Ashton & Reid on Clubs and Associations

The area of Clubs and Associations is an area which is one usually confined to those who practice in it.

The literature available related to this area by its very nature is short in supply and nature. This is why this book by Ashton & Reid comes as a welcome addition to the field as one which is informative and equally accessible and which appeals to those who only have a passing or general interest in the area while equally being a fully comprehensive document for those who work in area.

This is the second edition of Ashton and Reid's excellent treatment of Clubs and Associations and as the authors argue this second edition cannot have come soon enough. They make the statement that matters have changed significantly since the first edition and the myriad of legislation introduced in the passing six years has been, to varying degrees, overwhelming which they argue grounds the justification for the second edition and this certainly appears to be borne out in the text with substantial recent legislation being the subject of many references.

The book performs very well for the practitioner and takes the uninitiated through all the major aspects of the club. In relation to the content, the introductory section opens to how clubs are formed and skips lightly through the History of Clubs and Associations. The structure takes the reader through the areas such as; formation of a club, the constitution and rules as well as dissolution. Part 2 relates to the internal relationships including management, ownership and gaming while Part 3 alludes to the Club's external relations focusing on the legal technical requirements for such an association such as; Civil Liability, Landlord and Tenant relationships, Employment issues and ultimately the club's responsibility for Crime. It is in Part 3 that the concise referencing to relevant legislation and case‐law combined with the necessary detail make this part of particular interest to professionals.

There is an excellent treatment of Taxation and how Clubs can address this area with a full explanation not only of its obligations to pay tax but useful information on how they might benefit also from the system and in this they engaged the assistance of a professional practising in the area. Assistance was also sought for the Chapters on landlord and Tenant, Employment and Judicial Review.

One very helpful inclusion are the Model Rules Articles and Minutes which is a practical innovation for the uninitiated who wish to pursue this area or indeed form their own club.

The sole criticism is a familiar one, in that in its comprehensive nature and limitation to five hundred and thirty seven pages means it lacks the detail a researcher or lecturer would enjoy in mining new lines of interest but it can be said at the very least that it would certainly suffice as a starting point.

The second edition generally performs very well with its comprehensive structure the book is suitable for practitioners with footnotes that reference the relevant case law and legislation, students can also be satisfied in that it is readily accessible for them and equally for those who run clubs or have a general interest in the area.

In summary, the book is an instructive guide to all matters in relation to Clubs and Associations and is a comprehensive guide aimed primarily at those who are involved though not exclusively, in such Associations. This is a very useful manual for Clubs and Associations which should be equally at home on the shelf of any Committee room or Law Library as a comprehensive accessible treatment of an area which is widely popular in practice across the common‐law world but which, unusually, has little or no resource material to support it.