Committee Meeting

Monday 8th July, 19:00

Kingswood School

Minutes

Present: Tim Graham (TG), Mark Blackham (MB), Gordon Opie (GO), Dudley Bartlett (DB), Pat Ost (PO), Mel Carosi (MC), Trevor Prentice (TP), Mike Horton (MHo) John Lippiatt (JL), Sean Sutton (SS), Shelley Pike (SP), Michelle Hares (MHa), Yeng Ping-Ng (YPN).

Apologies: Brian Thomas (BT), Phil Edmonds (PE), Freddie van Gerwen (FVG), Alanna Rice (AR), Jon Kirby (JK), Stuart Hares (SH), Grant Sable (GS), Matt Keeling

1. Introduction From Chairman

The Chairman opened the meeting at 19:00.

2. Minutes of Last Meeting

The minutes of the meeting on 7/10/02 were accepted as a true record.

3. Matters arising

The 100 Club draw will now take place at the Quiz Night, which is due to take place on 16th November.

GO was asked if any progress had been made with the floodlights at the KWD pitch. MB informed everyone that he had expected Robert Charlton-Porter to contact GO for a trail use of some portable lights. MB will write to KWD (Caroline Cundy) to request an update.

GO also requested that the letter should include a complaint about the recent state of the pitch.

4. Team Reports

JL - The 1st team remain unbeaten but have the most difficult matches to come and the next few weeks will be an indication of the team's final position. The team are playing great hockey. The team had appreciated the supporters at their last match, in terrible weather conditions and asked that they turn out again on the 16th at 10.30.

DB - The 2nd team need a goal scorer. The team are playing great hockey but don't seem to be able to find the net.

MHo - Stu Hares will hand over the captaincy to Matt Keeling until Christmas due to injury. Sam Ferris and Ben Voutt are doing well and Gary Ford is scoring regularly.

SS - The 4th team have played mostly the top sides and are 2 points off what they expected to have at this stage.

TG - The 5ths have been playing well but they have yet to score a point and are unlucky to be in their current position.

SP - The ladies 1st team are second on goal difference after 3 wins and 1 loss. New members have settled in well and boosted the squad.

MH - Ladies 2nd team have won all games in the league and are playing well as a team. Their hardest matches are yet to come.

Ladies 3rds - No report.

YPN - Mixed have lost all but one match and the reason could be down to a constantly changing squad.

5. Discipline

TG informed the committee that Matt Rodgers had picked up 3 yellow cards in two weeks on the 26th October. Two cards were marginal but the disciplinary committee had agreed that a one-match ban was appropriate. Matt did not object to the punishment and therefore the panel was not required to meet. TG requested PE speak to Matt and try to ensure that he is more careful in the future.

6. Finance

TG read the Treasurer's report on behalf of FVG

• All Captains to check with players that subscriptions have been paid whether they have been invoiced or not. The payment deadline for subscriptions at the lower rate would be extended to 16th November for members that had not yet received their invoice.
• Current account holds £4300 with approximately £2000 to go out.
• Captains are requested to send in their team slips and receipts.
• Handbooks have been sent out.
• The Curnow family have recently been invoiced for £195. FVG has suggested that the Club implement a family membership scheme. This would mean that for a family with both adults playing and more than one child, then one child would be free. The committee all agreed that this is a good idea. The Curnow should be re-invoiced for £165.

7. Umpiring

Insurance

TP told the committee that all umpires (and coaches) are covered by the Club's general insurance as long as they are umpiring/coaching a City of Bath fixture.

Rules Discussion Evening

TP has arranged a rules discussion evening on 25th November between 7.30 and 9.30 at the Sulis Club. Julian Anderson/Bob Hinton and a representative of the Ladies association would be attending. It was asked whether this evening should be opened to the Buccaneers and the University. All agreed that this should be allowed and that TP would arrange by drafting a letter to the two clubs.

Umpires

The Club is still perilously short of umpires especially female umpires.

All members should encourage any interested members to take the level one course and contact TP.

8. Coaching

Senior

GO and SP reported that adult coaching was working well but there is a problem with available space. This would be alleviated with a move up to the KWD pitch when the sessions could be made longer or an additional night could be started.

SP told the committee that the sessions on Tuesday are extremely full and even with MHa and SS helping, the coaching was difficult.

SS told the committee that due to the limited space the training is restricted to skills training rather than large set pieces, formations and moves.

Junior

MB informed PO that all parents that help out with the coaching should complete a membership form to ensure that they are covered by Club insurance. PO and MB to liaise. Captains are to submit a list of players that can assist at the junior coaching sessions. JL is to coordinate the collation of a rota of players.

PO informed the committee that Sally Duval had only helped at one coaching session. TP advised PO,SP and MHa that Sally should be gently encouraged to attend more.

9. Social Events

Race Night on 19/10.

MHo explained that the race night had raised £937 clear profit. The Chairman expressed his sincere thanks to MHo and Kelly Nolan for their efforts towards making an excellent night. TG will write to the 7 race supporters to thank them for their contributions.

Quiz Night on 16/11.

Flyers were given to Captains to distribute to members. Teams will consist of approximately 5 members. KWD school staff are to enter a team.

MHo informed the Committee that the manager of the LTC is to leave in the next few weeks and that the arrangements for the Christmas party are now in doubt. The prices for the evening had been agreed with the LTC manager but he may not now commit to them. TG told MHo that he should assume that the process would remain the same so that planning could continue. Flyers were distributed to team Captains complete with a tick sheet for Captains to complete and return before 6th December. Captains should also collect deposits by 6th December. The evening will consist of a three-course meal with wine, raffle and disco.

It is highly likely that Bath and North East Somerset Council will be awarding their bronze award to the Club at the Christmas party and therefore TG suggested that the two appropriate members of B&NES be invited attend to the dinner. All present agreed that this is a good idea.

PO suggested a future Christmas party for the parents of the junior section where the juniors serve the food. MHo is to think about including this into future social calendars.

It was discussed that the Club should consider possible use of the KWD school upper fields and pavilion for future events.

At the race night, a guest of Mike Warren, Chairman of Old Sulians RFU had suggested a joint social evening with our Club where bar takings could be split 50/50. This was agreed to be a great idea and that it should be further discussed.

It was brought to the attention of the Committee that LTC were charging the Club an awful lot of money to use their facilities despite the fact that our bar spending was keeping the LTC bar afloat during the bleak winter months. MB and FVG are to discuss this with LTC at an appropriate time.

10. Development

MB told the Committee that everything was in place to go ahead with the Club Quest Bronze Award Accreditation. MB is to arrange a meeting with B&NES sports development to hand over the accreditation evidence in time for their award committee on 24th November.

MB also told the Committee that he had approached B&NES about a grant for First Aid courses, junior goalkeeping kit and a coaching manual. GO is to liaise with SP and GW to decide upon a suitable coaching manual.

TG suggested that the Club Treasurer set up a development fund account and in to this account deposit all social event profits. If the Club current account required a boost at the end of the season then funds should be transferred back. This would be done at the last meeting before the AGM so that any balance would be carried forward for development purposes and announced as such at the AGM. All present agreed that this is a good idea.

11. Any other business

YPN asked the Chairman, on behalf of AR, if the Club was doing anything for the Children In Need appeal. TG said that he thought that it was not a good idea for the Club as a whole to become involved with such a project but invited AR to approach any members to enter into the project on an individual basis.

TG suggested that the Club is now big enough to enter the HA trophy next year and asked DB to act accordingly.

12. Next meeting

The next meeting will be held on Mon 2nd Dec. The Chairman closed the meeting at 20:05