OT Club help needed

[Tom1809]

Hi everyone, I'm sorry this a off topic subject but it's still 4x4 related and I do not mean to step on anyone's toes with this or look for advertimemt at all so won't be dropping any plugs.

I was asked to start a 4x4 club for a few people in my county, nothing to big at the moment just basically a large group of friends who love offroading and socialzing, the original idea was just to use the "club to get a list of us who are going to pay and plays" but has now involved into something slightly bigger and gaining some momentum as friends come up with more ideas and wanting to push the boundaries and hire out sites for our events, host socialzing events etc.

To me to do this I guess I would have to make the club official, as in proper memberships, registering the club as a business, opening a bank account, public liability for socialising as well as msa cover for events. I would have to have a comittee and I suppose a agm meeting too. Having been involved in a club before I have a little understanding of the roles off the committee members as I was the secutary, but never ever started from scratch or thought I would be taking on this monumental task.

So I guess what im asking is there anybody who is willing to give me some adivce on what I need to do etc who's been there done it or is involved highly with a club. I will be honest I think the club has potential and I do t want to see the idea die as there is a great deal of passion from all of my friends to make this work, I guess at our ages we just aren't to clued up on these things as we are with mechanics.

Cheers

Tom

[Dave W]

If you're thinking of becoming an MSA recognised club then I would contact them first. They will supply you with an outline of what they require as far as the constitution and formation of the club is concerned and you can use that as a starting point.

Many motor sport clubs start be creating a "Company Limited by Guarantee" and all members of the club become members of the company.

MSA recognition will give you some cover for competitions and a basic level of public liability cover for other activities.

Feel free to PM me with any specific questions you have.

[Tom1809]

Hi Dave, I have spent all night reading, researching and I think i have a better understanding. The only thing I don't get is that members of the club are liable for any shortfull in the case of the company been wound down, most places say its only £1 or how ever much you set it at, but is that the committee members only? Or is that every member who joins the club and pay's a membership, I can see why a lot of clubs have a member ship fee to join as if it's done properly and by the book It's not cheap or easy to maintain a club

[ejparrott]

Rugby Model Engineering Society is a company limited by guarantee, we all pay a £1 share, every member, and in the case of any court action, we are limited liability to the sum of £1.

The question is though, do you want to do it? I get the impression, maybe wrongly, that you were originally happy to produce an informal list of names for offroading days, but that you're not overly enthusiastic about going the next step and forming a proper club. Maybe I'm wrong, i just got that feeling.

Also, check there aren't other clubs in your area, you don't want to start life by treading on someones toes and upsetting them!

[Dave W]

The guarantee is payable by all current members if the company/club goes under leaving outstanding debts, you can set the amount to anything you like but for a club £1 per member is the norm.

Your membership fees need to cover the various admin expenses for the club and it's worth knowing that membership fees are not taxable when you file your annual accounts to companies house and the tax man.

Normal admin costs for a year would include:

Accountants fee (unless you have someone in the club who can file your annual accounts)

MSA fee (around £60 per annum)

Companies House annual return (£15)

Postage and printing costs

Public Liability Insurance (unless you are happy with the MSA cover)

Club equipment costs - depending on the type of events you run.

Bank charges (some banks offer a 0 charge account for clubs)

Processing fees for online payments

Web site hosting costs (if you have one)

You then need to set entry fees such that the entry fee covers the cost of the land and the cost of the permit/insurance from the MSA. membership fees provide a contingency should you miscalculate the entry fee.

[najw]

An alternative if you didn't want to go through the hassle and legalities of forming your own club would be to establish a regional area of an existing national club that perhaps doesn't have a presence in your area.

This would give you an established umbrella framework to operate under so you can enjoy your off-roading and leave the running of the club to someone else.

[Tom1809]

Thank you all very much for your thoughts and advice it's very much aprchiated and very help full, I'm sorry if I did come across like not wanting to do it, I will be honest when I started looking into it my mind was all over the place with the amount of information and legalitys of it, the thought that crossed my mind was oh what the @&£: have I let myself in for. But now reading through and the advice I have obtained I feel much happier about it and it doesn't seem like such a monumental task, I also think I will be able to have a good team to take on the necessary rolls that need doing.

We where all part of a club but unfortunatly that club shut down, mainly older members ran it and unfortunalty lost interest in offroading or wasn't happy with what us younger generation wanted out of the club, apart from 2 landrover clubs and 1 other club that doesn't seem to host many events in our area or do what we want I think we maybe have the possibility to interest a far wider audience instead of just one niche of 4x4 owners, plus we would like to do weekend jaunts down to Cornwall for some green laning, and playing in a pit for summer with plenty of beers and BBQ's but for something like that majority of the sites want to see msa & or public liabity insurance, but also could attract other members not just from our region to join in.

Thanks

Tom

[ejparrott]

I had a weeks Holiday in Cornwall with the Severn Valley Leafers, and spent the week greenlaning...there's some cracking lanes there! Well worth going.

[FridgeFreezer]

It's a can of worms for sure.

There are all sorts of ways people try to cover their behinds - MSA membership, limited company, registered charity, etc. and there's tonnes to think about with any of them, but whatever you do I would strongly advise getting legal advice and erring on the side of over-insurance.

Also, find a few good people to help you - at the very least you need a good treasurer, secretary, and chief marshal/safety bod plus potentially a load of other helpers. Everyone thinks it's a great idea when they aren't the ones having to do the work!