A club is an association of people united by a common interest or goal. The service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth. A service club or service organization is a voluntary Non-profit organization where members meet regularly to perform charitable works either

History

Historically, clubs occurred in all ancient states of which we have detailed knowledge. Once people started living together in larger groups, there was need for people with a common interest to be able to associate despite having no ties of kinship. Organizations of the sort have existed for many years, as evidenced by Ancient Greek clubs and associations in Ancient Rome. Ancient Greek clubs were associations of ancient Greeks who were united by a common interest or goal In Ancient Rome, the principle of Private association was recognized very early by the state sodalitates for religious purposes are mentioned in the XII

Origins of the word and concept

It is uncertain whether the use of the word "club" originated in its meaning of a knot of people, or from the fact that the members “clubbed” together to pay the expenses of their meetings. The oldest English clubs were merely informal periodic gatherings of friends for the purpose of dining or drinking together. Thomas Occleve (in the time of Henry IV) mentions such a club called La Court de Bone Compaignie (the Court of Good Company), of which he was a member. Thomas Occleve (or Hoccleve) (c 1368 &ndash 1426 English Poet, was born probably in 1368/9 for writing in 1421/2 he says he was fifty-three years Henry IV (3 April 1367 &ndash 20 March 1413 was King of England and Lord of Ireland (1399&ndash1413 In 1659 John Aubrey wrote, “We now use the word clubbe for a sodality [a society, association, or fraternity of any kind] in a tavern. "How these curiosities would be quite forgott did not such idle fellowes as I am putt them down ”

In Shakespeare's day

Of early clubs the most famous was the Bread Street or Friday Street Club, originated by Sir Walter Raleigh, and meeting at the Mermaid Tavern. Bread Street is a ward of the City of London and is named from its principal street which was antiently (anciently the bread market for by the records it appears that in 1302 Sir Walter Raleigh or Ralegh (c 1552 – 29 October 1618 was a famed English writer Poet, Soldier, Courtier and Explorer The Mermaid Tavern was a Tavern on Cheapside in London during the Elizabethan era, located east of St William Shakespeare, John Selden, John Donne, John Fletcher and Francis Beaumont were among the members. William Shakespeare ( baptised John Selden ( December 16, 1584 &ndash November 30, 1654) was an English Jurist, scholar of England's ancient laws John Donne (pronounced like done, dʌn 1572 – 31 March 1631 was a Jacobean poet preacher and a major representative of the Metaphysical poets John Fletcher (1579 &ndash 1625 was a Jacobean Playwright. Following William Shakespeare as house playwright for the King's Men, he was Francis Beaumont (1584 &ndash March 6 1616) was a dramatist in the English Renaissance theatre, most famous for his collaborations with John Another such club, supposedly founded by Ben Jonson, was that which met at the Devil Tavern near Temple Bar, also in London. Benjamin Jonson ( c 11 June 1572 &ndash 6 August 1637) was an English Renaissance Dramatist London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

Coffee houses

See main article at Coffeehouse

The word “club,” in the sense of an association to promote good-fellowship and social intercourse, became common in England at the time of Tatler and The Spectator (1709–1712). A coffeehouse ( French / Portuguese: café; Spanish: cafetería; Italian: caffè England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Tatler is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. The Spectator was a daily publication of 1711 &ndash 12, founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England after they met at Year 1709 ( MDCCIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1712 ( MDCCXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap With the introduction of coffee-drinking in the middle of the 17th century, clubs entered on a more permanent phase. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar The coffee houses of the later Stuart period are the real originals of the modern clubhouse. The clubs of the late 17th and early 18th century type resembled their Tudor forerunners in being oftenest associations solely for conviviality or literary coteries. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was an English royal Dynasty that lasted 118 years from 1485 to 1603 a period known as the Tudor period But many were confessedly political, e. g. The Rota, or Coffee Club (1659), a debating society for the spread of republican ideas, broken up at the Restoration in 1660, the Calves Head Club (c. Debate ( American English) or debating ( British English) is a formal method of interactive and position representational Argument. The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored Calves Head Club was a club established in derision of the memory of Charles I of England shortly after his death 1693) and the Green Ribbon Club (1675). The Green Ribbon Club was one of the earliest of the loosely combined associations which met from time to time in London taverns or coffee-houses for political purposes in the 17th century The characteristics of all these clubs were:

1. No permanent financial bond between the members, each man’s liability ending for the time being when he had paid his “score” after the meal.
2. No permanent clubhouse, though each clique tended to make some special coffee house or tavern their headquarters.

These coffee-house clubs soon became hotbeds of political scandal-mongering and intriguing, and in 1675 King Charles II issued a proclamation which ran: “His Majesty hath thought fit and necessary that coffee houses be (for the future) put down and suppressed,” because “in such houses divers false, malitious and scandalous reports are devised and spread abroad to the Defamation of his Majesty’s Government and to the Disturbance of Peace and Quiet of the Realm. Charles II (Charles Stuart 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685 was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. ” So unpopular was this proclamation that it was almost instantly found necessary to withdraw it, and by Anne’s reign the coffee-house club was a feature of England’s social life. Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714 became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702 succeeding William III of England and II of

18th and 19th century

The idea of the club developed in two directions. One was of a permanent institution with a fixed clubhouse. The London coffeehouse clubs in increasing their members absorbed the whole accommodation of the coffeehouse or tavern where they held their meetings, and this became the clubhouse, often retaining the name of the original innkeeper, e. g. White's, Brooks's, Arthur's, and Boodle's. White's is a London Gentlemen's club, established at 4 Chesterfield Street in 1693 by Italian immigrant Francesco Bianco (AKA "Francis White" Brooks's is a London Gentlemen's club, founded in 1764 by 27 men including four Dukes At an early date it was the meeting place for Whigs of the highest Boodle's is a London Gentlemen's club, founded in 1762 at 49-51 Pall Mall, London by Lord Shelburne the future Marquess of Lansdowne These still exist today as the famous gentlemen's clubs. A gentlemen's club is a members-only private Club of a type originally set up by and for English Upper class men

The peripatetic lifestyle of the 18th and 19th century middle classes also drove the development of more residential clubs, which had bedrooms and other facilities. Military and naval officers, lawyers, judges, members of Parliament and government officials tended to have an irregular presence in the major cities of the Empire, particularly London, spending perhaps a few months there before moving on for a prolonged period and then returning. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. Especially when this presence did not coincide with the Season, a permanent establishment in the city (i. The social season or Season has historically referred to the annual period when it is customary for members of the British social Elite of society to hold Debutante e. , a house owned or rented, with the requisite staff), or the opening of a townhouse (generally shuttered outside the season) was inconvenient or uneconomic, while hotels were rare and socially declasee. Clubbing with a number of like-minded friends to secure a large shared house with a manager was therefore a convenient solution.

The other sort of club meets occasionally or periodically and often has no clubhouse, but exists primarily for some specific object. Such are the many purely athletic, sports and pastimes clubs, the Alpine, chess, yacht and motor clubs. Also there are literary clubs (see writing circle and book club), musical and art clubs, publishing clubs; and the name of “club” has been annexed by a large group of associations which fall between the club proper and mere friendly societies, of a purely periodic and temporary nature, such as slate, goose and Christmas clubs, which do not need to be registered under the Friendly Societies Act. A writing circle is a group of like-minded writers needing support for their work either through Writing critiques Workshops or Classes, or just encouragement A book discussion club is a group of people who meet to discuss a book or books that they have read and express their opinions likes dislikes etc A friendly society (sometimes called a mutual society, benevolent society or fraternal organization) is a mutual association for insurance-like The Christmas Club is a savings program that was first offered by various Banks during the Great Depression.

Worldwide

See also: List of American gentlemen's clubs

The institution of the gentleman's club has spread all over the English-speaking world. The following is a list of notable Gentlemen's clubs in the United States. The word Anglosphere describes a concept of a group of Anglophone ( English -speaking nations which share historical political and cultural characteristics rooted Many of those who energised the Scottish Enlightenment were members of the Poker Club in Edinburgh. The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments The Poker Club was one of several clubs at the heart of the Scottish Enlightenment where many associated with that movement met and exchanged views in a convivial Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. In the United States clubs were first established after the War of Independence. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the One of the first was the Hoboken Turtle Club (1797), which still survived as of 1911.

The earliest clubs on the European continent were of a political nature. These in 1848 were repressed in Austria and Germany, and later clubs of Berlin and Vienna were mere replicas of their English prototypes. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. In France, where the term cercle is most usual, the first was Le Club Politique (1782), and during the French Revolution such associations proved important political forces (see Jacobins, Feuillants, Cordeliers). This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The Jacobin Club was the largest and most powerful political club of the French Revolution. The Cordeliers, also known as the Club of the Cordeliers and formally as the Society of the Friends of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen comprised a populist Of the purely social clubs in Paris the most notable were the Jockey-Club de Paris (1833), the Cercle de l'Union, the Traveller's and the Cercle Interallié. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The Jockey Club de Paris is best remembered as a gathering of the elite of nineteenth-century French society

Types of clubs

School clubs

Main article: Extracurricular activity

These are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of classes. Extracurricular activities are activities performed by Students that fall outside the realm of the normal Curriculum of school or university education Such clubs may fall outside the normal curriculum of school or university education or, as in the case of subject matter clubs (e. g. student chapters of professional societies), may supplement the curriculum through informal meetings and professional mentoring. A professional body or professional organization also known as a professional association or professional society is an organization usually Non-profit, that exists

Professional societies

Main article: Professional body

These organizations are partly social, partly professional in nature and provide professionals with opportunities for advanced education, presentations on current research, business contacts, public advocacy for the profession and other advantages. A professional body or professional organization also known as a professional association or professional society is an organization usually Non-profit, that exists Examples of these groups include medical associations, scientific societies, and bar associations. A health association is an Professional organization for Health professionals They are often based on specialty and are usually national often with subnational or A bar association is a Professional body of Lawyers Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their Jurisdiction Professional societies frequently have layers of organization, with regional, national and international levels. The local chapters generally meet more often and often include advanced students unable to attend national meetings.

Service clubs

Main article: Service club

A service club is a type of voluntary organization where members meet regularly for social outings and to perform charitable works either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organizations. A service club or service organization is a voluntary Non-profit organization where members meet regularly to perform charitable works either A voluntary association or union (also sometimes called a voluntary organization, unincorporated association, or just an association) is a group

Social clubs

Main article: Social clubs

Some social clubs are organized around competitive games, such as chess and bridge. Social Club may also refer to a video game community service by Rockstar Games, see Rockstar Games Social Club. Other clubs are designed to encourage membership of certain social classes. Those made up of the elite are best known as gentlemen's clubs (not to be confused with strip clubs) and country clubs (though these also have an athletic function, see below). A gentlemen's club is a members-only private Club of a type originally set up by and for English Upper class men A strip club is a Nightclub or bar that offers Striptease (the erotic removal of a performer's clothing and possibly other related services such as A country club is a private Club which offers a variety of recreational Sports facilities usually located in city outskirts or rural areas A club is an association of people united by a common interest or goal Less elitist, but still in some cases exclusive, are working men's clubs. Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of Great Britain, particularly the North of England Clubs restricted to either officers or enlisted men exist on military bases. Etymology The word bases is first recorded in English language from c

The modern gentlemen's club, sometimes proprietary, i. e. owned by an individual or private syndicate, but more frequently owned by the members who delegate to a committee the management of its affairs, first reached its highest development in London, where the district of St. James's has long been known as “Clubland”. St James's is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Current London clubs include Soho's Groucho Club, which opened in 1985 as "the antidote to the traditional club. This article is about an area of Manhattan, New York City. For the area in London UK see Soho. The Groucho Club is a well-known private Social club located at Dean Street in Soho, London. " In this spirit, the club was named for Groucho Marx because of his famous remark that he would not wish to join any club that would have him as a member.

Social activities clubs

Social activities clubs are a modern combination of several other types of clubs and reflect today’s more eclectic and varied society. These clubs are centered around the activities available to the club members in the city or area in which the club is located. Because the purpose of these clubs is split between general social interaction and taking part in the events themselves, clubs tend to have more single members than married ones; some clubs restrict their membership to one of the other, and some are for gays and lesbians.

Membership can be limited or open to the general public, as can the events. Most clubs have a limited membership based upon specific criteria, and limit the events to members to increase the security of the members, thus creating an increased sense of cameradery and belonging. Social activities clubs can be for profit or not for profit, and some are a mix of the two (a for-profit club with a non-profit charitable arm, for instance). The Inter-Varsity Club (IVC) is the biggest British non-profit one.

Country clubs, athletic clubs, and sports clubs

Main articles: Country club and Sports club

There are two types of athletic and sports clubs, those organized for sporting participants (which include athletic clubs and country clubs), and those primarily for spectator fans of a team. A country club is a private Club which offers a variety of recreational Sports facilities usually located in city outskirts or rural areas A sports club, athletics club or sports association is an eclectic institution oriented to multiple Sports which fields many Teams and in several

Athletic and country clubs offer one or more recreational sports facilities to their members. Such clubs may also offer social activities and facilities, and some members may join primarily to take advantage of the social opportunities. Country clubs offer a variety of recreational sports facilities to its members and are usually located in suburban or rural areas. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively ^[1] Most country clubs have golf. Swimming pools, tennis courts, polo grounds and exercise facilities are also common. A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is an artificially enclosed Body of water intended for Swimming or A tennis court is where the game of Tennis is played It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center Polo is a team sport played outdoors on Horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team Country clubs usually provide dining facilities to their members and guests, and frequently host catered events like weddings. Similar clubs in urban areas are often called athletic clubs. These clubs often feature indoor sports, such as indoor tennis, squash, basketball, boxing, and exercise facilities. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight,

Members of sports clubs that support a team can be sports amateurs -- groups who meet to practice a sport, as for example in most cycling clubs -- or professionals -- football clubs consist of well-paid team members and thousands of supporters. A cycling club is a society for cyclists It can be local or national general or specialised A football team or a football club, in football (soccer is the collective name given to a number of players who play together in a Football game be it Association A sports club can thus comprise participants (not necessarily competitors) or spectator fans, or both.

Some organizations exist with a mismatch between name and function. The Jockey Club is not a club for jockeys, but rather exists to regulate the sport of horseracing; the Marylebone Cricket Club was until recently the regulatory body of cricket, and so on. For the North American thoroughbred horse racing industry see The Jockey Club. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC is a private members' club founded in 1787

Sports club should not be confused with gyms and health clubs, which also can be for members only. The word γυμνάσιον (gymnasion was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual Education of young men (see Gymnasium

Fraternities and sororities

Fraternities and sororities are social clubs of secondary or higher education students. Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational Institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling known as Secondary education, takes Higher education is Education that is provided by universities, vocational universities, Community colleges Liberal arts colleges Membership in these organizations is generally by invitation only.

References

1. ^ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dict.asp?Word=country+club The Free Dictionary

See also

• Childhood secret club
• Probus Clubs cater for the interests of retired or semi-retired professional or business people. A childhood secret club is an informal form of Organization that tends to interest children aged approximately 8 to 11 The Probus Club movement was formed in the United Kingdom in 1965
• Users' group, a type of club focused on the use of a particular technology, usually (but not always) computer-related. A users' group (also users group or user group) is a type of Club focused on the use of a particular Technology, usually (but not always