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Constitution of the UK Mahjong Association

1. NAME and OBJECTIVES

The organisation shall be called The United Kingdom Mahjong Association (UKMA). The objects of the UKMA shall be primarily to enable, facilitate and promote the playing of mahjong tournaments in the United Kingdom (UK) conforming to internationally recognised rules. It shall also seek to promote the interests of all forms of the game of mahjong in the United Kingdom and to carry out acts deemed desirable in the interests of the game.

2. AFFILIATIONS and MEMBERSHIP

The UKMA will be a member of the European Mahjong Association. It may also, at its discretion, seek association, affiliation or membership of other European and international bodies and may subscribe to any organisation it deems fit in the best interests of the game.

  1. All clubs, organisations, and associations (hereinafter called “Clubs”) participating in the UKMA’s activities shall be affiliated with the UKMA.
  2. Members of affiliated Clubs shall be members of the UKMA
  3. Individuals may also become members of the UKMA by applying for, being accepted and paying the appropriate entrance fee to a tournament under the auspices of the UKMA
  4. Only bona fide clubs and individuals acceptable to the UKMA shall be affiliated.
  5. Memberships need to be renewed annually.

3. COMPOSITION

The UKMA shall consist of affiliated Clubs, members of affiliated Clubs and individual members.

4. GOVERNING BODY

  1. The governing body of the UKMA shall consist of the Council and the Executive.
  2. The Executive shall consist of the President, Chairman, two Vice-Chairmen, and a General Secretary.
  3. The Council will be formed of the Executive and one representative from each Club affiliated with the UKMA.
  4. All Clubs are to provide a list of their members annually and to nominate their representative within the two weeks following the Annual General Meeting.
  5. The quorum of a Council meeting and a General Meeting shall be three (3), including the members of the Executive. Should fewer than three voting members be present, the Chairman shall adjourn the meeting by not more than 30 days.
  6. When in Council or General Meetings, a decision by a straight majority is required. Should a vote result in a tie, a second vote shall be taken. Should this also prove inconclusive, the Chairman shall have the casting vote.

5. SUBSCRIPTIONS

  1. The annual subscription for affiliated Clubs and individual members will be determined by the Council, and may be altered by the Council when deemed necessary.
  2. Administration costs of the UKMA may also be funded by a contribution from all competitors playing in a tournament that utilises the UKMA’s facilities and is approved by the UKMA.

6. POWERS of the COUNCIL

The Council shall:

  1. Ensure that the objects of the UKMA, as specified in Rule 1, are carried out.
  2. Be the final authority for the interpretation of the game and the rules of mahjong for UKMA-accredited tournaments in the UK.
  3. Ratify decisions of the Executive on applications for affiliation and decide all questions as to the right to representation at meetings.
  4. Decide all questions of eligibility of persons nominated for the Council.
  5. Enlist for co-option for any purpose the services of outsiders.
  6. Form sub-committees for any special purpose.
  7. Appoint, if it is deemed necessary, any additional members of the Executive.

7. FUNCTIONS of the EXECUTIVE

  1. Members of the Executive shall have the power to:
    • Deal with all business of the UKMA, but not decide upon policy.
    • See to the day-to-day management according to the policy set by the Council.
    • Deal with applications for affiliation.
    • Deal with the urgent business of the UKMA on behalf of the UKMA. If necessary, decisions of the Executive will be ratified at the next Council Meeting.
    • Raise funds.
    • Do anything ancillary to or connected with the above Powers of the Executive.
    • Attend ex officio any sub-committee meeting.
  2. Duties of the Officers forming the Executive
    • The Chairman shall be responsible for calling all meetings of the Council and shall act as Chairman at all Council meetings. He shall have unlimited authority over every question of order unless challenged or overruled by a majority of the members present. The Chairman shall have a casting vote in addition to his ordinary vote.
    • The Vice-Chairman (Finance) shall perform the duties of the Chairman in the latter’s absence, and shall be responsible for all matters relating to Finance, including matters involving the funds of the UKMA and the maintenance of proper books of account. He shall maintain an account with a bank.
    • The Vice-Chairman (Public Relations) shall be responsible for all materials involved in public relations.
    • The General Secretary shall give notice of Council meetings, keep the minutes of each meeting, look after the correspondence of the UKMA, and assist the Chairman to prepare the agenda of each meeting.

8. The ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

  1. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) may be convened on any day during the Calendar Year, but normally in June, for the purpose of:
    • Reading and approving the minutes of the last AGM and EGM.
    • Receiving the Chairman’s Annual Report.
    • Receiving the Financial Report.
    • Election biennially of the Executive.
    • Any other matter of which due notice has been given in writing to the Council fifteen days before.
  2. The date, location and agenda of the AGM shall be circulated to each affiliated club not less than twenty-one days before the date of the meeting.
  3. Each affiliated club may send a member with the power to vote.
  4. The accidental non-receipt of a notice by any affiliated body shall not invalidate the proceedings of a General Meeting.
  5. Retirement of Officers – The President, the Chairman, the two Vice-Chairmen, and the General Secretary shall retire every two years but shall continue to hold office until the conclusion of the AGM at which they retire. Any casual vacancy occurring in the aforesaid offices may be filled by an EGM.
  6. Nominations – Candidates for the Executive, namely the President, Chairman, the two Vice-Chairmen, and General Secretary, should be duly proposed and seconded by members of the UKMA seven days before the AGM.
  7. All members will be allowed to be present during the AGM. However, only the Executive Officers plus the nominated representative (or the representative’s nominee) of each club are entitled to vote.

9. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS

  1. An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) shall be held not more than eight weeks after the Council shall have received a request in writing from not less than two affiliated clubs. Such a request shall state the matters to be discussed.
  2. The Council shall give not less than twenty-one days’ notice of an EGM to all clubs and organisations entitled to attend. Such notice shall set the Agenda for the meeting.

10. ALTERATION to the CONSTITUTION

Any alterations to this constitution shall be made only in a General Meeting, held after at least twenty-one days’ notice, by a majority of two-thirds of the members present and voting.

11. FINANCIAL YEAR

The Financial Year of the UKMA shall be from the 1st of January to the 31st of December.

12. HONOURS

The Council may, at its discretion, award emblems, certificates or prizes and may confer honorary distinctions.

13. TOURNAMENTS

Clubs or organisations intending to hold open tournaments should advise the General Secretary by the end of December of each year of the dates such tournaments are being held. The Executive will try to avoid tournaments clashing with one another.

14. CONDITIONS GOVERNING PLAYERS

The Executive has full power to suspend any player who fails to comply with any of the following conditions:

  1. A player must at all times adhere to the UKMA constitution and accept the authority of the UKMA.
  2. When playing in any event under the jurisdiction of another National Association, a player is required to comply with the rules of that National Association.

15. APPLICATIONS

Applications for affiliation must be made to the General Secretary and the reception and rejection of such application shall be at the discretion of the Executive, whose decision shall be final.

16. RESIGNATION

Any affiliated club may resign its membership of the UKMA provided notice in writing reaches the General Secretary by the 31st of December; otherwise, the club shall be liable for payment of the subscription for the following year.

17. DISSOLUTION

Upon dissolution of the UKMA, its assets, after all debts and liabilities have been paid, shall be disposed of in accordance with the wishes of the majority of those entitled to vote at the General Meetings.

Ian Fraser
President
Peter Langford
Chairman
John Duckworth
Vice Chairman – Finance
Nick Dyer
Vice Chairman – PR
Gemma Sakamoto
General Secretary

As approved by the Extraordinary General Meeting held on the 26th June 2010.