1. Authority and Objects.

(i) The Irish Coursing Club (in this Constitution referred to as the Club) shall be the controlling authority over matters relating to the breeding (including registration and identification) of thoroughbred greyhounds and greyhound coursing in Ireland and shall have such functions in relation to greyhound racing and the training of greyhounds for reward as may be in accordance with law.

(ii) The objects of the Club shall be the promotion of the breeding of thoroughbred greyhounds (including maintenance of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book), the encouragement and regulation of greyhound coursing (including provision for the affiliation of local coursing clubs to the Club) and contributing to the regulation of greyhound racing and the training of greyhounds for reward and to the development of the greyhound industry in Ireland (including provision for the affiliation of persons owning or exercising control over greyhound race tracks (in this Constitution referred to as greyhound race track executives) to the Club).

(iii) The Club may, in pursuance of its objects—

(a) hold or take part in the holding of public coursing meetings; and

(b) enter into agreements or other arrangements with bodies in Ireland or elsewhere having a common or related interest in the greyhound industry.

2. Membership.

(i) The members of the Club shall comprise:—

(a) one representative member appointed by each affiliated coursing club entitled to hold coursing meetings authorised by the Club and by each greyhound race track executive; and

(b) co-opted members as hereinafter provided.

(ii) Representative members shall be appointed for triennial periods (and shall be eligible for reappointment) except that an affiliated coursing club or greyhound race track executive

(a) whose representative member dies, resigns or ceases because of disqualification to be a member during any triennial period or

(b) which becomes affiliated to the Club during any triennial period

may, except as hereinafter provided, appoint a representative member for the remainder of such triennial period.

(iii) A person shall be disqualified from being a representative member of the Club in any triennial period, and if he is already a representative member in that period shall cease to be such member, if

(a) he is not a member of the affiliated coursing club or the greyhound race track executive concerned in the appointment; or

(b) he is not ordinarily resident in Ireland; or

(c) he is subject to any disability imposed on him in relation to participating in the greyhound industry for conduct inimical to the breeding or coursing of greyhounds, or for the contravention of rules made by the Club relating to greyhound racing or the training of greyhounds for reward, or for any other irregularity committed in relation to the greyhound industry; or

(d) the coursing club or greyhound race track executive concerned in the appointment has failed to hold at least one coursing meeting authorised by the Club (either alone or jointly with a neighbouring coursing club entitled to hold such meetings) or greyhound race track meeting, during the preceding fifteen calendar months, in which case such club or greyhound race track executive shall thereby forfeit its right to appoint a representative member; or

(e) the coursing club or greyhound race track executive concerned in the appointment has ceased to be affiliated to the Club; or

(f) he is absent without an explanation, accepted by the Executive Committee, from three consecutive general meetings of the Club.

(iv) An affiliated coursing club or greyhound race track executive may appoint for any triennial period an alternate representative member to attend any meeting of the Club in the unavoidable absence of its representative member; an alternate representative member so attending a meeting of the Club shall have the same right to speak and vote thereat as a representative member. Notice shall be given before the meeting to the Secretary of the Club of the proposed attendance thereat of an alternate representative member and the reason for the absence from the meeting of the representative member concerned. Paragraphs (ii) and (iii) above, except clause (f) of the latter paragraph, shall apply to an alternate representative member.

(v) Every representative member of the Club immediately before this Constitution comes into operation shall become a representative member of the Club under the Constitution and, subject to the terms of the Constitution, shall remain such member until the beginning of the terms of office of the persons who are first appointed as representative members under the Constitution.

(vi) Every elected member of the Club immediately before this Constitution comes into operation shall become a co-opted member of the Club subject to the terms of the Constitution. No additional co-opted member shall be co-opted until the number of elected members who become co-opted members falls below fifty. Thereafter the number of co-opted members shall not at any time exceed fifty.

(vii) The co-option of co-opted members shall be by the Club at general meetings thereof.

(viii) A co-opted member who is at any time appointed a representative member or an alternate representative member shall be deemed not to be a co-opted member during the period for which he is so appointed except that no additional co-opted member may be co-opted in his place during such period.

(ix) No person may be co-opted as a co-opted member of the Club unless—

(a) he is a consistent supporter of greyhound coursing; and

(b) he has been a registered owner of thoroughbred greyhounds and a member of an affiliated coursing club during the whole of the preceding five years.

(x) A person shall be disqualified from being a co-opted member of the Club, and if he is already a co-opted member shall cease to be such member, if—

(a) he is subject to any disability imposed on him in relation to participating in the greyhound industry for conduct inimical to the breeding or coursing of greyhounds, or for the contravention of rules duly made by the Club relating to greyhound racing or the training of greyhounds for reward, or for any other irregularity committed in relation to the greyhound industry; or

(b) he is not a member of an affiliated coursing club entitled to hold coursing meetings authorised by the Club; or

(c) he is not ordinarily resident in Ireland.

3. Provincial Committees.

(i) There shall be a committee of the Club in each province (in this Constitution referred to as a Provincial Committee) consisting of the representative members of the Club appointed by coursing clubs and greyhound race track executives in the province.

(ii) The alternate representative member may attend in place of any representative member at a meeting of the Provincial Committee in the same way as at a general meeting of the Club.

(iii) Co-opted members of the Club ordinarily resident in the province may attend meetings of the Provincial Committee so long as such members are eligible to attend general meetings of the Club but shall not vote on any question arising thereat.

(iv) Each Provincial Committee shall—

(a) carry out such functions as are assigned to it by this Constitution and such functions as may from time to time be delegated to it by the Club at general meetings ;

(b) select each year the public coursing meetings in the province at which trial stakes allotted by the Club to the province shall form an item ;

(c) keep under review matters relating to the breeding, coursing and racing of greyhounds in the province and be empowered to make recommendations thereon to the Executive Committee and to general meetings of the Club ;

(d) consider and report on matters referred to it by the Executive Committee.

4. Executive Committee of the Club.

(i) There shall be a committee of the Club (in this Constitution referred to as the Executive Committee) to administer the business and affairs of the Club.

(ii) The President, Honorary Treasurer and Secretary of the Club shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.

(iii) The total membership of the Executive Committee shall be twenty-one but the Committee may act notwithstanding vacancies in its membership.

(iv) The members of the Executive Committee shall be appointed by the Provincial Committees of the Club from among the representative members of the Club in their respective provinces. The number of members so appointed from each province who are on the Executive Committee at any time (reckoning the previously appointed member where a casual vacancy exists) shall—

(a) be in the same proportion, or as nearly so as is possible, as the combined number of affiliated coursing clubs entitled to hold coursing meetings authorised by the Club and greyhound race track executives in each such province at the date of the most recent appointment bears to the combined total number of such clubs and executives in all the provinces; and

(b) include representative members of the Club who were appointed by affiliated coursing clubs to the extent at least of the proportion which the number of affiliated coursing clubs entitled to hold coursing meetings authorised by the Club in the province bears to the combined number of such clubs and affiliated greyhound race tracks in the province.

(v) Members of the Executive Committee shall be appointed for triennial periods (and shall be eligible for reappointment) except that the members appointed to vacancies arising as a result of members dying, resigning or ceasing because of disqualification to be members during any triennial period shall be appointed only for the remainder of such triennial period.

(vi) A person shall be disqualified from being a member of the Executive Committee, and if he is already a member shall cease to be such member, if he ceases to be a representative member of the Club.

(vii) Members of the Executive Committee and of any subcommittee of the Executive Committee may be reimbursed expenditure necessarily incurred by them in attending meetings thereof.

(viii) Notwithstanding any of the foregoing paragraphs of this Article, the members of the Standing Committee of the Club immediately before the coming into operation of this Constitution shall be deemed to be the members of the Executive Committee of the Club for a period of six months beginning on the date of the coming into operation of this Constitution. One-third, determined by lot, of the members in question shall cease to be members of the Executive Committee at the end of that period. Half of the other two-thirds, determined by lot, shall cease to be members of the Executive Committee one year thereafter and the remainder two years thereafter. A fraction shall be rounded to the next unit above, and paragraph (ii) above shall also apply.

5. General Meetings of the Club.

(i) The Club shall in every year hold at least one general meeting, which shall be known as the Annual General Meeting of the Club and shall be held between 30th July and 1st September.

(ii) The Executive Committee shall convene any additional general meetings of the Club that may be necessary. The Executive Committee shall convene a general meeting of the Club as soon as may be after receipt of a written request therefor signed by at least twenty representative members and stating the purpose of the meeting unless the Executive Committee by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting consider the request frivolous.

(iii) The Secretary of the Club shall give to each member of the Club, to the secretary of each affiliated coursing club entitled to hold coursing meetings authorised by the Club and to the secretary of each greyhound race track executive (all of whom shall keep the Secretary of the Club duly informed of their addresses) at least 28 days' written notice of the holding of the Annual General Meeting of the Club and at least 14 days' written notice of the holding of other general meetings of the Club. Notice shall be sent by ordinary prepaid post and the non-delivery of any notice shall not invalidate a meeting. The Agenda for a general meeting of the Club shall be similarly notified at least 7 days before the meeting.

(iv) The quorum for a general meeting of the Club shall be twenty.

(v) The President and Honorary Treasurer of the Club immediately before the coming into operation of this Constitution shall continue to hold such offices until the next Annual General Meeting of the Club. At each Annual General Meeting, the Club shall appoint one of their members to be President and another of their members to be Honorary Treasurer of the Club and shall also appoint a qualified Auditor, for the ensuing year. The persons so appointed shall be eligible for reappointment in any subsequent year.

(vi) In the event of the President or Honorary Treasurer dying, resigning or ceasing to be a member of the Club during the year, the Club at its next general meeting shall appoint a member to replace him for the remainder of the year, pending which appointment the Chairman of the Executive Committee shall act in the vacant capacity.

(vii) The Chairman at any general meeting of the Club shall be the, President, or in his absence the Chairman of the Executive Committee, or in the latter's absence the Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee, or in the absence of all three a member appointed by the meeting.

(viii) Subject to this Constitution, the Club shall regulate, by standing orders or otherwise, the procedure and business at its general meetings.

6. Meetings of the Provincial Committees.

(i) Each Provincial Committee shall hold at least one meeting in every calendar year and shall hold such additional meetings as may be necessary for the due performance of its functions.

(ii) The Secretary of the Club or, if the Secretary cannot attend, a member of the staff of the Club authorised in his place from time to time shall act as secretary of each meeting of a Provincial Committee.

(iii) Meetings of the Provincial Committees shall be convened with the consent of the Executive Committee. The Secretary of the Club shall give to each representative member of the Club appointed by an affiliated coursing club and by the executive of a race track in the province, to the secretary of each coursing club and of each race track executive in the province by whom such representative members were appointed and to each co-opted member ordinarily resident in the province, at least 14 days' written notice of the holding of a meeting of the Provincial Committee for that province. Notice shall be sent by ordinary prepaid post and the non-delivery of any notice shall not invalidate a meeting. The agenda for a meeting of a Provincial Committee shall be similarly notified at least 7 days before the meeting.

(iv) The quorum for a meeting of a Provincial Committee shall be one-fifth of the total number of representative members entitled to attend (a fraction being rounded to the next unit above) subject to a minimum of four such members.

(v) Each Provincial Committee shall annually appoint one of its members to be Chairman of the Committee. In the absence of the Chairman at any meeting of the Provincial Committee the members present shall appoint one of their number to be Chairman of the meeting. In the event of the Chairman dying, resigning or ceasing to be a member of the Provincial Committee during the year, the Committee shall at its next meeting appoint one of its members to be Chairman for the remainder of the year.

(vi) Subject to this Constitution, the Provincial Committees shall regulate, by standing orders or otherwise, the procedure and business at their meetings.

7. Meetings of the Executive Committee.

(i) The Executive Committee shall hold at least four meetings in every calendar year and shall hold such additional meetings as may be necessary for the due performance of its functions.

(ii) Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be convened by the Secretary of the Club on the authority of the Chairman or, in his absence, of the Vice-Chairman of the Committee. The Secretary shall convene a meeting of the Executive Committee on receipt of a written request therefor signed by at least six members of the Committee or twelve members of the Club.

(iii) The Secretary of the Club shall give to each member of the Executive Committee at least 7 days' written notice of the holding of a meeting of the Committee. A shorter notice may be given in a case of special urgency on the authority of the Chairman or, in his absence, of the Vice-Chairman of the Committee. Notice shall be sent by ordinary prepaid post and the non-delivery of any notice shall not invalidate a meeting.

(iv) The quorum for a meeting of the Executive Committee shall be seven.

(v) The Executive Committee shall appoint one of its members to be Chairman and another of its members to be Vice-Chairman of the Committee. In the absence of the Chairman at any meeting of the Executive Committee, the Vice-Chairman shall be chairman of the meeting, and in the absence of both, the members present shall appoint one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. The Honorary Treasurer or Secretary of the Club shall not be eligible for appointment as Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee or for appointment as chairman of any meeting of the Committee.

(vi) Subject to this Constitution, the Executive Committee shall regulate, by standing orders or otherwise, the procedure and business at its meetings.

8. Finance Sub-Committee.

(i) There shall be a sub-committee of the Executive Committee (in this Constitution referred to as the Finance Sub-Committee) with responsibility for keeping under review the financial affairs of the Club and its subsidiary interests (including Powerstown Park Ltd. and the Greyhound and Sporting Press Ltd.) and for making reports and recommendations thereon to the Executive Committee.

(ii) The Honorary Treasurer and Secretary of the Club shall be ex-officio members of the Finance Sub-Committee.

(iii) The Executive Committee shall appoint four other members of the Committee to be members of the Finance Sub-Committee and may co-opt not more than two further members of the Club as members of the Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee may act notwithstanding vacancies in its membership.

(iv) A member of the Finance Sub-Committee appointed or co-opted under paragraph (iii) above shall cease to be such member whenever the Executive Committee so decides.

(v) Members of the Finance Sub-Committee may be reimbursed expenditure necessarily incurred by them in attendance at meetings thereof.

(vi) The Finance Sub-Committee shall hold at least four meetings in every calendar year.

9. Sub-Committees—General.

(i) Subject to Article 8 above, any of the Committees of the Club may from time to time appoint such and so many sub-committees of its members as such Committee thinks proper.

(ii) Any such Committee may delegate to a sub-Committee any of its functions, powers and duties which, in its opinion, can be better or more conveniently exercised or performed by a sub-Committee and may regulate the procedure of any such sub-Committee.

(iii) The acts of any sub-committee shall be subject to confirmation by the Committee which appointed it save where such Committee dispenses with the necessity for such confirmation.

10. Voting.

(i) Every appointment or co-option at a meeting of the Club, or of any of the Committees of the Club, shall be by ballot unless there is a unanimous appointment or co-option.

(ii) Every question at a general meeting of the Club (except a proposal to alter this Constitution or to co-opt a co-opted member of the Club) or at a meeting of any of the Committees of the Club (except as provided in Article 5 (ii) above) or any sub-committee of one of such Committees shall be determined by a majority of the votes of members present and voting on the question; in case of an equal division of votes the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

(iii) A proposal to alter this Constitution or to co-opt a co-opted member of the Club shall require for approval two-thirds of the votes of members present and voting on the proposal at a general meeting of the Club.

11. Secretary, Staff and Agents.

(i) There shall be a Secretary of the Club who shall hold office at the pleasure of the Executive Committee and on such terms as the Executive Committee may determine.

(ii) The staff of the Club shall be appointed as the Executive Committee may determine.

(iii) The Executive Committee may appoint from time to time such and so many agents as may be necessary for the due discharge of the affairs of the Club.

12. Records, Reports and Accounts.

(i) The Secretary of the Club shall keep—

(a) minutes of the proceedings at all meetings of the Club, Committees of the Club and any sub-committees of such Committees;

(b) a register of the members of the Club; and

(c) a register of affiliated coursing clubs (distinguishing those entitled to hold coursing meetings authorised by the Club) and greyhound race track executives.

(ii) The Secretary shall make to every Annual General Meeting of the Club a Report on the activities of the Club and its subsidiary interests, the Committees of the Club and any sub-committees of such Committees during the year ended on the preceding 31st March.

(iii) The Secretary and Honorary Treasurer shall submit to every Annual General Meeting of the Club duly audited Statements of Revenue and Expenditure and Balance Sheets in respect of the Club and each of its subsidiary interests separately, together with a duly audited Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Expenditure and Consolidated Balance Sheet of the Club and its subsidiary interests for the year ended on the preceding 31st March. A copy thereof shall be sent to each member of the Club, to the secretary of each affiliated coursing club entitled to hold coursing meetings authorised by the Club and to the secretary of each greyhound race track executive, with the notice of the holding of the Meeting.

13. Trustees.

The property and assets of the Club and its subsidiary interests (including Powerstown Park Ltd. and the Greyhound and Sporting Press Ltd.) shall be vested in Trustees appointed by the Club.

14. Irish Greyhound Stud Book.

(i) The Secretary of the Club, who shall be the Keeper of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book, shall maintain a register or registers or a series of registers to be known as such Book and to contain such relevant particulars as the Club may from time to time require, including particulars in respect of the breeding and identification of thoroughbred greyhounds.

(ii) The Irish Greyhound Stud Book shall be published annually under the authority of the Club.

15. Discipline.

The Executive Committee of the Club may take or authorise the taking of disciplinary action, including the imposition of disabilities in relation to participating in greyhound breeding, coursing and racing, against persons who appear to them to have been guilty of conduct inimical to the breeding or coursing of greyhounds or to have contravened rules made by the Club relating to greyhound racing or the training of greyhounds for reward.

16. Rules.

(i) The Executive Committee of the Club shall make and enforce published rules approved by the Club governing:—

(a) the formation and functioning of local coursing clubs and affiliation of such clubs and of greyhound race track executives to the Club ;

(b) the functioning of Provincial Committees of the Club ;

(c) the registration of thoroughbred greyhounds in the Irish Greyhound Stud Book and the identification and marking of thoroughbred greyhounds ;

(d) greyhound coursing and the conduct of coursing meetings authorised by the Club ;

(e) the payment of fees to the Club and matters consequential on non-payment thereof; and

(f) disciplinary action by or on the authority of the Executive Committee (including appeals therefrom).

(ii) The Executive Committee of the Club may make and enforce, in accordance with law, published rules approved by the Club and governing greyhound racing, the training of greyhounds for reward and any other matter within the scope of this Constitution.

17. Interpretation.

The interpretation by the Executive Committee of the Club of any provision in this Constitution or in Rules made thereunder shall be final.