Constitution

Mission

  1. To promote mountain biking as an important and exciting outdoor activity in Ireland and one that offers many physical, social and economic benefits and opportunities.
  2. To create and assist in the management of a network of sustainable mountain biking trails in Ireland by
    1. cooperating and working in partnership with all landowners, landmanagers, development agencies, public and private bodies and other trail user groups, and
    2. supporting volunteer trail work through a network of locally supported mountain biking clubs.
  3. To promote environmentally sound and socially responsible mountain biking in Ireland by encouraging responsible riding through the promotion of a Mountain Biking Code of Good Practice (Leave no Trace)
  4. To affiliate to the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and become IMBA – Ireland.

Membership

The organisation shall consist of elected officers, affiliated clubs and individual members. Membership of the organisation shall be open to all, there will be no restrictions on grounds of sex, age, race, political or religious beliefs, and shall be open to any individual, club or club representative in Ireland who accepts and supports the organisation’s objectives.

Membership of the organisation shall be open to any person or sports club completing an Affiliation form and paying the annual relevant affiliation fee as determined at  an AGM.

Management

  1. The affairs of the organisation shall be managed by a Representative Committee and an Executive Committee of five members.
  2. The Executive Committee shall comprise Chairman and four other members. Following election the positions of Vice Chairman, Treasurer, Members Secretary and Communications Officer will normally be taken by Executive Committee members, or otherwise delegated to Representative Committee members.
  3. Members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall elect the Executive Committee for a period of one year.
  4. If a vacancy arises between AGMs, the Committee shall have the power to fill it, normally with a member from the Full Committee.
  5. A proposer and seconder must support proposals for election of Executive Committee members. The nominee, proposer and seconder must be fully paid up members for a minimum of 6 months prior to the date of the AGM.
  6. The Executive Committee shall be advised by National & Regional Trail Coordinators, National Access and Trail Development Advisors, together with up to five ordinary members. These posts will be nominated by the Executive Committee to serve for one year, and together with the Exec. Committee will make up the organisations Resentative Committee. This Committee will be at least twice annually.
  7. The Executive Committee may co-opt other mountain biking Ireland members to assist its work.
  8. Decisions affecting Mountain Biking Ireland shall be taken on the basis of a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee members.
  9. The quorum for an Executive Committee meeting shall be three Executive Committee members.
  10. The Committee shall ensure that all of its functions are allocated to specific members, including if appropriate, co-opted committee members
  11. The Executive Committee shall have the power to deal with any matter not provided for in this constitution.
  12. The Executive Committee may appoint respected figures for a fixed term as non executive President, Vice President(s) & / or honorary member(s) to promote the objectives of Mountain Biking Ireland

Managing Mountain Biking Ireland

The duties of the organisation’s executive committee shall include:

  • chairing all official Mountain Biking Ireland meetings & functions
  • attending meetings
  • managing correspondence
  • recording the minutes of the meetings and keeping the minutes for reference
  • managing the finances and presenting an annual balance
  • elect and coopt members onto  the representative & executive committee as deemed necessary.
  • maintain a bank account and keep accurate financial accounts of the organisation
  • develop an annual plan for Mountain Biking Ireland and to then coordinate and oversee the implementation of this plan.

Annual General Meetings

  1. The AGM will be held no later than the end of May each year.
  2. The organisation will give a copy of written notice to each member of the organisation at least 21 days before the AGM is to take place.
  3. The Business of the AGM will be:
    • To confirm the minutes of the previous AGM and any General Meeting held since the last AGM
    • To receive the audited accounts for the year from the Treasurer
    • To receive the annual report of the committee from the Secretary
    • To elect an auditor
    • To elect the officers of the organisation
    • to maintain the organisations constitution
    • To review and agree the organisation’s affiliation fees for the next year
  4. Members must advise the Secretary in writing of any business to be moved at the AGM at least 10 days before the meeting. The Secretary shall circulate or give notice of the agenda for the meeting to members not less than 5 days before the meeting.
  5. A Quorum for a General Meeting shall be not less than 7 Officers or members of the organisation.
  6. Each club affiliated to the organisation will be entitled to one vote at General Meetings.
  7. The chair and vice chair will be entitled to one vote at General Meetings.
  8. A Special General Meeting (SGM) must be called within 28 days of the receipt of a requisition signed by 30 members or 10% of the membership, whichever is the larger, specifying the sole subject to which discussion shall be confined.

Finance and Accounts

  1. The financial year shall run from 1 January to 30 December annually
  2. The treasurer shall be responsible for the preparation of the annual accounts of Mountain Biking Ireland which shall be subject to examination by other members of the Committee and shall be independently authenticated. The annual accounts shall be available to all members on request.
  3. All cheques drawn against the Mountain Biking Ireland bank account shall be signed by one of the two signatories nominated by the Executive Committee.
  4. Mountain Biking Ireland is a non-profit making organisation. All income received shall be applied solely to the promotion of the objectives of Mountain Biking Ireland. No member shall receive payment from Mountain Biking Ireland other than the reimbursement of reasonable fees and expenses necessarily incurred in the furtherance of the objectives of Mountain Biking Ireland

Constitution Amendments

  1. Any proposed alterations to the organisation’s constitution may only be considered at the AGM. Any alteration or amendment must be proposed by a member of the organisation and seconded by another. Majority rule will carry a motion. It is the responsibility of the Chairman to maintain and update the constitution.

Dissolution Clause

A meeting will be called after discharging all debts and liabilities of the organisation. The remaining assets shall not be paid or distributed amongst the members of the group, but shall be given or transferred to some other voluntary organisation having objects similar to Mountain Biking Ireland