues or Cup Competitions; thereby assisting in Player recruitment, development, and retention.

5. The NRC is an Inclusive Participation Competition run by the Members, for the Players, communicating openly via the NRC’s WebSite and E-mail.

6. The primary focus shall be on Medical School Players playing Rugby Union Football to develop their game.

7. Honouring the scheduled fixtures is paramount; all else is secondary.

8. Integrity and co-operation on scheduled fixtures is maintained above League placing or the winning of trophies; without fixtures the NAMS RUGBY Competition is nothing and those defaulting on fixtures can therefore expect nothing.

9. The aim of the NRC is to develop a well informed network of Fixtures Secretaries, Captains, Coaches, Managers, and Administrators, all sharing experiences and ideas openly; our strength is in our communication with each other but moreover our mutual co-operation.

10. The NRC continually strives for excellence in Medics Rugby; sometimes we fail, but mostly, in mutual co-operation, we maintain our standards, and improve something, somewhere. We live in the solution, not the problem.

11. The ethos of NAMS RUGBY is simple, clear, and coherent, but avails to nothing if it is not practiced by everyone to the mutual benefit of all. Coaches Managers and Captains who cannot fully subscribe to these principles should seriously consider whether they are doing justice to the Medics Players of the Team in their charge.

Entry Criteria & Player Eligibility
12. NRC entry details and criteria for Membership and Player eligibility are covered in the NRC “Competition Rules”.

13. The NROC shall have no liability whatsoever in respect of any injuries incidents or consequences which may arise from any match or competition organised by the Committee.

14. Each Medics Rugby Club / Team shall confirm by signing and submitting the NRC Entry Form it’s acknowledgement of, and agreement to adhere to this Constitution, and to the NRC Competition Rules & Regulations (as amended from time to time), particularly in relation to honouring all fixtures arranged by the NROC.

Fixtures
15. See the NRC "Competition Rules".

Organisation & Administration
16. The NROC strives to be as open and transparent as possible in the Organisation and Administration of it’s Competitions. To this end an Internet WebSite has been established at http://www.namsrugby.co.uk to underpin the Administration of the Competition.

17. Extensive use is also made of Group E-mails to maintain communication with Team Captains Managers and Coaches, and to highlight any news items or information available on the WebSite. All Team Officials are responsible for keeping their contact details; mobile and e-mail addresses up-to-date with the NRC Secretary.

18. It should be noted therefore that to fully participate in the Competition requires each Team to have some form of Internet access and E-mail facility available. To prevent this requirement becoming a barrier to participation the WebSite has been specifically designed to be fully accessed using the bare minimum of computer hardware and software.

19. The NAMS RUGBY Competition is empowered by its Members and shall be organised, managed, and administered by the ‘Nams Rugby Organising Committee’ (hereinafter referred to as the NROC) consisting of:

1/. Chairman.  2/. Secretary  3/. Treasurer.  4/. Fixtures & Results Secretary.

20. The NROC shall have the power to appoint or co-opt onto the Committee any further Committee Members as may be required from time to time, with or without voting rights.

21. Due to the high turnover of Players transiting the NRC Teams the NROC is constantly searching for any person who believes they can make a positive contribution to, or assist in, the running of the NRC, and who is interested in joining the NROC. Regular requests are made for such people to make their interest known to the NRC Secretary.

22. The NROC (committee) shall meet or confer as deemed necessary by the Chairman and the Secretary, at a venue mutually convenient for those attending.

Rules & Regulations
23. The NROC shall publish and issue the “NRC - Competition Rules” which shall provide further detailed guidelines, in addition to the Constitution, for the running of the Competition. This document shall be published on the NRC’s WebSite and shall form Appendix 1 of this Constitution. In addition the Committee shall publish the “NRC - Cup & Plate Competition Rules” to provide further information on the running of the end of season “Cross League” Cup & Plate competition.

24. The NROC shall have the authority to make decisions at any time on matters relating to the welfare and running of the NRC, and on matters which are not covered by either this Constitution or the NRC Competition Rules.

25. Suggestions for amendments or additions to the "NRC Rules" will be considered by the NROC (Committee) from any Member Team. These must be to the benefit of all competing Teams and Players and should be submitted to the NRC Secretary who will add them to the agenda for the next scheduled Committee conference or meeting where they will be considered and voted upon. If accepted, any amendments will be adopted and an updated version will be published on the NRC’s WebSite and introduced into the Competition as soon as practicable.

26. Each Medics Rugby Club and Team in consideration of signing and submitting the "Entry Form" for the NRC agrees it has entered into a legally binding obligation with the NRC, the RFU, any sponsor of the Competition, and as a separate covenant with each other Club and Team in the Competition, match official involved in any match in the Competition, or cancellation or abandonment thereof that it will not hold liable or make any claim against any of the foregoing or the Organising Committee;
  a). for any loss cost charge compensation or expense arising out of or in connection with any kind of injury or illness suffered by any player, spectator or other person (in so far as is  permitted by law).
  b). for any damage to property of any kind.
  c). for any other loss cost charge expense or damages be it economic financial consequential or for loss of profit expense incurred or otherwise and whether directly or consequential.
  d). for any loss of any description howsoever arising or alleged to arise from or in relation to the result of any match in the Competition arising out of or due to any decision or action that such official may take (or failed to have taken) under the Laws of the Game this constitution or any other rules or regulations published by the Colts League or in the RFU Handbook or which have been properly introduced by the RFU or in respect of any opinion expressed under Regulation 17.5 or in respect of the normal procedures to hold play control cancel or abandon a match.

Disciplinary Powers
27. The NROC shall have the power of expulsion, fines, or the imposition of any other penalty it considers appropriate, in addition to those imposed by any CB or Home Union, against Teams it considers to have failed to support the Ethos of NAMS RUGBY.

Annual General Meeting
28. An Annual General Meeting shall be called by the NROC after 1st June and before the start of each season, as deemed practicable by the Committee. All participating Teams for the upcoming season shall be entitled to nominate one Member to be present and who may vote on their Team’s behalf, although more than one Member from any Team may attend the meeting. Only Members present may vote and there shall be no proxy voting.

29. All Members will have at least 28 days notice of the AGM.

30. The “Meeting” shall consider the Election of Officers for the ensuing season, ratify the Committee’s determination on the conditions and fees for Membership, and ratify any changes made to the NRC - Competition Rules, plus “Any Other Business” notified to the NROC Secretary at least 14 days prior to the meeting.

31. Nominations for Officers to be elected at the AGM should be received by the NRC Secretary at least 21 days before the AGM. All persons so nominated shall be proposed and seconded by a separate Member, and shall themselves confirm their availability to the NRC Secretary.

32. The NRC Secretary shall publish and display a list of nominations at least 14 days before the AGM which shall be closed and removed 7 days before the AGM.

33. There shall be no more than 18 months between AGM’s.

Financial Management
34. The NRC is administered independently from the County Unions or CB’s, or the Student CB, and therefore operates at a nil cost to any County or Student CB, or to any University Athletic Union; thus remaining financially neutral and independent is a prerequisite for the continuation in the running of the NRC.

35. A Bank Account shall be maintained by the Treasurer in the name of the NAMS RUGBY COMPETITION or NRC.

36. A statement of the financial standing of the NRC shall be submitted to the NROC at each committee meeting, and an annual financial report shall be presented to the Membership at the AGM.

Aims and Objectives – Sponsorship to Underpin Travel Costs
37. The most significant obstacle to Medics Rugby is Team travel costs. To facilitate our primary objective of Medical School Players playing Rugby Union Football on a National basis the NROC makes no apology for soliciting every assistance by way of Sponsorship. Through Sponsorship we aim to assist all Medical School Rugby Teams with underwriting those costs. Rugby Medics, be they Students or Doctors, are requested to introduce and direct any potential Sponsor to the NRC WebSite, and to the NRC Secretary.

Further Regulation
38. The NROC shall be the sole arbiter in all cases of dispute or complaint, and shall have authority to make decisions at any time on matters which are not covered by either this Constitution, or the Competition Rules, and from their decision there shall be no appeal at law or otherwise.

Encls :
Appendix 1 – NAMS Rugby Competition - “Competition Rules”
Appendix 2 – NAMS Rugby Competition - “Entry Form”

Posted by Jon Kitchen 12 October 2007