1: Name
1.1: The name of the organisation shall be the Milton Keynes Dons Supporters’ Association, referred to in the remainder of this document as MKDSA. The Website is www.mkdsa.org.uk
2: Aims & Objectives
2.1: The aims and objectives of the MKDSA are to:
2.1.1: Act as an independent voice for Milton Keynes Dons FC supporters, ensuring that notice is taken of the fans’ views by Milton Keynes Dons FC (The FC) and other organisations and groups.
2.1.2: Promote the MKDSA within the Milton Keynes and surrounding communities.
2.1.3: To expand the membership of MKDSA, from all sections of the community.
2.1.4: To be an organisation that is highly regarded in what it does.
2.1.5: To campaign on behalf of MKDSA members.
2.2 Raise funds through its shop, donations, and other ways it sees as appropriate to finance its activity in providing facilities and benefits for members and supporters and community projects for the benefit of Milton Keynes.
3: Membership
3.1: Membership of the MKDSA is open to all.
3.2: The membership year shall commence in first day of August each year
3.3: The membership fee shall be decided annually by the Management Committee and communicated by renewal notice and on the Supporters’ Association official website no less than 30 (thirty) days prior to the renewal being due.
3.4: Members who joined during the first season (prior to 31 May of 2003/04 season) will be “Founder Members” and will remain so for as long as they remain members.
3.5: The MKDSA shall from time to time agree to grant honorary memberships to individuals and/or affiliate status to organizations. A member can nominate an honorary member for committee consideration. Honorary membership is free and retains voting rights.
3.6: A member may resign their membership in writing to the Membership Secretary. No part of the membership fee shall be deemed refundable.
4: Annual General Meeting (AGM)
4.1: There shall be an Annual General Meeting (AGM), held by 31 August each year.
4.2: Notice for the AGM shall be at least 1(one) full month. Members shall be notified by letter/telephone/email or SMS or as the Management Committee shall reasonably deem appropriate.
4.3: The Quorum for the AGM shall be 15 (fifteen) full members.
4.4: All Full Members shall have the right to vote at EGM/AGM.
4.5: Non-members or guests at an AGM may have the right to speak, at the discretion of the Chairperson, but not to vote.
4.6: Voting shall be by show of hands and decided by a simple majority of those voting, except in the case of constitutional amendments where a two thirds majority is required. In the event of a tied vote the Chairperson of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.
4.7: A postal or email vote in writing & signed by the member may be submitted to the Chairperson, to be received 7 (seven) days prior to the AGM.
4.8: Any Full Member may submit resolutions, with at least 1(one) seconder. The Proposer may withdraw the motion at any time until the Chairperson has called for a vote, at which time the vote will proceed, and the motion may not be withdrawn.
4.9: Resolutions shall be submitted to the Secretary no less than 14 (fourteen) days before the AGM. Where resolutions are received late no postal or email votes will be counted.
4.10: Resolutions submitted late shall be brought under Any Other Business at the AGM and may be discussed if there are no objections. If any objection is voiced, a show of hands will decide whether to proceed with discussion or delay the motion. If the motion is delayed, it shall be added as an agenda item for the next Management Committee meeting.
4.11: Any individual being nominated and elected as a member or officer of the MKDSA Committee must have been a member of the MKDSA at least 30 (thirty) days before the AGM.
5: Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)
5.1: Any Full Member may call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), by the submission of a notice in writing to the Secretary or to the Chairperson. The signatures of at least 20 (twenty) Full Members, as well as the Proposer must support this notice. The Management Committee may call an EGM having first voted by two thirds majority to hold an EGM.
5.2: The quorum for an EGM shall be 15 (fifteen), (to align with an AGM quorum full member).
5.3: An EGM may only discuss the motion put by the Proposer of the EGM.
5.4: An EGM must be held within 1 (one) calendar month of the receipt of a valid request. Notice must be posted within 1 (one) full week of receipt of this request.
5.5: All full members shall have the right to vote at an EGM.
5.6: Non-members or guests at an EGM may have the right to speak, at the discretion of the Chairperson, but not to vote.
5.7: Voting shall be by show of hands and decided by a simple majority of those voting, except in the case of constitutional amendments where a two thirds majority is required. In the event of a tied vote the Chairperson of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.
6: The Management Committee
6.1: There shall be an elected Management Committee of no more than 21(twenty one) members. All members of the Committee must be always fully paid-up members of the MKDSA. No fewer than 5 (five) (see 6.9) and up to 9 (nine) will serve as officers, in the roles listed below: All Elected Officers roles will make up the Executive Board within the Management Committee with a minimum quorum of 5 (five) being available for a decision on business matters.
6.1.1: Chairperson: The Chairperson shall chair meetings, act as the principal spokesperson for the MKDSA and principal interface with the FC. Multilevel communications between officers and the club are encouraged but these officers must ensure that full minutes are kept and circulated to the FC and the Management Committee on a timely basis. The Chairperson will lead any formal discussions with the football clubs’ Chairman and/or senior members of club management ensuring that at least 1(one) other member of the Management Committee are present at the meeting and will ensure that the meeting is minuted. The Chair may nominate deputies from the Committee for any of these responsibilities. The Chairperson shall also act as returning officer during votes.
6.1.2: Vice Chairperson: The Vice Chairperson will assist the Chairperson in their duties (as listed in 6.1.1 above) and will assume those responsibilities when the Chairperson is unavailable to represent the MKDSA.
6.1.3: Secretary.: The Secretary shall be responsible for the following: · organizing meetings
· booking venues
· publishing agendas
· keeping and reporting minutes
· interpretation of the Constitution
· seeking advice on legal matters
For clarity this role is intended to be a Company Secretary for the MKDSA
6.1.4: Treasurer. Responsible for maintaining the MKDSA’s financial records and reporting to each Management Committee Meeting and AGM on the MKDSA’s finances, including all income and expenditure.
6.1.5: Shop and Membership Officer. Responsible for leading on all shop matters, including on-line sales via various social media platforms.
6.1.6: Community Engagement and EDI Officer: Responsible for the liaison with MK Dons SET and the wider community organisations with regards to Community, and Equality, Diversity, Inclusion projects and to take the lead in organizing any MKDSA football teams. Community Engagement and EDI Officer will be responsible for ensuring all members adhere to MKDSA Equality, Diversity, Inclusion values under section 11.
6.1.7: Disabilities Officer. Responsible for the interface with our disabled members and representing their interests to the FC and other groups.
6.1.8: Events and Fund-Raising Officer. The Events Officer is responsible for arranging events and fund raising, supported by a subgroup from the MKDSA Committee.
6.1.9: Communications and Webmaster. Responsible for writing and issuing press releases and organizing other publicity events. They also have responsibility for liaison with the FC’s media and press department and publication of newsletters. Also responsible for construction, information updates, and maintenance of the official MKDSA website and other platforms.
6.2: The Management Committee shall carry out the policy of MKDSA, as decided by the membership.
6.3: The quorum for a Management Committee meeting shall be half of the serving members plus 1(one) at the date of each Committee meeting. Any resignations received will be deemed to be effective immediately for this purpose. Additionally, 2 (two) of the following must be present: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer.
6.4: The Management Committee shall meet a minimum of 6(six) times a year (in any format) or more often if agreed by a majority of the Management Committee.
6.5: Notice for a Management Commit supported by a subgroup from the MKDSA Committee and implements any additional membership benefits that may become available the Meeting shall be at least 1(one) full week.
6.6: Other persons may be invited to Management Committee meetings with the prior agreement of the majority of Committee members. They shall have speaking rights at the discretion of the Chairperson or acting Chairperson but shall not have voting rights and may be excluded from sensitive or confidential matters.
6.7: Voting within the Management Committee shall be by a show of hands and based on a simple majority. Where there is not a unanimous decision, all members will respect and uphold the decision taken and work in accord with that decision.
6.8: The Officers shall be elected at the AGM, by the showing of hands. Members wishing to stand for an office must be nominated by a full member and seconded by another full member. An officer will be considered elected if the majority votes for them. No member shall be considered for election to the committee or Officers’ position at the AGM if under disciplinary investigation.
6.9: No individual shall serve in more than 2 (two) officer roles, at any single time. All members of the Committee must sign the Code of Conduct policy, child protection and basic principles of Committee membership documents. To avoid any conflicts of interest no Committee member can be in the paid employ of the FC or associated companies unless a decision is made via a vote of the Committee. The majority of those voting for or against the proposed membership shall decide MKDSA policy considering that individual, in those specific circumstances only. This is in recognition of the wide variety of roles employed by the FC and associated companies.
6.10: Once Officers have been elected, the remaining places on the Management Committee shall be elected annually, at the AGM, using the following procedure:
6.11: The members shall be elected individually, at the AGM, by the showing of hands. Members wishing to stand must be nominated by a full member and seconded by another full member. Each member will be restricted to being able to make a combination of 3 (three) nominations or seconds in total (this might be one person nominated for 3 (three) positions or 3 (three) people for separate positions etc). This is to encourage a healthy diversity within the Committee membership. Should an individual make more than 3(three) nominations or seconds, all their nominations and seconds will be removed, and the nominee(s) removed from candidature until a compliant nomination is received. If this is not received by the nomination closing date, the candidate will not be acceptable to stand for election at that particular election. All nominations for Officer and Committee positions will close, and must be received by the Secretary (who will confirm receipt) 2 (two) weeks before the AGM, and postal votes must be received by the secretary (who will confirm receipt) 7 (seven) days before the AGM. All nominees for the Committee must submit up to 150 (one hundred and fifty) words on why they wish to be elected. All officer candidates should submit up to 300 (three hundred) words. Failure to submit these candidate statements by the nomination closing date will result in the candidate being removed from standing at that election. These statements will be made available to members 13 (thirteen) days before the AGM to allow people to make informed voting decisions. A member will be considered elected if the majority of those voting vote for them.
6.12: In the event of more than 21 members standing for the Management Committee, a closed ballot will be held with the winners being the ones polling the most votes. The Chair holds an additional casting vote in the event of a tie.
6.13: In the event of a change of Treasurer, the Chairperson shall hold the accounts until such time as the mandates are amended at the bank to reflect this change.
6.14: Management Committee members who are not Officers will assist the Officers in carrying out their roles.
6.15: Any officer post vacated shall be filled from the Management Committee at the next Management Committee meeting.
6.16: All minutes of Committee meetings will be available on the MKDSA website (www.mkdsa.org.uk) once they are approved. Hard copies of the minutes will be made available on request from the Secretary.
6.17: In the event of an officer being unable to carry out their duties, the majority of the Committee attending the meeting where such a decision is to be made, may vote to fully or partly re-distribute responsibilities for as long as they see fit. This measure will cease at the next AGM.
6.18: Based on a majority of the Committee voting in favour, the Committee may co opt individuals to join the Management Committee. Co-opted individuals shall seek election to the Management Committee from MKDSA membership in the normal way at the next AGM.
6.19: An elected officer missing three consecutive Management Meetings will automatically have their ability to carry out the duties of their position reviewed under (6.17 of the constitution). Any elected committee member will be removed from the Management Committee after not attending three consecutive Management Committee Meetings but will have the option of seeking co-option, if their circumstances have changed, under (6:18 of the constitution).
6.20: Two Committee members will be nominated to represent the MKDSA on the MK Dons Supporters’ Board. Membership of the board will be for two/three seasons and new nominations will be made as required at the end of the term or when a member steps down.
6.21: In the event of an uncontested group of candidates standing falling at or below the 21 maximum committee membership the Returning Officer at the AGM will seek permission from those in attendance to vote on these candidates en-bloc, unless a valid postal vote against a candidatehas been received. If permission is granted then the vote will proceed. If one or more candidates have objections then the others will be voted through en-bloc with the effected candidate(s) then being voted on individually.
7: Finances
7.1: MKDSA shall be self-financing.
7.2: The Treasurer shall have responsibility for the finances of MKDSA.
7.3: MKDSA shall have a bank account in the name of the Association, and the Treasurer shall hold the cheque book and account statements.
7.4: There will be 2 (two) additional bank account signatories, they must be Committee members, and elected at a committee meeting.
7.5: Petty cash up to £250 (two hundred and fifty) may be held by the Treasurer.
7.6: Income for MKDSA shall be from membership fees, personal donations, modest commercial activities (such as raffle tickets, merchandise sales, advertising on the MKDSA website and any other places, or publications, sponsorships) and similar fund-raising methods.
7.7: Money raised by MKDSA may only be used to further the aims and objectives of MKDSA.
7.8: All income from membership fees, donations and any other sources shall be given to the Treasurer to be included in the accounts.
7.9: The Association will not borrow any money from banks or any other commercial lenders. The officers of the Association may not incur any other debts, liabilities or expenditure on behalf of the Association.
7.10: Any expenditure must be agreed in advance either by the Treasurer or, by the means of a Committee decision.
7.11: The Management Committee may agree any expenditure unless, such expenditure would breach the provisions set out in (7.9 of the Constitution). Any such expenditure, on any single item over £1,000 should be accounted for at the next scheduled General Meeting of members. Expenditure on any single item over £2,500 requires the agreement of the members via an Extraordinary General Meeting.
7.12: Members who incur legitimate expenses on behalf of MKDSA may claim them back in full, from MKDSA funds, but only on production of an itemised receipt, bill or invoice.
7.13: Cheques drawn on the MKDSA’s bank account must be signed by the Treasurer and one other bank account signatory. No one should sign a cheque of which they are the beneficiary (unless the provisions of 7.14 are required).
7.14: In the absence of the Treasurer, and under exceptional circumstances, a cheque drawn on the Association’s bank account in the amount of no more than £100 (one hundred pounds) may be signed by the two other bank account signatories providing approval has been obtained verbally by the Chairperson (and be minuted by the Secretary) and later confirmed in writing by the Treasurer.
7.15: Two months prior to the AGM, the Association’s accounts will be inspected by a professionally recognised auditor who must not be an officer or other Management Committee member or related thereto. This audit will be to ensure that the rules under section 7 of this constitution have been complied with.
7.16: At each AGM, or at any time the Management Committee requests an examination, the auditors will report on the finances, and notify MKDSA if there have been any irregularities.
7.17: The MKDSA membership runs for one from the start of one season to the start of the following season.
7.18 The accounting year will run from 1 June to 31 May.
8: Media announcements
8.1: Only the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Communications Officer or nominated officers are authorised to give on-the-record comments expressing the opinion of MKDSA to the media (including social media). Any Committee member in breach will be sanctioned as per the disciplinary section of this constitution.
8.2: If there is no MKDSA view or policy on a subject, MKDSA members should take care to ensure that any comments attributed to them are expressed in their personal capacity, not as MKDSA representatives. Committee members shall not make public comment purporting to be the view, opinion or policy of the MKDSA.
8.3 The MKDSA reserves the right to remove any offensive post, posted onto any MKDSA various social media platforms.
9: Discipline
9.1: Any MKDSA Member or legitimate authority may complain in writing to the Secretary about the conduct of any member who appears to be abusive, disruptive, violent, threatening, appears to brings the Club into disrepute or is in breach of the MKDSA constitution.
9.1.1: The Management Committee has the right to suspend, or expel, any member who has been deemed to have bought the MKDSA into disrepute.
9.2: In the event of a complaint being made, a hearing shall be held within one month by the Management Committee who will on the receipt of a written statement from the complainant allow a face-to-face hearing from both the complainant and the member who is the subject of the complaint. The Management Committee may then choose to take 1 (one) or more of the following actions after a full inquiry and report from the member and any witnesses:
9.2.1: Reject the complaint.
9.2.2: Accept the complaint but take no further action.
9.2.3: Accept the complaint, taking one or more of the following actions · provide a written apology.
. receiving an assurance as to future conduct
. suspending the member for s period of time
. expelling the member from MKDSA
. notifying the Football Club / Police where required by law.
9.3: if a complaint is made by, or against a Management Committee member, they shall not take part in the hearing other than to state their case. They shall have no vote in the matter.
9.4: If a Committee member is found guilty of an offence under this section they shall be removed from the Committee immediately (elections to be held as per the Constitution) and barred from standing at any MKDSA election for a minimum period of three calendar years.
9.5: All disciplinary hearings are confidential. A note will be made in Management Meeting minutes to state that a disciplinary has been held without mention of the member’s name. The Secretary will keep minuted and copies of these, along with copies of other written evidence, which will be given to the defendant.
10: Dissolution
10.1: A proposal to dissolve MKDSA may be submitted to the Secretary, provided the motion is supported by the signatures of at least 20(twenty) full members. An EGM will be called in line with Point 5.2 to 5.5 above.
10.2: To pass this motion at least two-thirds of those present and eligible to vote must vote in favour.
10.3: In the event of the MKDSA being dissolved, and after all its debts and liabilities have been satisfied, any surplus assets or property shall be given or transferred to the following:
MK Dons SET (Sport and Education Trust) i.e current Head of Inclusion at the time of MKDSA being dissolved, who will distribute as they feel fit within the Milton Keynes local community/charity organisations.
10.4 In the event that membership of the MKDSA falls below 20(twenty) people the MKDSA shall automatically be dissolved.
11: Equal Opportunities
11.1: The MKDSA actively promote Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in our behaviour, practices and values.
11.2 Football is for everyone; it belongs to and should be enjoyed by anyone who wants to participate in it, whether as a player, official, committee member, volunteer, or spectator.
11.3 We aim, therefore, to bring people together in a way that supports positive change, makes people feel valued and improves the lives and inclusive experience of our supporters and wider community.
11.4 As Committee members and members, we are one family, and regardless of your background, it is fundamental to our values that everyone should be made to feel welcome as supporters of our Club.
11.5 We are committed, therefore, to confronting and eradicating any form of discrimination, whether it is of race (including ethnic origin, colour, nationality and national origin), religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, age, pregnancy or maternity, disability or gender reassignment. (Protected characteristics outlined within the Equality Act 2010).
11.6 We ensure that we treat everyone fairly and with respect, and that we provide access and opportunities for all members of the community to enjoy their experience with us.
11.7 At MKDSA, we are proud to represent every part of our diverse community and for those that don’t share these views, we will not compromise on our values.
OUR STANCE:
11.8 We will take a strong stance on discriminatory language, abuse, chanting and behaviour of any kind.
11.9 We expect our members to behave towards others in a manner consistent with principles of fairness, respect and tolerance.
11.10 We find hateful behaviour based on any form of discrimination wholly unacceptable.
11.11 We don’t want you at MKDSA if you can’t accept that, or if you behave in a manner that is incompatible with these values.
11.12 Any member breaching these values will be subject to disciplinary proceedings as outlined in this Constitution.
12 Travel
12.1 When the MKDSA is operating away travel there shall be no less than three committee members excluding The Treasurer, who will form the travel organising group. In complying with (12.2) The Treasurer cannot be one of the group.
12.2 They will report directly to the Treasurer on the activity of agreeing pricing with coach providers. Financial reporting to the Treasurer will occur on a monthly with information presented as requested by the Treasurer.
12.3 There will be reporting to the full committee at the monthly meeting to confirm the status of activities including but not limited to forecasting, sales, pricing and are subject to questioning and a vote will be taken to approve.
12.4 The travel group activities must ensure that this operation does not accrue debts. It cannot operate at a loss.
12.5 Operation of the away travel must cease if losses are apparent and MK Dons FC must be notified of the intention to cease as its chosen operator.
12.6 At times of high demand it will be necessary to order coaches to the value greater than the £2500 level set in (7.11) this can only be done by approval of the Treasurer.
12.7 The travel terms and conditions are adopted from the MK Dons FC ones previously use and can be amended at any time. Any amendment should be for the benefit of travelling supporters.
12.8 The committee will report from time to time to the members and FC on the status of the travel operation to ensure openness and confidence in its activity.
13: The Constitution
13.1: This Constitution is the document by which MKDSA operates. Membership of MKDSA signifies acceptance of the terms of the Constitution.
13.2: At a Management Committee meeting at least 2 (two) months before the AGM, a group will be appointed to undertake a review of the Constitution.
13.3: Any proposals to change the Constitution must be submitted to the Secretary at least one month before the AGM and circulated to members at least 2 (two) full weeks before the Meeting.
13.4: Any changes to the Constitution must be supported by at least two-thirds of those eligible to vote, at the AGM. The amended Constitution shall become binding one full week after the Meeting.
13.5: If a proposal from the group reviewing the Constitution prior to the AGM, directly affects a role presently being undertaken by a committee member, the committee member affected has the right to discuss this with those making the proposed changes and the whole Committee prior to the submission to the AGM.
13.6: This constitution was adopted at the Annual General Meeting in 2023
13.7: This constitution supersedes all previous constitutions.
END
Draft Version 01 – Prepared on 15 November 2003
Draft Version 02 – Updated to reflect feedback from Committee members
Draft Version 03 – Updated to reflect changes discussed at Management Committee on 5 January 2004
Draft Version 04 – Updated to reflect changes discussed at Management Committee on 5 April 2004
Adopted constitution version 05 – Adopted in May 2004
Amended version 06 – Adopted at EGM in July 2004
Amended version 07 – Adopted at AGM in May 2005
Amended version 08 – Adopted at EGM in August 2005
Amended version 09 – Adopted at AGM in May 2006
Amended version 10 – Adopted at AGM in June 2008
Amended version 11 – Adopted at AGM in June 2009
Amended version 12 – Adopted at AGM in June 2010
Amended version 13 – Adopted at AGM in June 2011
Amended version 14 – Adopted at AGM in June 2012
Amended version 15 – Adopted at AGM in June 2014
Amended version 16- Adopted at AGM in July 2015
Amended version 17- Adopted at AGM in August 2016
Amended version 18 – Adopted at AGM in August 2018 Amended verson 19 – Adopted at AGM in August 2023