The European Association for Sport Management was founded in Groningen (Netherlands) to conform with the Dutch law and was registered with the Groningen Chamber of Commerce under number 40026383 on 19th May 1993.
1.1 The Association bears the name ‘European Association for Sport Management’, whose abbreviation is ‘EASM’.
1.2 EASM is an international, non-political, not-for-profit, non-discriminatory Members Association.
1.3 EASM is established for an indefinite duration. It may be dissolved by the Members.
2.1 Legally EASM has its seat in Groningen (Netherlands) and acts under Dutch law.
2.2 These Statutes are to be interpreted in accordance with the law of the country in which EASM is legally registered.
2.3 EASM can maintain an office in any European country. Every three years, the General Assembly can appoint a new office location, and it can also decide to renew the last-chosen office location.
3.1 The mission statement of EASM is to enhance the development of sport management in its widest sense, especially in Europe.
4.1 The aims and objectives of EASM shall be to:
a) Promote and encourage study, scientific research and scholarly writing on sport management
b) Facilitate and develop exchange of information and dissemination of best practices
c) Work with member organisations to support sport management associations and organisations
d) Develop sport management by acting as the European Association
e) Co-operate with other international bodies with shared goals
f) Organise the European Sport Management Conference and encourage the convening of other international congresses and seminars.
g) Teach sport management and establish educational exchanges of sport management techniques
h) Exchange practical and scientific experiences in the field of sport management
i) Extend the teachings and activities of EASM to all places throughout Europe and the rest of the world and to communicate and act in co-operation with other international bodies
j) Stimulate the interest of Members to improve their ability and willingness to learn more on sport management
k) Publish journals, Statutes, magazines or other reference material in printed, electronic or other forms of media
l) Maintain and develop databases, websites and other informative material and data on sport management
m) Take such other actions as EASM considers will advance its mission statement
4.2 The European Sport Management Conference, the European Sport Management Student Seminar and the European Sport Management Quarterly Journal are the exclusive property of EASM, which owns all rights and data thereto, in particular, and without limitation, all rights relating to the organisation, exploitation, broadcasting, recording, representation, reproduction, access and dissemination in any form and by any means or mechanism whatsoever, whether now existing or developed in the future. EASM shall determine the conditions of access to and the conditions of any use of data related to these properties.
5.1 The legislation of EASM consists of:
a) The Statutes, which describes all principles and fundamental aspects and other matters which are under the exclusive control of the General Assembly and conform with the Dutch law and are registered with the Groningen Chamber of Commerce under number 40026383 on 19th May 1993.
b) The Bye-Laws, adopted by the General Assembly which give explanations of and procedures with regard to the Statutes.
c) The Policies and Procedures, approved and adopted by the Board to guide the management of EASM.
5.2 If any Bye-Law or other Policy or Procedure appears to be contradictory to the Statutes, the latter will prevail.
6.1 EASM shall be composed of Members admitted by the Board. There shall be two categories of membership of EASM, namely:
Conditions for membership and the meaning of the different categories of membership shall be set out in the Bye-Laws.
6.2 All Members have voting rights at the General Assembly. Certain other persons, as set out in the Bye-Laws, may be present at the General Assembly, but without voting rights.
6.3 A Member may resign by sending written notice to the EASM Headquarters or to any member of the Board. Conditions for resignation of Members may be set out in the Bye-Laws. Any Member who has resigned may claim no part of the assets of EASM.
6.4 The exclusion of a Member by reason other than non-payment of the membership fee shall be decided upon by a vote requiring the approval of at least two-thirds of the Members present and voting at a validly constituted meeting of the General Assembly. The Member must have been given the opportunity to present their defence before the decision is taken.
7.1 The General Assembly shall be the supreme governing body of EASM. It is composed of the Members. The General Assembly is fully empowered as set out in the Statutes and Bye-Laws.
7.2 The General Assembly shall meet at least once per calendar year and this meeting shall be called the ‘Annual General Meeting’.
7.3 If so requested by the Board or if a written request is submitted to the Board by at least 10% of the Members, an Extraordinary General Assembly must be convened to take place within 90 days.
7.4 The place and date of the Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary Meeting of the General Assembly and the method by which it is called and members are to be notified shall be determined in accordance with the procedures and timetables set out in the Bye-Laws.
7.5 The General Assembly shall be empowered to:
a) Approve and modify the Statutes
b) Approve and modify the Bye-Laws
c) Conduct statutory elections
d) Approve the conditions and criteria for the appointment of Members
e) Expel Members in accordance with Article 6.4 of these Statutes.
f) Appoint external auditors, receive audited financial statements and determine membership fees.
g) Receive a report on the programme of activities
h) Decide upon proposals submitted by the Board and/or Members
i) Voluntarily dissolve the European Association for Sport Management in accordance with Article 12 of these Statutes.
7.6 A meeting of the General Assembly requires the presence of a minimum quorum of ten percent (10%) of Members with voting rights. The respective quorum shall be reached at the opening session of the General Assembly and is then valid for the whole meeting of that General Assembly. If a quorum is not reached then the meeting shall proceed as set out in the Bye-Laws.
7.7 Voting on amendments to the Statutes or the Bye-Laws requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the Members present and voting. Voting on all other matters except the dissolution of EASM (see Article 12 of these Statutes) requires a simple majority decision of the Members present and voting.
8.1 The management and administration of EASM is vested in the Board, subject to any limitations which may have been imposed by the General Assembly. The Board shall be responsible for implementing the decisions of the General Assembly and for ensuring the observance and implementation of the Statutes and Bye-Laws. The Board shall determine any matter not covered by these Rules or by relevant law, or by a resolution of the General Assembly
8.2 The Board of EASM shall comprise at least 6 (six) persons and no more than 15 (fifteen) persons. It shall be constituted as set out in the Bye-Laws, but not more than 75% of the elected Board Members may be male and not more than 75% may be female. No one country may ever have the majority of the elected members of the Board.
8.3 The members of the Board shall be elected by the Members of EASM during the Annual General Meeting of the General Assembly according to the procedures set out in the Bye-Laws.
8.4 The Board may approve reimbursement of reasonable expenses for the members of the Board provided that said expenses are within approved budget limits.
8.5 The Board shall meet at least twice a year and the place and date shall be determined by procedures set out in the Bye-Laws.
8.6 The Board shall be empowered to:
a) Implement the decisions of the General Assembly
b) Create and dissolve Commissions and approve their terms of reference procedures and delegated authority
c) Adopt the annual financial report and budgets
d) Accept new Members and suspend or expel Members for non payment of fees
e) Appoint and dismiss such Officers and employees of EASM, as the Board considers necessary to carry on the day-to-day business of EASM
f) Adopt regulations (policies and procedures) to guide the management of EASM
g) Propose modifications to the Charter and the Bye-Laws for approval by the General Assembly
h) Do all such other things as the Board deem necessary to ensure the good organisation and management of EASM
The Board may delegate its day-to-day affairs to one or several of the members of the Board or to agents, in accordance with the procedures set out in the Bye-Laws.
8.7 The quorum of the Board is attained when at least 50% of the Board members are present. The resolutions of the Board shall be decided by a simple majority of Board members present.
8.8 The President and/or the Secretary General are empowered, within the limits of their responsibility, to enter jointly or severally into legally binding transactions on behalf of EASM. In addition, legal proceedings may be conducted on behalf of EASM by a Board Member appointed by the Board for this specific purpose.
9.1 The financial year shall be determined in accordance with the Bye-Laws.
9.2 The Board shall present the audited financial statements to the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the procedures as set out in the Bye-Laws. The account auditing procedures are also set out in the Bye-Laws.
10.1 EASM shall maintain absolute political and religious neutrality and shall not tolerate any form of discrimination, racial or otherwise.
11.1 The Statutes and Bye-Laws may be amended in accordance with Article 7.7 of these Statutes by a meeting of the General Assembly convened on the initiative of the Board or at the request of 10% of the members of EASM. The date of the General Assembly that will decide on the proposed amendment(s) must be notified to members at least 42 days in advance.
12.1 EASM may be dissolved by a resolution passed at an extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly, properly called for that purpose. The date of the Extraordinary General Assembly that will decide on dissolution must be notified to members at least 42 days in advance.
12.2 Under the understanding that abstentions will not be calculated in the ballot, voting on the dissolution and distribution of assets of EASM requires the approval of at least three-quarters of the Members with voting rights.
12.3 In the case of EASM being dissolved, its assets shall be distributed to one or more other not-for-profit organisations in accordance with the decisions taken at the Extraordinary General Assembly in which it was decided to dissolve EASM. Under no circumstances may individual members of EASM personally benefit in any material way by this distribution of assets.
This Charter was adopted by the General Assembly at Nicosia on 8th September 2006.
§1.1 There are no Bye-Laws related to Article 1 of the Statutes.
§2.1 There are no Bye-Laws related to Article 2 of the Statutes.
§3.1 There are no Bye-Laws related to Article 3 of the Statutes.
§4.1 There are no Bye-Laws related to Article 4 of the Statutes.
§5.1 The working language of EASM shall be English
§6.1 Membership Categories
§6.1.1 Members shall be expected to uphold the principles and ethos of the European Association for Sport Management as contained in its Statutes and agree to abide by the EASM Statutes, Bye-Laws, Policies and Procedures.
§6.1.2 Individual Members are persons who have been accepted into membership by the Board. Individual members may be:
(i) Honorary Members – appointed from time to time by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Board. Honorary members are appointed in recognition of their exceptional merit or service to EASM. Honorary members shall have the same rights as Full Members, unless otherwise stated in these Bye-Laws.
(ii) Full Members – natural persons, who are interested in sport management.
(iii) Student Members – natural persons who are at some part of the membership year studying some aspect of sport management at a recognised educational institution.
§6.1.3 Institutional members are such organisations as the Board of EASM may from time to time recognise. They may include International, National or Regional Sport Management Associations, Federations or Organisations; Universities; Sports Organisations, Federations or Councils; Olympic Committees; Local Government sports departments; and suitable other properly constituted bodies.
§6.2 Application for Membership
§6.2.1 All applications for membership shall be subject to approval by the Board. The Board shall cause a response to be given within 60 days of receipt of an application, to indicate whether the application has been accepted.
§6.2.2 A person or institution does not become a member until the application has been accepted and the membership fee for the current year has been paid in full.
§6.2.3 The Board shall maintain a register of names and addresses of all Members at all times
§6.3 Resignation and Exclusion of Members
§6.3.1 Membership shall be deemed to have lapsed if the requisite fee has not been paid by the date of the next Annual General Meeting of the General Assembly.
§6.3.2 Members may resign by giving at least 30 days notice in writing to the Board, but shall not be entitled to any refund of membership fee for the current membership period.
§6.3.3 EASM may cancel membership in the following ways:
(i) If the membership fee has not been paid within the period specified in Bye-Law §6.3.1
(ii) If the Board is of the view that for the member to continue in membership of EASM would not be in the best interests of EASM, in which case the Board shall give notice that the membership will be terminated with effect from a stipulated date, which shall be at least 15 days from the date on which the notice is received by the member.
§6.3.4 Any member whose case for exclusion from membership is to be heard by the Board shall be entitled to appear in person (or in the case of an institutional member, to be represented) at the appropriate meeting of the Board, to hear the evidence given to justify the exclusion, and to present reasons why such exclusion should not be enacted. The right of defence have to be respected. The final decision about exclusion is proposed by the Board and is subject to approval by the General Assembly.
§6.4 Membership Fees
§6.4.1 All members, except honorary members, shall pay an annual membership fee.
§6.4.2 Membership fees shall be determined from time to time by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Board. If a recommendation is not approved, or no recommendation is presented, then the existing fees shall continue to apply.
§6.4.3 The membership year shall be from the end of one Annual General Meeting of the General Assembly to the end of the next Annual General Meeting.
§6.4.4 The Board is authorised to grant full or partial exemption from the obligation to pay the fee in exceptional circumstances.
§7.1. Voting at General Assemblies
§7.1.1 The General Assembly is comprised of current members. However, only the following persons may exercise a vote, and they may each exercise only one vote:
(i) Each member of the Board
(ii) All Honorary Members
(iii) All Full Members
(iv) Each Institutional Member represented by a designated representative
In the event of a tie, the person chairing the meeting (see Bye-Law §7.3.4) may then exercise a casting vote.
§7.1.2 Other persons may attend meetings of the General Assembly at the discretion of the Chairman but without the right to make representation or to vote.
§7.1.3 No person may vote at a meeting of the General Assembly in more than one capacity.
§7.1.4 Voting by proxy or by post is not permitted.
§7.2 Convening Meetings
§7.2.1 The Board may call a meeting of the General Assembly as often as it thinks fit.
§7.2.2 The Annual General Meeting of the General Assembly shall be held each year during the period September – November, and at this meeting the necessary elections to the Board shall take place and the statement of accounts for the period up to 31st July that year shall be presented for approval.
§7.2.3 If the Board fails to convene a meeting requested in accordance with Article 7.3 of the Statutes within 30 days of receiving such a request, then the requestors may themselves call a meeting in accordance with the Bye-Laws, or by advertisement in one or more publications read by the majority of members, and may put persons others than Board members in charge of the meeting, notwithstanding the Bye-Laws.
§7.2.4 Notice of every meeting of the General Assembly, including notice of any resolutions together with the names of all persons who are candidates for election at that meeting as an Officer or Board member shall be sent at least 21 days before the meeting to all members of EASM but any accidental omission to give such notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at any meeting.
§7.2.5 If a quorum as defined in Article 7.6 of the Statutes is not present at a Meeting then the General Assembly will be adjourned and a new meeting shall be convened with the same agenda and this meeting may decide on the proposals even if a quorum is not present.
§7.3 Business at General Assemblies
§7.3.1 The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:
(i) To consider the Annual Report and Annual Accounts for the year ending on the preceding 31 July.
(ii) To conduct the elections for the Honorary Members, Officers, Board Members and the Chairman of the General Assembly.
(iii) To appoint an Auditor or Finance Committee.
(iv) To consider any alterations to the Statutes
(v) To consider any alterations to the Bye-Laws
(vi) To consider any resolution of which written notice has been received by the Secretary on or before 31 July and which has been proposed and seconded by at least two members of EASM who are eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting in question.
§7.3.2 Meetings of the General Assembly may, by special resolution adopt or amend Bye-Laws, which shall be binding on the Board and the members, provided that the provision is not in conflict with the Statutes or the law.
§7.3.3 All Meetings of the General Assembly shall be conducted in accordance with the standing orders for EASM meetings as set out in Bye-Law §7.5.
§7.3.4 A Chairman of the General Assembly shall be elected by the members at each Annual General Meeting. This Chairman shall chair meetings of the General Assembly up to and including the next Annual General Meeting. The Chairman shall not be a Member of the Board, nor a candidate for election to the Board during any meeting at which they take the chair. In the absence of the Chairman, the General Assembly may appoint another Member to take the chair.
§7.4 Elections
§7.4.1 Elections to the positions of Officers, Board members and Chairman of the General Assembly shall be conducted by secret ballot if asked by at least one member. Nominations for election to these positions shall be submitted in accordance with Bye-Law §8.6.
§7.4.2 In the case of election of Officers and Chairman of the General Assembly, if no candidate has obtained an absolute majority in the first ballot, then a second ballot shall take place between the two persons who obtained the most votes in the first ballot.
§7.4.3 If any ballot results in a tie or partial tie then a supplementary ballot shall take place to resolve the tie; and if this is indecisive then it shall be decided by drawing of lots.
§7.4.4 Election of individual members of the Board shall be carried out by a single ballot, and those candidates receiving the highest numbers of votes shall be deemed to have been elected. The provisions of Bye-Laws §8.1 & §8.2 shall first be taken into account when determining those deemed to have been elected.
§7.4.5 In the case where there is the same number or fewer candidates than vacancies, the meeting may deem that these candidates are elected by consent.
§7.4.6 Postal votes are not permitted.
§7.4.7 If there are no or insufficient nominations for a position submitted in advance of the meeting, then the General Assembly may receive and act on nominations duly proposed and seconded at the meeting.
§7.5 Conduct of meetings of the General Assembly
§7.5.1 Chairman
(i) The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the General Assembly, except that if the Chairman is unable to do so then the meeting shall appoint a full member, who is not a member of the Board, to preside.
(ii) The Chairman shall have the power to rule on any matter set out in section §7.5 of these Bye-Laws, or on other points or procedure. This ruling may not be questioned, except as provided for in the Bye-Laws.
(iii) The Chairman may not propose or second a resolution or stand for election to the Board. If they wish to do so they must vacate the chair for the duration of the relevant debate. Bye-Law §7.5.1(i) shall then apply.
(iv) If any person deputises for the Chairman in accordance with Bye-Law §7.5.1(i), they shall assume in full all the rights and responsibilities of the Chairman.
§7.5.2 Business
(i) Business shall follow the order of the agenda and no business that is not on the agenda shall be considered, except for procedural motions.
(ii) Amendments to a resolution may only be introduced so as to modify and not to negate the original (‘substantive’) motion, nor to introduce new business.
(iii) The Chairman may rule on whether an amendment is permitted for debate.
(iv) If an amendment is to be considered, then it shall be debated and determined before consideration of the substantive motion. If the amendment is carried, it replaces the original motion and becomes the new substantive motion.
(v) If more than one amendment is proposed, the last one to be presented shall be considered first.
§7.5.3 Speeches
(i) Only persons eligible to vote shall be entitled to speak, unless invited to do so by the Chairman.
(ii) Speakers shall always address themselves to the chair.
(iii) Any Member desiring to speak shall indicate this to the Chairman, who shall normally call upon the person he/she first observed.
(iv) A Member or Observer shall remain quiet if instructed to do so by the Chairman. If the person disregards this ruling, the Chairman may instruct them to leave the meeting.
(v) Speeches are only permitted if they are relevant to the current business, or to a point of order or information.
§7.5.4 Order and information
(i) Points of information may be raised at any time if the speaker holding the floor will accept them.
(ii) Points of order may be raised only to question the procedure of the meeting, and shall be attended to immediately by the Chairman.
(iii) If in the opinion of the Chairman, points of order or of information are being raised to prevent a speaker from stating their arguments, or to obstruct the course of the meeting, the Chairman may refuse to permit any further requests for information or points of order.
§7.5.5 Procedural motions
(i) Procedural motions may be presented at any time and once a procedural motion has been proposed and seconded, discussion on the resolution under consideration is suspended until the procedural motion has been determined.
(ii) Only the following procedural motions may be put:
(a) That the meeting sets aside the ruling of the Chairman as to ……………. (In this instance, the Chairman shall vacate the chair until the outcome is determined).
(b) That the question be put immediately without further debate
(c) That the meeting proceeds to the next business
(d) That the meeting adjourn until ……………..
§8.1 The Board shall comprise the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and seven other members, all of whom shall be elected by the membership at the Annual General Meeting. The General Assembly should strive for gender equity on the Board and at least 3 members of the Board shall be male and at least 3 members shall be female.
§8.2 The General Assembly should strive for geographical balance in the membership of the Board and not more than two members of the Board may be from any one country. In determining this Bye-Law, a person may opt to be regarded as being from the country of their nationality or the country in which they live or work. This Bye-Law does not apply to members co-opted in accordance with Bye-Law §8.5.
§8.3 In order to be appointed as a Member of the Board, a person must be a member of EASM and be a citizen of a country in membership of the Council of Europe or live or work in a country in membership of the Council of Europe.
§8.4 All members of the Board are appointed for a 3-year period in accordance with the following:
(i) The President shall be elected in 2006 and every third year thereafter (2009 etc.).
(ii) The Secretary shall be elected in 2007 and every third year thereafter (2010 etc).
(iii) The Vice-President and the Treasurer shall be elected in 2008 and every third year thereafter (2011 etc).
(iv) Election of other Members of the Board shall be as required, so that 2 members be elected in 2006 and every third year thereafter (2009 etc); 3 members be elected in 2007 and every third year thereafter (2010 etc); and 2 members be elected in 2008 and every third year thereafter (2011 etc).
(v) An Officer or Board Member may only be re-elected to the same position on one occasion.
§8.5 The Board is authorised to co-opt non-voting members at its discretion. However, the number of elected members must always be greater than the number of co-opted members’
§8.6 Nomination of candidates for election to the Board may be submitted by any two full or institutional members of EASM, who must be eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting, provided that such nomination is deposited with the Secretary in writing by 31st July prior to the Annual General Meeting. The nomination should specify whether the candidate has been nominated as an Officer (President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer as appropriate) or as an individual member of the Board.
§8.7 The General Assembly may dismiss any Board Member, prior to the completion of their term of office, if the Meeting is satisfied that the Board Member has acted in a way such as to cause damage or disrepute to EASM. Any such dismissal shall take place at a properly convened meeting of the Board and shall require a two-thirds majority of those present and voting.
§8.8 Should a Board Member cease to hold office before the completion of their term of office, then the Board may make an interim appointment until the next meeting of the General Assembly, at which time an election shall take place in the normal manner to appoint a replacement, and this replacement shall serve only until the conclusion of the legitimate term of office of the person they replaced.
§8.9 Should the President cease to hold office before the expiry of their term, or be temporarily unable to carry out their functions, then the Vice-President shall undertake the functions of President pro tem. If the Vice-President is not available or unwilling then the Board shall select a suitable person from amongst their membership. If it is clear that the President will be unable to return to office then Bye-Law §8.8 shall apply.
§8.10 A Board Member who wishes to retire from office may do so by notifying the Secretary i§n writing. The procedure in Bye-Law §8.8 shall apply.
§8.11 The Board is authorised to act provided that its present membership does not fall below seven members, and provided that at least one half of its present membership is in attendance at a duly convened meeting of which all Board Members have received adequate notice.
§8.12 The Board shall meet at least twice each year, at the call of the President or of four or more Board Members. At least 14 days notice of the meeting, including the agenda of matters to be discussed, shall be given to all Board Members. Meetings of the Board shall be chaired by the President. In his absence, Bye-Law §8.9 shall apply.
§8.13 All decisions of the Board are taken by simple majority except in respect of Bye-Law §8.7 Each Board Member shall have one vote and in the event of a tie, the chairman of the meeting may exercise a casting vote.
§8.14 Board Members may only vote in person. Proxy votes are not permitted.
§8.15 Except where specified otherwise, all actions, agreements or contracts entered into on behalf of EASM shall require to be approved by a resolution of The Board and be signed by any two of the Officers.
§8.16 The Board may establish an Executive Committee comprising the Officers and such other members as the Board may decide, to undertake such functions between meetings of the Board as the Board may from time to time determine.
§9.1 The financial year of EASM runs from 1st August – 31st July.
§9.2 The Board is required to maintain accurate financial records at all times, and to make appropriate arrangements for the safeguard and investment of any funds.
§9.3 The Annual General Meeting shall each year appoint a Finance Committee consisting of at least two full members who are not members of the Board. This committee shall examine the statement of accounts referred to in Article 9.2 of the Statutes prior to its submission to the General Assembly and report to the General Assembly on its findings. The Board is obliged to give all requested information to the Finance Committee for the purpose of the examination, and to permit the Finance Committee to inspect the books and documents of EASM and to provide such evidence as may be required.
§9.4 The Annual General Meeting may, if it chooses, appoint an approved accountant instead of a Finance Committee to inspect the books and documents of EASM, and to report to the General Assembly. The Board must then provide this accountant with all the necessary information to conduct an audit and shall present to the General Assembly the report from the accountant concerning the accuracy of the accounts.
§10.1 There are no Bye-Laws related to Article 10 of the Statutes.
§11.1 There are no Bye-Laws related to Article 11 of the Statutes.
§12.1 In case of dissolution, a liquidator shall be appointed by the Board, unless the Extraordinary General Assembly appoints a liquidator at the time of passing the resolution for dissolution.
§12.2 Any net assets remaining after dissolution shall be used as far as possible in furtherance of such aim or aims of EASM as the Extraordinary General Assembly may set down at the time of passing the resolution for dissolution, and in the absence of any such resolution these assets should be passed to the Olympic Solidarity Fund.
These Bye-Laws were adopted by the General Assembly at Nicosia on 8th September 2006.