What's Actually Changing?

The constitution has been reorganised so it's much easier to read, with modern, gender-neutral language throughout. Here are the main practical changes, in plain English:

You can download the document to read (scroll to bottom) or you can read via an online flip book HERE

How the club is run

• Board members can now serve a maximum of 9 years in a row in the same role — this is recommended good practice and won't affect anyone currently on the Board straight away
• Board members must declare it and step back from voting if they have a personal financial interest in a decision — this was always expected, it's just written down properly now
• The Board can now meet remotely or hybrid, reflecting how meetings already happen

AGMs and notice periods

• All members will now get a clear minimum of 21 days' notice before any AGM
• AGMs will continue to be held in person. The constitution does allow for a virtual or hybrid AGM, but only as a fallback if the club is genuinely unable to meet in person — as was the case during the Covid years. This is not a change to how we plan to run AGMs

Money matters

• Match fees and similar charges will be set each season by the Board, rather than written into the constitution — this is how it's always worked in practice, just confirmed in writing
• Larger payments will now need sign-off from two people, as good financial practice
• The club will keep a simple Risk Register — a list of the main risks we face and how we manage them

New members

• New players can now try up to three sessions before being asked to formally join — useful for anyone unsure whether rugby is for them

Fair process if there's ever a complaint

There's a proper two-stage approach: an informal conversation first, then — if needed — a formal process with written notice, the right to respond, and the right to appeal to an independent panel

Open to everyone (new section)

• A clear statement that rugby at Selby is open to everyone, that discrimination has no place at the club, and that we actively support all parts of the game

Safeguarding and welfare (new section)

• The old constitution had no safeguarding section at all — this has now been added, covering our duty to protect children, DBS checks, what to do if someone has a concern, and player welfare including concussion guidance

Data protection

Our existing data protection commitments (added earlier this year) have been tidied up to match the formal tone of the rest of the document — nothing about the content has changed

Club Policies Being Formally Adopted

Alongside the constitution, eight policy documents are being formally adopted by the Board. These aren't new — the club has had policies covering most of these areas for some time — but they have been reviewed and updated as part of this process to make sure they're current and consistent with the new constitution.