Starting New Societies

Clubs and societies are an important part of the GCR community. They provide the opportunity for students with common interests to get together and participate in activities outside of their studies.

A list of all the current clubs and societies can be found here. If you would like to join a club or society, just email the contact you’ll find in the list! If you do not find what you are looking for, you can also start a new society.

To start a society, please follow the steps listed below. Please note that membership of your society must be open to all GCR members and that the purpose of all proposed clubs & societies must agree with the GCR aims and objectives. Societies require at least 5 members, of whom at least 3 must be members of the GCR (paid the GCR levy).

A Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Check if the club or society currently exists or has previously existed. If there was a previous club or society of the same type that has ceased to exist, there may be old equipment you can use.
  2. Contact the GCR Clubs and Societies Officer to discuss your idea: cs.ustinovgcr@durham.ac.uk
  3. Read the GCR Clubs and Societies Regulations.
  4. Find at least four other people to start the society with. At least three of the five of you need to be GCR members.
  5. Write a constitution. A default constitution is available here.
  6. Hold a meeting with your future fellow society members. At this meeting, you need to:
    – Elect a president, treasurer, and secretary for the society.
    – Complete a Ratification Form (download here).
  7. Create a member list.
  8. Send electronic copies of your completed ratification form, constitution, and member list to cs.ustinovgcr@durham.ac.uk
  9. Submit the physical copy of your ratification form in the GCR office (open 6-8pm every evening).
  10. You may be contacted by the Clubs & Societies Officer to discuss any concerns they may have or for requests for further information. They will take your proposal to the next GCR Executive Committee Meeting for approval.
  11. The GCR Executive Committee will vote to ratify the new society.
  12. Once your society has been ratified, you can apply for funding from the GCR for equipment. The Clubs & Societies Officer will contact you and explain the process to you.

If you need any help with the above, please contact cs.ustinovgcr@durham.ac.uk

 

Society Funding

At the beginning of every term, a funding call is sent out by the Clubs & Societies Officer to the presidents and captains of all clubs and societies. They then have time until a certain deadline to submit requests for any funding they require for the upcoming term. Complete funding requests include:

  • Funding Request Form, filled in with all pitch hire / referee fees / equipment costs, including shipping costs.
  • Photocopy of the latest bank statements (only for societies that have their own bank account).
  • A current list of all society members.
  • Screenshots of or links to all items to be purchased (proof of price).

Societies that are started in the middle of a term can apply for funding outside of the above mentioned deadline. The following steps apply to every funding request:

  1. Clubs & Societies Officer sends funding request information to captains and presidents.
  2. Societies fill in funding requests and submit all neccessary documents to Clubs & Societies Officer.
  3. Funding requests are discussed in the Finance Committee (consisting of Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, President, Clubs & Societies Officer, and Social Secretary). Finance Committee gives recommendations on whether the requests should be approved, partially approved, or rejected.
  4. Funding requests and the results of the Finance Committee meeting are brought to the next Executive Committee meeting where a vote is cast.
  5. Treasurer informs societies of the outcome of their funding requests.
  6. If the request was approved, societies can now purchase the equipment they requested.
  7. Societies submit a Reimbursement Form to the Treasurer to have their money returned.

Some general rules about funding:

  • The GCR does not pay for personalized equipment (e.g. jerseys with names), only for such that is meant for general and continued use of the club.
  • Clubs and Societies are permitted to raise their own funding (e.g. through membership fees).
  • For clubs with a gendered counterpart, the GCR tries not to heavily favour one or the other in terms of money spent.
  • The GCR automatically pays match fees and league entry fees of competitive teams; these do not need to be requested.
  • Teams can request for referee fees to be reimbursed by the GCR, but these must be listed in the funding request AND proof must be provided by using the Referee payment form.
  • Teams can request financial assistance to cover practice fees but are strongly encouraged to try and cover these themselves.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact cs.ustinovgcr@durham.ac.uk