Social club

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A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation or activity. Examples include book discussion clubs, chess clubs, country clubs, final clubs, fishing clubs, gaming clubs, women's clubs, gentlemen's clubs (known as private clubs in the U.S.), hunting clubs, military officers' clubs, political clubs, religious clubs (such as Christian fellowships), science clubs and university clubs. The term can also refer to a criminal headquarters, such as the Ravenite Social Club or the Cage.^[1][2]

This article covers only three distinct types of social clubs – the historic gentlemen's clubs, the modern activities clubs and an introduction to fraternities and sororities. This article does not cover a variety of other types of clubs having some social characteristics. Social clubs have commonly been used by the Mafia as meeting places, many mob crews even being named after the club that they are based out of (The Palma Boys Crew, The Gemini Crew, The Veterans & Friends Crew).