The club committee held the 2018 Annual General Meeting at 6:00pm on Sunday 29th July.
The Chairman's Report was delivered by Vice Chair Ashley MacDonald, in which he stated that 2017/18 had been a successful season for the club in terms of our performance on-court, our growth of membership and the enhanced visibility of the club on social media.
The Secretary's Report was delivered by Arron MacDonald, who echoed the statement regarding growth in membership - with the junior team in particular growing from only three to thirty members.
The Treasurer's Report had been prepared by Glenn Collins, the club treasurer, who noted a 25% increase in income through membership subscriptions, year-on-year. Glenn also noted the increased refereeing costs - a matter which the committee will take under advisory at their next meeting to discuss 2018/19's season fees.
Glenn also noted that despite an investment in excess of £600.00 for a new scoreboard, and the club shop not yet having broke even (due to held stock), it was pleasantly surprising that we had made a profit of £470.00 for the season, and that the End of Season celebrations - which had run at a profit for the first time in several seasons - were a key contributing factor.
Junior Teams Officer Sebastian Benford discussed the growth of the Junior Programme, and that the increase in members from across West Suffolk was now allowing us to split into two groups for the 2018/19 season - U13's and U15/U17. Sebastian also mentioned that the club have been working with Colchester Basketball and a number of other sides in Suffolk and Essex to provide appropriate competition for our juniors for next season, and that we expect to have more news on these competitions shortly.
Head Coach Arron MacDonald's report stated that there had been a noticeable improvement in on-court performance, having gone over .500 between the two senior teams. Arron pointed to increased commitment from the players as a key contributing factor, whilst also pointing out the massive growth of the club on social media, having gone from circa 300 cross-platform followers (and 4 views per day) to over 1000 cross-platform followers and circa 1400 views per day.
With respects to the competitions for the 2018/19 season, it was confirmed that we have applied for entry into Suffolk Senior Leagues Division 1 & 2 (and relevant cup competitions) and into Cambridge League Division 2 (and relevant cup competitions).
Coach MacDonald also advised that the club coaches noted the concerns that had frequently been raised by one another, opponents, spectators and referees as to the sub-standard condition of the hall at County Upper School, and that the committee meeting the following week would centre around not only our 2018/19 fee structure, but also where our home court will be.
Election of Officers:
Following the resignation of the committee, as per our constitution, the following officers were unanimously voted-in as the club's committee for the 2018/19 season:
Chair - Andrew MacDonald
Vice Chair - Ashley MacDonald
Vice Chair - Mark Knight
General Secretary - Arron MacDonald
Registrations Secretary - Nikki MacDonald
Treasurer - Glenn Collins
Additionally, the members voted unanimously to add the following roles (and officers to the club committee):
Publicity Officer - Andrew Borkett
Social Media Officer - Sam Howard
Finally, the proposal to create a fundraising sub-committee was unanimously agreed by the members, with the Fundraising Committee Lead to also be a member of the club's committee.
Lynne Quelch was unanimously voted-in as the Fundraising Committee Lead, while Kerry Parrish, Arron MacDonald, Sebastian Benford, Glenn Collins, Sam Howard and Richard Goldsmith have taken roles on the sub-committee.
It was agreed that this committee would meet monthly, and that its' purpose is:
"To organise and manage club events, and to raise money through club events, sponsorship and any other reasonable avenues of fundraising available to us with the aim of better funding our programme, and the betterment of our club as a whole."
The meeting was closed by Ashley MacDonald at 6:30pm.
Additional Notes:
- On behalf of everyone at the club, we'd like to say a massive thank you to the committee members and volunteers who donate their time to run the club for us all, and enable us to represent our team and our town.
- On behalf of the committee, we would like to thank the members for their attendance at the AGM.
- The committee had agreed at the last meeting of the 2017/18 season that Arron MacDonald and Sebastian Benford would remain in situ as Head Coach and Junior Teams Officer, respectively, and as per the club's constitution will receive roles on the Management Committee. Robert Fisher is to be appointed as a Coach of the Under 13's Junior team, and will receive a place on the Committee, subject to the receipt of relevant coaching qualifications prior to the commencement of the season.
- The committee will meet on Sunday 5th August to resolve any outstanding matters ahead of the 2018/19 season, and the outcome of this meeting will be communicated with all members in due course.
- Following member feedback, please note that the club website has been updated with a copy of the club's constitution and codes of conduct. Membership forms for the season ahead will also shortly be made available for download through the site.
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