⚖️ Hutton Football Club: Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)

Serving our community through football — with purpose, transparency, and integrity.

📛 Our Legal Identity

Hutton Football Club is proudly registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) — a not-for-profit entity with a mission to make football accessible, inclusive, and impactful within our local community.

🌍 Where We’re Based

Our principal office is located in England, operating primarily across Brentwood and surrounding areas.

🎯 Our Purpose

We exist to promote community participation in healthy recreation by:

  • Offering football opportunities for all ages and genders.
  • Supporting individuals who may face financial barriers to playing sport.

All club activities align with charitable standards as set out in the law of England and Wales.

🔧 What We Can Do (Our Powers)

To further our mission, the CIO may:

  • Acquire or manage property and facilities.
  • Hire staff or volunteers.
  • Borrow funds when necessary, within legal limits.
  • Fundraise and invest responsibly.
  • Partner with others to improve access and opportunities.

💰 Income, Property & Trustees

All income and assets must be used to advance our charitable objectives.
Charity trustees may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses, but cannot profit from their role unless legally authorised.

👥 Charity Trustees: Roles & Responsibilities

Our trustees lead with integrity, overseeing operations and ensuring we act in the best interests of the community. Their duties include:

  • Managing resources responsibly
  • Acting in good faith and avoiding conflicts of interest
  • Upholding compliance with the Charities Act 2011

We currently require a minimum of 3 trustees and allow up to 12.

🗳️ Membership & Decision-Making

Hutton FC’s voting members are exclusively its charity trustees.
Major decisions — such as changes to the constitution or winding up the organisation — must be made by resolution in writing or at a general meeting, following the guidelines of the Charities Act 2011.

📋 Meetings & Governance

Trustees meet regularly to make decisions. These meetings:

  • Require a quorum to proceed
  • Can be held in person or electronically
  • Must be minuted and recorded

Special rules govern proxy votes, postal votes, and conflicts of interest.

🧾 Accountability & Reporting

We adhere to all legal obligations under the Charities Act, including:

  • Annual reporting to the Charity Commission
  • Maintaining accurate minutes, financial records, and trustee registers
  • Transparent use of funds, with strict oversight

🏁 Dissolution & Winding Up

If Hutton FC CIO were to dissolve, all remaining assets would be transferred to another charity with similar objectives, in line with charity law and our constitution.

🤝 A Commitment to Community

This constitution ensures we operate transparently, ethically, and legally — always placing our community, players, and supporters at the heart of everything we do.