club history, club songs, club artists
This article is about the type of organization of formal or informal membership.For other uses, see Club (disambiguation).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.Country clubs, athletic clubs, and sports clubs
2.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.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.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.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.But many were confessedly political, e.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.No permanent clubhouse, though each clique tended to make some special coffee house or tavern their headquarters.Government and to the Disturbance of Peace and Quiet of the Realm.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.White's, Brooks's, Arthur's, and Boodle's.These still exist today as the famous gentlemen's clubs.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.Especially when this presence did not coincide with the Season, a permanent establishment in the city (i.The other sort of clubs meet occasionally or periodically and often have no clubhouse, but exist primarily for some specific object.Such are the many purely athletic, sports and pastimes clubs, the Alpine, chess, yacht and motor clubs.Christmas clubs, which do not need to be registered under the Friendly Societies Act.Many of those who energised the Scottish Enlightenment were members of the Poker Club in Edinburgh.In the United States clubs were first established after the War of Independence.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.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).Club de Paris (1833) and the Cercle de la Rue Royale.These are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of classes.Such clubs may fall outside the normal curriculum of school or university education or, as in the case of subject matter clubs (e.Examples of these groups include medical associations, scientific societies, and bar associations.The local chapters generally meet more often and often include advanced students unable to attend national meetings.Some social clubs are organized around competitive games, such as chess and bridge.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).Less elitist, but still in some cases exclusive, are working men's clubs.Clubs restricted to either officers or enlisted men exist on military bases.The modern gentlemen's club, sometimes proprietary, i.Current London clubs include Soho's Groucho Club, which opened in 1985 as "the antidote to the traditional club."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.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.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.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.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.Most country clubs have golf.Swimming pools, tennis courts, polo grounds and exercise facilities are also common.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.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.Sports club should not be confused with gyms and health clubs, which also can be for members only.Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are social clubs of secondary or higher education students.This page was last modified 23:24, 13 January 2008.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.Club Penguin is a safe virtual world for kids to play, interact with friends and have fun letting their imaginations soar.Find fun tutorials and answers to your questions about playing Club Penguin.Learn about the features and benefits of becoming a member of Club Penguin.Now you can take Club Penguin with you!Check out our shop to see the latest in penguin gear.Shirt with pride, paying tribute to their favorite Club Penguin arcade game.Swing, "Club Fetish" and "Club Caption"!So, what are you waiting for.Takes just a minute to enjoy the best swinger site around!Did you forget your login information?Enter the email address you used to sign up with below and we'll send it to you!"Night on the House" certificates awarded every business stay, valid after next stay.New York, Downtown near Wall Street and World Trade Center
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London, St.Member Service Desk, Club Room with complimentary coffee, newspapers, magazines and games, free use of a computer and printer in the Club Room, exercise equipment delivered to guest rooms, garments cleaned and stored for regular guests.You are being redirected to the Diners Club local franchise web site.
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