THE ASSOCIATION
The Association started life in 1982 with a handful of members and now has members all over England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- We offer advice to bowls clubs and individual wheelchair bowlers.
- We can offer coaching.
- We have good and close relations with the able-bodied bowls associations within the UK.
- These contacts have helped the BWBA to persuade the governing bodies to accept wheelchair bowlers as equals.
- We can also hire BWBA wheelchairs to members for a reasonable charge.
We are recognised as the governing body for wheelchair bowls in the UK.
Through BWBA lobbying, wheelchair bowlers are now formally acknowledged within the worldwide Rules of the Sport. Able-bodied bowls associations within the UK routinely look to the BWBA for advice and we also approve designs for bowls wheelchairs.
However, the single most significant achievement of the BWBA has been to gain acceptance for wheelchair bowlers on a day-to-day level at their own clubs where wheelchair bowlers play as bowlers and not as someone in a wheelchair.
Increasingly, the BWBA is acting as a source of help and advice to clubs and individual bowlers but its main purpose is to promote wheelchair bowls and to help, encourage and coach wheelchair bowlers.
ETIQUETTE FOR WHEELCHAIR BOWLS
With wheelchair bowlers fully accepted we advise them to respect all the general protocols of the sport, for example, dress code, rink manners and foot-faulting to name just three.
GUIDELINES for PUSHERS
The pusher of a wheelchair during a match should be part of the furniture i.e. he/she should not speak or move apart from pushing the player. Any speaking or patting to say ‘well done’ etc. can be construed as coaching. Where possible the pusher should retire to the bank. They must remember they are an intrusion to the opposition’s concentration. The marker on the rink is responsible for the head being undisturbed until the shots have been decided. Unnecessary movement can cause a leaning wood to fall.
THE CONSTITUTION
- NAME
The Association shall be called the British Wheelchair Bowls Association (the Association).
- STATUS
The Association shall operate under the auspices of the British Wheelchair Sports Foundation (the Foundation) and shall act as the Bowls Section of the Foundation. - OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Association are- To promote and encourage wheelchair bowls in Great Britain.
- To act as sole controller and governing body for wheelchair bowls competitions in Great
Britain and to organise such competitions. - To be the sole arbiter of all questions pertaining to wheelchair bowls in Great Britain.
- To represent the interests of wheelchair bowlers in Great Britain to the relevant national and international bodies on matters of mutual concern, and in particular the laws, rules, and notes pertaining to wheelchair bowls.
- To select players for the Great Britain representative side.
- To assist players, umpires and officials achieve the highest standards of performance.
- MEMBERSHIP
- Full Membership shall be open to:
- All wheelchair bowlers
- Coaches, administrators, umpires and officials directly involved with wheelchair bowls.
- Associate membership shall be open to Clubs, Organisations, Associations and to individuals not directly involved with wheelchair bowls.
- Honorary membership will be granted to the World governing body and other national bowls associations. Honorary membership for individuals may be conferred by the Association by majority vote at the Annual General Meeting.
- All Members must abide by the Constitution of the Association and, as appropriate, all relevant requirements of the Foundation and the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation.
- Full Membership shall be open to:
- OFFICERS
- The Honorary Officers of the Association shall be the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer.
- All Honorary Officers shall be full members of the Association.
- The Honorary Officers shall be elected by the Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.) of the Association.
- Should any post of Honorary Officer remain unfilled following election, or in the event of such a post becoming vacant, the Executive Committee may take such steps as it considers appropriate to fill the post or otherwise ensure that the duties of the Officer(s) concerned are discharged.
- THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- The affairs of the Association shall be managed by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Honorary Officers and up to six ordinary members elected by the A.G.M. of the Association.
- Honorary Officers and other Committee members shall normally hold office for three years commencing from their election at the A.G.M. of the Association.
- No less than three, and no more than four, members of the Executive Committee shall stand down from office each year; these numbers shall include no less than one, and no more than two, of the Honorary Officers. Any members standing down under the provisions of this clause will be eligible for re-election.
- The Executive Committee shall have the power to fill unforeseen vacancies in the membership of the committee, and any person so appointed shall serve until the next A.G.M.
- The Executive committee may co-opt additional members. It may review the position of co-opted members at any time but must do so at least annually.
- The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the administration of the Constitution of the Association.
- The Executive Committee shall appoint the British team coach and assistant coach.
- Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be chaired by one of the Honorary Officers; six members, one of which must be an Honorary Officer, shall be required for a quorum.
- The Bowls representative on the Foundation’s Technical committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee from among its own members.
- The Executive Committee may delegate any of its duties to sub-committees, and may appoint to a sub-committee such persons as it thinks fit; any sub-committee so formed shall act in accordance with instructions received from the Executive Committee.
- The Executive Committee shall have the power to create and fill any post it considers necessary to fulfil the objectives and functions of the Association. Any proposal to make that post permanent must be ratified by the next A.G.M.
- PLAYING MEMBERS
- Wheelchair bowlers who are full members of the Association qualify as Playing Members.
- Any competition organised by the Association will be for Playing Members only except as provided in 3 below.
- At the discretion of the Association, bowlers who are not Playing Members may be invited to participate in specified competitions organised by the Association.
- FINANCE
- Fees for full and associate members shall be determined by the A.G.M.
- The financial year of the Association shall end on the 31st July, and an audited statement of accounts up to and including that date shall be presented at the A.G.M.
- The funds of the Association shall be lodged with a bank or other financial institution approved by the Association.
- All cheques, drafts drawn on the account shall be signed by at least two of the Honorary Officers.
- DISCIPLINE
- A Disciplinary committee comprising five or more members of the Executive Committee may be convened.
- The Disciplinary committee will have the power to fine, suspend or expel full or associate members whose behaviour is considered to bring the Association, or its associated bodies, or the game of bowls into disrepute.
- Members shall have the right to appeal to an A.G.M. against any decision of the Disciplinary committee.
- The Disciplinary committee may refer an incident to the relevant national or international governing bodies.
- ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
- The A.G.M. of the Association shall be held at a convenient location during the period of the National Stoke Mandeville Games.
- Members or, in the case of corporate bodies, their representatives, shall receive at least one month’s notice of the meeting specifying the place, time and date of the meeting, together with the agenda; any proposed amendments to the Constitution; and notification of vacancies on the Executive Committee.
- Nominations for all Honorary Officers or other members of the Executive Committee, together with any resolutions for consideration at the A.G.M. should be sent to the Honorary Secretary no less than six weeks before the start of the National Stoke Mandeville Games.
- The A.G.M. is open to all members of the Association.
- Only paid-up full members of the Association shall have voting rights.
- Voting may be by show of hands or written vote (at the discretion of the Chairman), except for elections of Honorary Officers and members of the Executive Committee, which shall be by written vote. Proxy and postal votes may be accepted.
- A majority in excess of two thirds of the votes cast shall be necessary to carry out resolutions in respect of the Association’s Constitution ( 67% in favour ).
- All other resolutions shall be determined by a simple majority and in the event of a tie the Chairman shall have the casting vote.
- EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS
An Extraordinary General Meeting (E.G.M.) of the Association may be convened by either:- A resolution of the Executive Committee, or
- A resolution signed by at least twenty members or their representatives. In either case the E.G.M. shall be called within two months of the resolution being received by the Honorary Secretary. The provisions of the A.G.M. shall apply to the E.G.M.
- GENERAL
- In the event of any question or matter arising which is not provided for in the foregoing Constitution, such questions or matters shall be dealt with by the Executive Committee whose decision will be binding on all members until the next General meeting when the matter will be resolved.
- In the event of the Association being dissolved (and not taking another form), the remaining funds, after all outstanding accounts have been paid, shall be held in trust by the Foundation to assist the future formation of a body with similar objectives to the Association, to be handed over to such a body at the discretion of the Foundation’s Executive committee.
(September 2005)