GIBRALTAR POOL ASSOCIATION
GPA
CONSTITUTION
Revised Sept. 2014
Page 1
THE GIBRALTAR POOL ASSOCIATION
(GPA)
CONSTITUTION
1. Title
The name of the organisation is the “The Gibraltar Pool Association”; hereafter referred to as the “GPA”.
2. GPA Constitution
This document is the constitution of the GPA, which will govern the organisation and members of the
GPA. The Executive Committee shall be the authority for the interpretation of this document and shall
have authority to make a decision on any matter arising which affects the GPA not covered by the
Constitution. The Executive Committee are also responsible for ensuring that this document is modified
to include any points of clarification that arise through queries raised by members of the GPA at either
the AGM or EGM.
3. Objective/Purpose
The objectives of the GPA are as follows:• To act as the governing body for Pool in Gibraltar, and to represent the best interests of the
GPA members at the meetings of any parent/International organisations.
• To manage, promote and support the game of 8-ball Pool (hereafter referred to as “the game”)
in Gibraltar.
• To commit to the advancement of the game by continuously developing all aspects for all ages
and abilities without bias due to creed, gender, race or religion. This will include, but is not
limited to:
Management of International Teams
Management of Area/League/IM Structure
Organisation of national team and individual events
Co-ordination of sponsorship and promotion of the game
Organisation of a nationwide coaching structure to ensure the ongoing success of the GPA
It will be the policy of the GPA and all parts of the GPA substructure to make all reasonable efforts to ensure
that its decisions adhere to, and support, the above objectives.
The GPA is the governing body for pool played on the standard equipment, as defined within the EBA's
Blackball rules. The GPA acknowledges that there may exist at this time or at some point in the future other
organisations which purport to be the governing body for pool within Gibraltar, or organise events played
to the same or other rule-sets. In order to preserve the long-term future of the GPA, and its membership, a
choice policy has been put in place (see Appendix 1).
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4. Structure
The GPA are Gibraltar’s official representative of the European Blackball Association (hereafter referred
to as the EBA), and play to the rules of the game as defined by the EBA. The GPA hierarchy shall be
structured as follows:ExecutiveCommittee
President/Chairperson
Vice President/Vice Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer
Non-ExecutiveCommittee Members
Development Officer
Disciplinary Officer
Press Relations Officer
Tournament Officer
Special needs Officer
(These posts should be taken on by elected committee member’s
if possible)
ElectedInternational Managers
Men’s A Team Manager
Ladies Team Manager
Masters Team Manager
Seniors Team Manager
Juniors Team Manager
Under 23’s Manager
Special needs Team Manager
SubCommittee’s
The Executive Committee are ex-officio members of all GPA sub-committees.
The GPA are structured as a democracy and any general matters arising that affect the GPA shall be
brought before Elected committee at the monthly meeting and discussed, finishing with a vote;
Although If found to be a very serious matter affecting the GPA an EGM will be called.
The body of the hall at a meeting (General, AGM or EGM) and voted upon with the majority vote carrying
the decision.
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5.
Election & termination
The GPA’s Executive Committee positions are re-elected on a three-yearly basis and for the purposes of
continuity the elections will be staggered with the secretary one year, the vice chairman the following
cycle and finally the treasurer/ chairman the third cycle.
Any GPA member is eligible to be put forward for election to the executive committee. This can either
be done in writing fourteen (14) days before the GPA AGM, or in the event where no-one has registered
interest in the positions – then this can be done in person at the AGM. The only amendment to this
procedure is the position of treasurer; he/she shall have verifiable experience within this role.
If the incumbent does not wish to stand for re-election, they should notify the GPA in writing twenty
eight (28) days before the date of the AGM – and the GPA secretary should ensure that this is
communicated to the all representatives.
In the event that a member of the executive committee resigns before the AGM where their position is
up for renewal, then there are two possible courses of action. If there is less than one year left on their
tenure then the other members of the executive committee have the right to appoint a representative
to complete the period until the next AGM where the position will be up for normal elections, or if there
is in excess of one year remaining then the next GPA meeting will address the re- election of that
executive committee position. This will then run to the relevant GPA AGM (not necessarily for twenty
four (24) months).
All non-executive GPA positions are elected annually, following the same procedures as above.
6. Meetings
The GPA will hold a regular meeting of its representatives (monthly); the date, time and venue should
be confirmed at the previous meeting. The GPA secretary should ensure that this has been
communicated to all other relevant parties.
All GPA meetings will have the minutes fully recorded and available to all GPA members. The minutes
a v a i l a bl e f o r m em b e rs i f req ui red will omit names and financial matters.
All GPA meetings (non AGM & EGM) will follow a standard structure, and will be led by the chairman.
Any matters arising will be voted upon by the committee, with the majority vote carrying any
motion.
An EGM can be called by either the executive committee, or through more than six (6) members
petitioning the chairman on a single issue. EGM’s should be reserved for matters that will have a
material effect on the GPA, or one of their events, if no action is taken before the next normal meeting.
There shall be a period of fourteen (14) days’ notice required in calling an EGM.
Any AGM proposals should be made in writing, and submitted to the GPA secretary a full fourteen (14)
days before the date of the meeting. The GPA Secretary should then ensure that these are
communicated to the members (posting these on the GPA website once received is sufficient) to ensure
that there enough time before deciding on how to vote.
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7. Voting rights and procedures
At any GPA meeting elected representatives have the right to raise points of clarification, and indeed
propose changes to the way that the GPA operates. Any fundamental changes should only be raised at an
AGM (or EGM), but in any meeting there may be the possibility that a matter will require a vote.
The voting should run as follows; all proposals on a single issue should be taken by the chairman, provided
they are discernibly different from each other, those proposals should then be voted on by the body of the
hall with the least popular being excluded on each round. The chairman defines the vote for each round,
and this process continues until there are only two proposals remaining – at this stage, the proposal with
the most votes is then matched against the status quo. If the proposed change then defeats the status quo
in the last round of voting, the motion is carried. The voting procedure for elections to GPA positions will
work in the same manner as above.(Should the need arise; the chairman or his/her deputy shall have the
casting vote.)
8. Finance
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8.1: The financial year runs from the 1 September to the 31 August each year, and all financial
Statements should be prepared on an accruals basis.
8.2: All funds belonging to the GPA should be deposited in accounts that carry the association’s title. All
accounts must operate on two signatories, one of whom will be the treasurer and the other a member of
the Executive Committee.
8.3: After each significant GPA event, the treasurer will produce and present to the next GPA meeting, a
summary Income and Expenditure statement for each event.
8.4: Any sub-divisions of the GPA holding their own separate finances and bank accounts are responsible
for these accounts. They are required to submit to the GPA treasurer a fully reconciled Income and
Expenditure account along with the most recent bank statements, a minimum of two weeks prior to the
annual pre-AGM (September each year).
8.5: The GPA treasurer will provide consolidated financial statements at the AGM (September each
year), where they will be verified and passed as accurate.
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9. Code of Conduct
Implicit in a player entering a GPA event, is that they agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the GPA,
including the code of conduct. This applies to both players and officials of the GPA, and anyone attending an
event linked to a player. When at an event, a player is fully responsible for the behaviour of their guests
throughout the course of that event.
Firstly, all players are expected to abide by the laws of the land. They are expected to treat each other with
respect, and not engage in behaviour that would bring the GPA into disrepute. The GPA reserves the right to
deal severely with anyone who breaks the code of conduct, in order to maintain the reputation of the
organisation and preserve the safety and enjoyment of the GPA members. Any decisions on conduct decided
upon while at the event should be made by the Tournament Director (provided they are not unconstitutional),
and should be consistent with decisions taken in recent history, which will then be ratified by the disciplinary
committee at the next GPA meeting.
Any decisions taken after the event will be dealt with by the disciplinary sub-committee, who will then report
back their deliberations at the next GPA meeting, and the transcripts should be submitted to the GPA secretary.
All incidents reported to disciplinary committee MUST be dealt with as soon as practically possible (an
investigation should have commenced within an eight week period of the incident being reported to the DC).
Disciplinary appeals will be heard by the executive committee and not body of the hall.
Any violence or intimidation (either physical or otherwise) will result in the player being excluded from the
event, and may have further repercussions. Where this happens at a team event, the whole team may be
excluded.
The GPA should be aware that any decisions made which set a precedent can then be used going forward as the
standard treatment for a similar offence. The disciplinary committee should provide to the membership at the
AGM a summary of offences, circumstances and decisions that they have taken over the last year.
An annexe in the constitution will list all recent cases that the disciplinary committee has considered,
including a minute and the decision and action taken against the accused party.
10. Dissolution
10.1: The association can be dissolved at a general meeting where at least two thirds of the members in
attendance are in agreement to dissolve.
10.2: After making provision for all outstanding liabilities of the Association, the Committee may transfer all the
remaining property and funds to an organisation with the same or similar objects.
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Appendices to the GPA Constitution are held in a separate document, these include the following documentation.
Appendixes can change throughout the year in conjunction with the running of the GPA business.
AppendixNo.
AppendixTitle
One
GPA Choice Policy
Two
GPA Drugs Policy
Three
GPA Disciplinary, Grievance & Appeals Procedure
Four
GPA International Team Selection Policies
Five
Membership and Team Policy
OTHER GPA DOCUMENTS:
Child Protection and Vulnerable People Policy and Procedures (in process of formulating)
Data Protection Policy (in process of implementing.)
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