All members please note that we intend to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting of the company alongside the senior club at The Golf Tavern on 14 May at 18:30.

The business of the meeting is to discuss the transfer of the business and undertakings of the company into a charity which has been set up for this purpose, and the Company being effectively made dormant under the control of the charity. The advantages and reasons for pursuing this charity option have been covered at previous AGMs but can also be discussed at this EGM if required.

We will consider a Special Resolution as follows: "The Members resolve that (i) the whole business and undertakings of the Company be transferred into The Watsonian Hockey Club SCIO (the SCIO) as soon as reasonably practicable and once the SCIO has met to finalise its membership and trustees (ii) following the transfer, the Membership of the Company (and therefore the Articles of Association) be amended to align with membership of the SCIO leaving the SCIO in effective control of the Company and (iii) the Company shall subsequently continue to exist but on a dormant basis until required for trading or similar purposes (if at all)."

A 75% majority will be required for this resolution to pass.

Members should note that the intention is that the membership of the SCIO will be made up of the Senior Club and Youth committees. There will no longer be an expectation that all members of the club (whether playing, umpiring or otherwise) are also members of the SCIO.

The reason for this is that:

1 Members of a SCIO are expected to satisfy a fit and proper test, which is impractical for the trustees to administer for the whole membership;
2 Members of a SCIO have a duty not to act other than in accordance with the SCIO's charitable purposes, which is felt to be too onerous a thing to ask of all club members;
3 The trustees have a legal duty to maintain an up to date list of Members at all times, which is manageable in relation to the two committees but is not manageable or practical to attempt with the whole club membership, given the scope for fluctuations over time.

We would still intend to have a set of Senior Club and Youth bye-laws designed, amongst other things, to give club members (as opposed to Members of the SCIO) the opportunity to have a say in decision making.

Any members who wish to submit questions in advance of the meeting should do so by email to: board@watsonianshockeyclub.com and where practical, answers may be published in advance of the EGM, or otherwise will be given at the EGM. Questions may also be raised in person at the EGM and will be answered where practically possible and where time allows.