Roles and Responsibilities

The officials serve as volunteers to conduct the running of the club and their roles and responsibilities are listed below. Roles are defined as either ‘Committee’ or ‘Non-Committee’. Committee positions are voting positions.

Committee

Chairperson

The Chairperson is the chief officer of the club, the public head and responsible for the clubs’ relations. It is primarily one of leadership - to set the pace for the group and lend it some purpose, direction, and guidance. It's important that the leader is sensitive to the needs of individual members and to the group. The Chairperson should be well organised, a good delegator, a good communicator and confident.

The role will include the following responsibilities:

To chair and manage the efficient running of Committee and AGM/EGM meetings
Report on the activities of the Club at the Annual General Meeting
Conduct Committee, AGM/EGM meetings in a manner that enables all Members to have their say
Conduct Committee, AGM/EGM meetings in a way that ensures business is dealt with effectively
Steer meetings through the agenda
Move to a vote if necessary
Assist the Club Secretary to prepare meeting agendas
The responsibility of being an unbiased decision maker by exercising sound judgement
Represent the Club and Committee, acting as spokesperson as required
Give direction on the development of the Club
Ensure the Committee function well as a team
Ensure the Committee is effectively managing the club and oversee the running of the Club
Ensure decisions made by the Committee are carried out
To ensure the Committee act in the spirit of the Club, in the best interest of its members and according to the constitution
Monitor the Club’s finances through close liaison with the Treasurer, and ensuring they are signed annually if considered to be in order
Notify Club Members promptly of any appointment, resignation or removal of Officers of the Committee

Secretary

The secretary is the nerve centre of the club, with a close involvement in the general running of the club. The Club Secretary carries out the administrative duties that enable the club and its members to function effectively. Those interested in our running club contact the secretary for information on membership, requirements, training, meetings, events and activities.

The role of Club Secretary will carry the following responsibilities:

The Club Secretary acts as the principle administrator for the Club
Responsible for carrying out the administrative duties that enable the Club Membership to function effectively
Be responsible for the day to day running of the Club
Will have a good understanding of all the roles within the Club to ensure that the Committee and Members are united in their objectives
To provide a link between the Club Membership, Committee, Governing bodies (EA and UKA), local community and media
The point of contact for enquiries and to deal with correspondence both received and sent
Apply for and process club entries to the London Marathon
To keep up to date with UKA and other sports bodies initiatives
Maintain sound knowledge around the club constitution, club rules and regulations, including UKA and EA to ensure it’s being adhered to
To organise the Club’s Committee meetings, annual general meeting (AGM) and Extraordinary general meeting (EGM)
To give note of, organise and attend Committee meetings, together with an appropriate Agenda. Take and distribute minutes. Ensure that action points from the meeting have been carried out
Collect and maintain accurate club records for membership and affiliation forms
Facilitate payment of affiliation fees to UKA
Treat all completed forms as confidential to enable the Club to fulfil its obligation under the Data Protection Acts 1988 & 2003
Assist with change of claim, both from and to clubs
Work with the Treasurer to set up the club bank account and be a second signatory to authorise cheques and payments debited from the account
Deal with resignations and letters of complaint along with the Chairperson to ensure a quick and efficient response

Treasurer

The Treasurer has responsibility for all the clubs’ finance and maintenance of the Club Bank Account. The Treasurer provides reports to the Committee on the financial standing of the club and a detailed report of the club’s financial status at the Annual General Meeting.

The role of Club Treasurer will carry the following responsibilities:

Be responsible for all income and expenditure affecting the Club and for the presentation of the accounts and balance sheets
Be aware of the clubs’ financial obligations and reporting to the relevant bodies
Ensure financial records and the clubs’ bank account are managed, reconciled and recorded in a readily available format should anyone wish to see this
Keep up-to-date records of all financial transactions
Pay cheques and surplus cash into the bank promptly
Pay bills and expenses in a timely manner
Provide the Committee with financial reports at each meeting
Produce a budget for events and ensure this is effectively monitored
Present an end-of-year financial report at the AGM
Prepare year-end statement of accounts and arrange for an independent reviewer(s)
Working with the Secretary to set up the club bank account and be a second signatory to authorise cheques and payments debited from the account
Provide support and advice to the Committee in relation to financial matters generally, including fundraising and any significant new planned expenditure

Club Captains

The Club Captain is the link between the administration of the Club and the athletes. It is the role of Club Captains to represent the views of the athletes within the Club and contribute to the development of the Club through providing advice and guidance from an athlete perspective. The Club shall have two Club Captains, one male and one female.

The role of Club captains will include the following:

Maintain a motivating presence, in person (at training nights, events, socials etc.) and via social media (Facebook, email etc.)
Welcome new members to the Club and maintain regular contact with Club members by making yourself known
Be a positive role model for all members of the Club
Generate team spirit by motivating, leading encouragement, attending team events, knowing their team and showing interest and supporting progress
Gather feedback from members and present the athletes if they have any queries/ issues relating to club training sessions
Make members aware of upcoming racing events that may be of interest and actively encourage participation
Recognise achievements and make these known to the club
Keep the Club’s racing events and reports up to date on the website
Come up with new ideas for sessions and events and present them to the Committee

Welfare Officer

The Club will provide two Welfare Officers; one male and one female. UK Athletics recommend completing the UK Athletics standard e-learning packages and attending local and national workshops. The officers will also be DBS checked.

The role of Welfare Officers will include:

To ensure that the Club upholds its responsibility of duty of care to its members
To ensure that the Club is open and accessible to all
To be responsible for the promotion of codes of conduct to its members
To ensure that all members receive fair and equal treatment at all times
To ensure that the Club adopts and maintains an anti-bullying policy, in accordance with UKA and the clubs’ rules
To ensure that the club adopts and maintains a policy of dealing with cases of misconduct and poor practices
Support the registration of all personnel involved in activities within the club (DBS checks)
Receive, record and deal with any concerns relating to the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults and ensure the relevant Committee members are kept informed
Recognise the difference between poor practice (according to club rules) and matters that would be a welfare issue
To be a point of contact for any club member wishing to discuss or report cases of bullying, misconduct or poor practice and take the recommended appropriate action
To deal in an appropriate way with confidential matters that may arise related to athletes
Initiate action where bullying, misconduct or poor practice has been identified, and report it to the appropriate authority. In some cases, this may involve reporting incidents to UKA or the Police
To keep the Committee updated on the progress of any reported case
Maintain an up to date knowledge of all relevant welfare and child protection policies published by England Athletics and ensure the club adheres to these policies

Non-Committee

Website Administrator

The role of Website Administrator will carry the following responsibilities

Maintain the clubs’ website
Ensure the site stays up to date by gathering information from the Committee
Check all content is suitable and does not breach any club policies
Assist in maintaining and updating the hosting and domain name costs/ supplier
Ensure all receipts for costs are provided to the Treasurer within a timely manner

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