1. The full title of this Association shall be the "BOLTON SPORTS FEDERATION". All members Leagues must be known as the Bolton Sports Federation ........... League (which may be abbreviated to the BSF ............... League), on all formal documentation and their financial accounts should be held under that title.

2. The Federation is comprised of Clubs and Organisations ("clubs") formed into Leagues for the purpose of promoting the physical and social development of all the members. The qualifications of all clubs within the meaning of these rules shall, in the first instance, be considered and approved by the appropriate League Committee and afterwards by the Executive Committee or a Sub-Committee elected by the Executive Committee, who shall have power to act at short notice.

3. All League committees shall adopt the Model Constitution (attached as Annex 1), suitably adjusted to meet their specific needs and approved by the Executive Committee.

4. In order to achieve this purpose, the Federation has the following specific objects:

(a) To encourage the initiation and formation of organised games/Leagues in connection with federated institutions.

(b) To organise and manage games, leagues and competitions.

(c) To take any further action which may be for the general welfare of federated clubs and their members.

5. Any club (see Rule 2) in harmony with the objectives of the Federation shall be eligible for membership. Organisations applying for federation must be approved by the Executive Committee.

6. Federated teams shall pay an annual fee as decided at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

7. Each club having a federated team may elect one representative, whose name and address shall be submitted to the Secretary, who together with the Officials, Executive Committee and ex-officio members, may attend the AGM.

8. The AGM, of which at least fourteen days' notice shall be given in the local press for the information of clubs, shall be held not later than the 31st January in each year.

9. The AGM shall elect a President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman and one Auditor to hold office for three years. It shall also elect for three years, twelve members who, together with the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and one nominated representative (who may send a substitute) of each League, will form the Executive Committee. This committee may, during their term of office, co-opt up to six further members. The President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer shall be ex-officio on all committees. The AGM may also elect Vice-Presidents who shall hold office for an indefinite period. Each League will submit the name of one non-committee member to act as Auditor, together with the Federation Auditor, for its own audit.

10. The Executive Committee shall elect the Secretary and Treasurer for a period of three years and generally manage the affairs of the Federation.

11. No Officer of the Executive Committee or any member League shall have the power to act on behalf of the BSF without the consent of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee shall meet when necessary, but not less than three times per year, to transact the business of the Federation. Officers’ meetings shall be held as agreed by the Committee.

13 Any member of the Executive Committee who shall be absent from three consecutive meetings without adequate reason shall cease to be a member. At each meeting the minutes of all Leagues and sub-committees shall be submitted for approval.

14. There must be a regular reporting to the Executive Committee by the BSF Officers and the individual members Leagues through their Officers.

15. Seven members shall form a quorum for an Executive Committee Meeting and three for a Sub- Committee meeting.

16. The formation of Emergency Sub-Committees and Appeal Boards shall be at the discretion of the Chairman and Secretary.

17. For all ordinary purposes of voting, a show of hands shall decide the question unless the Chairman shall decide otherwise.

18. Rules and amendments to rules shall be dealt with at the AGM or at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for that purpose. Proposed amendments to rules which require to be dealt with at the AGM shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary, five weeks prior to the commencement of the last Executive Meeting held before the AGM. Extraordinary General Meetings shall be convened on receipt by the Secretary of a requisition signed by not less than ten members of the Executive Committee or fifteen federated clubs. Such requisition shall state the purpose of the meeting and only the matters stated thereon shall be discussed and dealt with at such meeting. The meeting shall be held within one month from the date of receipt of the requisition by the Secretary and not less than fourteen days' notice shall be given.

19. The responsibility for administration of the funds and the safekeeping of the trophies of the member Leagues should be vested with each respective League on behalf of the Bolton Sports Federation.

20. All trophies held by the member leagues and the executive must be recorded at their true value annually by the end of April with the BSF Treasurer. A fund known as the Trophy Fund shall be set up and maintained by the Executive Committee to provide for the replacement or repair of trophies in the event of theft or accidental damage. Such fund shall have its own rules relating to its formation, size and the procedure for Clubs to make claims upon it. The fund shall at all times be vested in and under the control of the Executive Committee."

21. Competitors shall conform to the rules and regulations of the League of which they are members.

22. Competitors shall be amateurs. For the purpose of these rules, an amateur is one who does not directly or indirectly receive remuneration or consideration of any kind whilst representing their club in a Federation competition.

23. All competitors must be registered on standard forms provided for the purpose, by each League, stating the full name and address of the competitor. Such forms shall be countersigned by the club Chairman and Secretary. All Officials countersigning the forms will certify that that they have enquired into the qualifications of such player and that he or she is duly qualified to compete in accordance with the rules of the Federation and League. Such registration forms, fully signed, must be sent to the Secretary of each particular League, seven clear days prior to the commencement of such League competition, or by any earlier date set by the League in which the player is registered to take part. For any player registered after a competition has commenced, the club must send a Registration Form, fully signed, seven clear days prior to the date of the match in which he or she wishes to take part. Where a League is a member of an Association (e.g. LFA) requiring the signing of players at variance with this rule, the Association rule will be accepted.

24. Subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, Sunday games may be played, always provided that no disciplinary action is taken against players who refuse to take part.

25. A player having once competed for any club shall be considered to belong to it and shall not be allowed to compete in the same league/competition for any other club during the same season, except on a personal appeal by the player and under mitigating circumstances, and then only with the express consent of the League committee which shall be satisfied that the cancellation of a registration is not against the interest of the other competitors. Each particular case shall be recorded in the League minutes. Each request for the cancellation of a registration shall be accompanied by a cancellation fee, to be fixed by the League concerned, such fee shall be added to the League's funds should the request be approved.

26. The Executive Committee shall ensure that the central funds are maintained at an adequate level.

27. No League committee shall have power to grant honoraria to any official/s or for any other purpose without first obtaining the sanction of the Executive Committee. Any balance in excess of £40 remaining at the close of each season, up to a maximum agreed at an AGM, shall be transferred to the Federation Treasurer for adding to the Federation General Account. Any amount in excess of the agreed figure shall be retained by the League concerned, on behalf of BSF.

28. The Treasurer shall pay all accounts and be generally responsible for the finances of the Federation. He shall not pay any accounts until they have first been submitted to the Executive Committee for approval and obtained the initials of the Chairman presiding at the meeting when they were passed for payment. Immediately after the end of September in each year, the Treasurer shall prepare an Income & Expenditure Account, to be submitted to the Auditor for approval and report. The Income & Expenditure Account shall, after audit, be submitted to the Executive Committee for their approval and then to the AGM the following January.

29. All monies collected by Leagues on behalf of the BSF Executive shall be passed to the BSF Treasurer within 28 days of collection.

30. The Federation Auditor shall audit the Federation accounts as referred to in Rule 22 above, also the accounts of the federated Leagues, after which they shall give a report to the Executive Committee and later to the AGM. To enable the Auditor to carry out his duties, the Federation Treasurer and the various League Treasurers and Auditors must attend their respective audits, and supply all particulars and such information as the Auditor may require.

31. Any matter not provided for in any of the foregoing rules shall be dealt with by the Executive committee as they deem fit.