CONSTITUTION OF THE LEAGUE

The League shall be called 'The Blackmore Vale Table Tennis League' and will be affiliated to the Dorset Table Tennis Association (DTTA) and the English Table Tennis Association (ETTA).
1	AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
1.1	The League shall be responsible for promoting Table Tennis in the Blackmore Vale area.
1.2	The League shall offer coaching and competitive opportunities to all players who wish to play Table Tennis in the Blackmore Vale area.
1.3	The League shall ensure a duty of care to all individual members and member clubs who are registered to the League.
1.4	The League shall ensure that all present and future members are treated as equals and will be regulated in a fair and equal manner.
1.5	The League will deal with any incidence of discriminatory behaviour seriously and in accordance with the League disciplinary procedures.
2	OFFICERS OF THE LEAGUE
2.1	The Officers of the League shall be the following: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Match & Press Secretary, Tournament Secretary, ETTA Representative.
2.2	The Honorary Secretary shall be responsible for convening and taking minutes at all General meetings and meetings of the Executive Committee as well as conducting all correspondence on behalf of the League.
2.3	The Honorary Treasurer shall administer the funds of the League and shall keep these funds as approved by the Committee.
2.4	The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining the accounts and preparing an audited statement of accounts for submission to the Annual General Meeting.
2.5	The duties of the other officers shall be decided from time to time by the Committee.
2.6	On the retirement from office, an Officer shall hand over to the Committee all papers, books and information applicable to that office.
2.7	All Officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
2.8	That where funds permit, each of the main officers of the League (Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Match & Press Secretary, Hon. Tournament Secretary) be awarded an annual Honorarium.
3	THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
3.1	The League shall be managed through an Executive Committee consisting of the Officers and any Executive Members duly elected at the Annual General Meeting.
3.2	Only these posts with the exception of the Chairman shall have the right to vote at a meeting of the Executive Committee. The Chairman shall only have the casting vote.
3.3	Four members of the Executive Committee shall form a Quorum providing that the Chairman or Vice-Chairman plus one other Officer are present.
3.4	The Executive Committee may co-opt other members of the League as the business of the League may require, and may also delegate their powers to such Sub-Committees as it may be necessary to form.
3.5	Each Club can nominate a non-voting representative to attend and participate in the meetings of the Executive Committee.
3.6	The Executive Committee shall be responsible for adopting new policy, codes of conduct and the regulations affecting the organisation and running of the League.
3.7	The Executive Committee shall be responsible for disciplinary hearings of individual members, teams or clubs who infringe the Regulations and/or the Constitution of the League.
3.8	The Executive Committee shall hear all appeals made by individual members, teams or clubs where implementation of the Regulations and/or the Constitution of the League has caused some difficulty.
3.9	The Executive Committee shall convene on a monthly basis during the playing season and at an agreed frequency in the close season.
4	GENERAL MEETINGS
4.1	The Honorary Secretary shall give notice of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) not less than 21 days prior to the meeting.
4.2	Officers, Members of the Executive Committee, League Members and any other interested parties may attend the Annual General Meeting.
4.3	The Officers and Executive Committee candidates shall be proposed and seconded at the Annual General Meeting.
4.4	Where two or more candidates are proposed and seconded for one post, a ballot of the League Members present at the meeting shall be held.
4.5	Only registered League Members have the right to vote at the Annual General Meeting. The Chairman shall have the casting vote.
4.6	The Annual General Meeting shall receive annual reports from each of the Officers and a statement of the audited accounts.
4.7	The annual individual and team registration fees shall be set at the Annual General Meeting.
4.8	Any other matters to be discussed at the Annual General Meeting including changes to the Playing Regulations shall reach the Honorary Secretary no later than 14 days before the meeting.
4.9	An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Executive Committee, or any League Member upon request in writing to the Honorary Secretary and signed by at least 25 members or 20% of the membership whichever is the least.
4.10	20% of the membership shall form a quorum at an Extraordinary General Meeting.
4.11	Only registered League Members have the right to vote at an Extraordinary General Meeting. The Chairman shall have the casting vote.
5	FINANCE
5.1	All League funds shall be held in a bank account in the name of the Blackmore Vale Table Tennis League.
5.2	There shall always be two signatories for every cheque raised against the bank account, consisting of two from the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer.
5.3	The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of the League and will present a report to the Executive Committee at each meeting.
5.4	The financial year for the League shall end on the 30th April each year.
5.5	The Honorary Treasurer shall present a fully audited statement of accounts to the Annual General Meeting.
6	DISSOLUTION OF THE LEAGUE
6.1	The League shall not be wound up except by resolution at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting of the League Members.
6.2	In that event, the funds of the League shall either be distributed amongst the League Members or donated to an organisation with a similar objective to the League as the meeting shall decide.
7	AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
7.1	The Constitution shall only be changed through agreement by majority vote at an Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting.
8	PLAYING REGULATIONS
8.1	The League shall publish the Playing Regulations annually prior to the start of the season.
8.2	Changes to the Playing Regulations can only be made in accordance with Clause 4.8 above.
8.3	The League shall publish any amendments to the national and international playing regulations when issued by the ETTA and ITTF as and when they impact upon the League.

PLAYING REGULATIONS

1	LEAGUE MEMBERSHIP AND REGULATIONS
1.1	All Clubs will be required to submit an official registration form showing the Club Secretary, Home Venue and Captain of each team entered by that Club. The League membership fee shall be £15 per team; school teams £7.50 per team. All entries will be accepted at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
1.2	Each Club must nominate teams in descending order of strength, i.e. the strongest team will be the "A" team, second strongest the "B" team and so on.
1.3	No more than six players may represent any one team during the season, these six players to include both full team players and reserve players (see below).
1.4	Each Club must initially register at least three players for each team but no more than six. The individual registration fee shall be £15 per player, £7.50 for a school-aged player.
1.5	As long as the total number of players for a team does not exceed six, further registration may be made up to 31st December, on application to the League Chairman, Honorary Secretary or Match & Press Secretary.
1.6	Such late registration can be for a full team member (£15) or a reserve player (£3 per game up to five games, when he or she automatically becomes a full team member). The rates for school-aged players are half those for adults.
1.7	A team may also use a reserve from a lower team in that Club, as long as doing so does not mean that the limit of six players is exceeded.
1.8	A player registered for one team may play for a higher team within that Club as a reserve. He or she may play as a reserve for that team only and up to a maximum of three games. See also Rule 1.7
1.9	A transfer of a player from a higher team to a lower may be possible at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
1.10	No unregistered player may play in a League match or any other event organised by the league, with the exception of the Junior and Cadet Tournament, for which special rules apply.
1.11	All new teams will be vetted by the Committee as to which Division they are to enter.
2	PROMOTION AND RELEGATION
2.1	In the event of the League points being the same at the end of the season, the team winning the most matches will be deemed the higher team
2.2	If they are equal, that team having drawn the most matches will be deemed the higher team.
2.3	If they are equal, a play off will ensue (no doubles), the winners being deemed the higher team.
3	MATCH ORGANISATION
3.1	Teams are to consist of three players, two of who may play in the doubles. Additional player(s) may be brought in for the doubles.
3.2	All pre-match preparation to be completed to enable matches to start by 7.30 pm, unless an earlier start time has been specifically requested and agreed.
3.3	Only best quality 3 star 40mm ETTA approved balls to be used. The use of a new ball for each match is encouraged.
3.4	Matches to be played according to the full ITTF laws. Team Captains should ensure that team members are conversant with these (Law booklets are available from the League Secretary if required).
3.5	All result cards should be posted within 72 hours of the game (verifiable by postmark) with 10 points deducted from any team that fails to do so.
3.6	All matches should be played to a finish.
3.7	A point will be awarded for each leg won during a game allowing a potential 50 points to be won in the match.
4	POSTPONEMENTS
4.1	The absence of regular players or their inability to play is not sufficient reason for postponing a match. Reserves must be played or the team play with two players.
4.2	Unless there are exceptional circumstances agreed with the Executive Committee before the 1st October, all matches after the first Monday in October are to be played before or within seven days of the date scheduled in the handbook.
4.3	If the match is not played within seven days of the date scheduled in the handbook, match points will be allocated as follows – Postponing team 0 points; Opponents 15 points.
4.4	In the event that the team postponed against believes the allocation of 15 points is unfair, they should appeal to the Executive Committee in writing via the Match & Press Secretary.
4.5	In any case all pre-Christmas matches must be played by the nominated Sunday ending the first half of the season and all post-Christmas matches by the nominated Sunday ending the last week of the season.
5	PUNCTUALITY
5.1	In the event of a player not being available to play by 8.45pm, his or her games shall be forfeit except at the discretion of the opposing team captain.
6	NON-ATTENDANCE
6.1	Any side failing to turn up by 8.30 pm will be penalised 15 points.
6.2	In the event of non-attendance, the Match & Press Secretary must be informed and the match rearranged as soon as possible. If this proves difficult, Regulations 4.4 and 4.5 under "Postponements" apply.
7	CONDUCT
7.1	Any bad language, misconduct or unfair practice (such as excessive gamesmanship) should be reported in writing to the Executive Committee via the League Chairman or Honorary Secretary.
7.2	The Executive Committee is empowered to take appropriate action in such cases.
8	APPEALS
1.1	The Executive Committee recognises that in exceptional circumstances, difficulties may be caused by the implementation of the above League Regulations. In such cases, appeal should be made in writing to the Committee via the League Chairman or Honorary Secretary.
1.2	Where relevant, ETTA Rules will be followed. The Final Arbitration in matters of conflict rests with BMVTTL committee, whose decision will be final.
9	TOURNAMENTS
	(See Tournament Rules and 2006-2007 Fixtures)