Swim England
Constituting as a members club or unincorporated association
30 August 2018To help you become a members club, or unincorporated association, Swim England has created a Model Constitution. It is a template allowing you to develop your own document without having to write it from scratch.
This model is the simplest structure to start a club. It’s not subject to specific laws or regulatory requirements. It is also currently the most popular legal structure of clubs.
You can access the 2022 Model Constitution for unincorporated clubs below, along with other key documents. These include general guidance notes and various annexes on subjects such as the code of ethics and using online banking.
Becoming a members club key documents
Members Club Constitution FAQs
Creating a constitution takes a great deal of work and during the process a lot of questions get raised. Here are some of the most popular questions we get on the matter from people in the process of becoming a members club.
To read the answers simply click or tap on the section of interest.
Yes it is. You can learn more about this in Swim England's Is a Club Constitution Necessary document here .
Yes it is.
Yes, they can. The Model Club Constitution provides for voting rights for 16-18 year olds. We hope this will empowering young people, and as a result become more interested in the important issue of governance. It also helps with succession planning, and has a wider collective value. You can find out more in the Swim England Voting Right for Young People document here.
The Chairperson is an elected member of the Committee with responsibility for overseeing the running of the club. The Chairperson leads on Governance of the club in line with Swim England and the Club Constitution. You can find more detail in the Swim England document The Role of the Chairperson here .
The Treasurer’s role is primarily financial, with key responsibility for ensuring and maintaining the credit balance and accounts of the club in good order. The Treasurer is responsible for preparing the club accounts annually to be examined prior to presenting at the Annual General Meeting. You can find more detail in the Swim England Club Treasurer Role document here.
The Secretary deals with the club’s administration and has an impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of the club’s management. You can find more detail in the Swim England document Club Secretary Roles and Responsibilities here.
The answer is yes. This includes registering as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) or seeking charitable status, constituting as a company or incorporating as an organisation. This section of the website has information on all options. Click here to discover all the ways to become a Swim England club.
Where a club is constituted as an unincorporated association, members may be individually and severally liable for losses.
Committee members in particular take on a measure of responsibility when they are elected, which may open them up in particular to this liability.
For further detail on this subject see the Swim England document Liability of Committee Members here.