2004 –2005 ANNUAL REPORT CycleSport VICTORIA PRESIDENT’S REPORT Finance It is pleasing to see that for the seventh year running CycleSport Victoria has returned a small surplus. It has been through the hard work of our Board and staff, under the direction of finance director Trevor Wilkie that even in light of the shift to the new premises, the operating profit remains in the black. The brand new facility and its operation has been a learning experience for many of us with the operation of such a venue different to what has ever been undertaken previ ously. Above all, the work required in setting up a realistic budget to track income and expenses here at DISC has been an enormous challenge. Indeed, this makes the achievement of keeping the books in the black during this period an achievement to all tho se involved. We continue to face a very important period in the life of the new facility and indeed, there remains considerable financial outlay to ensure the velodrome is set up properly. On top of the money spent already on timing and photo finish equipm ent , there remains money committed to a back straight grandstand, scoreboard in the east bend, starting gates, derney bikes and due to an oversight in the original plans of the office space, a staff kitchen. Membership It has been very pleasing to see som e of our final figures on membership in 2005. The year 2000 was a peak year for junior membership in Victoria and in 2005 we have all but matched it. The gradual slide in junior membership has been turned around and is now on a slow increase. The greatest area of growth in membership has been in the Masters categories. Overall this year we have seen an increase of 185 members, up to 2716. The sport of cycling has continually faced issues over the years with the retention of members. In 1999, 30% of our memb ership did not choose to renew their licence in 2000. This year only 19% of our 2004 membership have chosen not to renew. It is trends such as these which are important to note and provide our administration with some encouragement. Vodafone Arena Again following on from last year’s season, promoter Cyclists International was able to return a small surplus which has been encouraging and has curbed a disturbing trend. Unfortunately crowd numbers have not been as high as we would have liked so we need our m embers to encourage their friends and families to attend these major meetings. Three events were held at Vodafone Arena this track season with the fourth of Cyclist International’s promotions, the Sid Patterson Grand Prix, being shifted out to the DISC to assist with cost cutting. With a busy track season approaching for 2005-06 and with the Commonwealth Games taking place during this period, CI have negotiated another event’s move to the DISC, with the Australian Madison Championship joining the Sid Patter son GP for 2005-06. DISC We now approach our first full track season at the new venue in Darebin, even after the office has been located on site at DISC for nearly 12 months now. Whilst the move, planning and operation at the new facility has been extreme ly challenging, the 2004 –2005 ANNUAL REPORT CycleSport VICTORIA velodrome has already proven to be a vital asset and a real bonus for our members. It has been important that CSV has been able to fashion a good relationship with the Bowls Club and Football Federation on site along with the City of Darebin who oversee the facility. We would consider usage levels to be good at this stage, but we would like to continue to promote the facility amongst our clubs and promoters to ensure that usage remains high. At this stage, most nights of the week are tak en up with track training or racing and this is encouraging. There are negotiations going ahead at present on the set -up of an infield bar, similar to that at Vodafone Arena. It is hoped that we can begin by hosting an infield bar for t he t w o CI event s lo cated here in January and February to be hosted by the Bowls Club who are the licence holders on site. Major Events With the Commonwealth Games being hosted here in Melbourne it has made scheduling difficult but it is hoped that the event will provide a m uch needed boost to the interest levels in track cycling. In terms of its impact on CSV operations, our office will be shifted to the Northcote Town Hall for a period of six weeks from February 20 through until April 7. This is due to all office space at DISC b eing used f or bowls competition offices. Whilst this is a major disruption to our office staff, it has existed in the original agreement in the beginning. The Victorian Cyclist of the Year awards for 2005 were an excellent success and widely consid er ed our best yet. Hosted at the new DISC facility, the upstairs function room was a full house with cycling enthusiasts of all ages in attendance. Taking home the top award was the man who used the 2005 Melbourne to Warrnambool as his official swansong, David Mackenzie. His ever consistent performances across the 2004 road season were enough to see off a challenge from young gun William Walker. I would like to thank Rahna Demarte for her hard work as event organiser and would also like to thank the sub -com m ittee members, David Good, Matthew Wright and Christine Bell for their assistance again this year. It was great to see the Maillot Jaune again support this event and I thank them for it. Racing/Officials It is the primary function of CSV and our core activ ity. I would like to thank all our clubs and promoters who have been involved in our open racing calendar along with the many volunteers who ensure that there is regular racing at a grass roots level across the state. It has been proven that through our m ajor open events such as John Craven’s Tatts Cup series and Cycling Events Downunder’s Bay Classic that Victoria’s calendar on the road is by far and away the most impressive across Australia. This year will also see the revamp of the Victorian Road Champs which will see the event hosted over three days, open to all riders and racing for much improved prizemoney. From a permit standpoint etc, we have now put forward the idea of negotiations with the Minsters for Transport, Sport and Police in order to discuss all aspects as they relate to our access to public roads. Amongst many things we intend to address the 2004 –2005 ANNUAL REPORT CycleSport VICTORIA issues of road permits, police charges and driver awareness programs. I would like to thank Ian Maher for his work far beyond expectation with assistance from Steve Peterson wherever possible. A big thankyou goes out to those who ensure that our racing goes ahead, namely our officials. Those who put aside their time for the sake of the sport should be com m end ed . Development It has been a very busy year for our Development Officer, Warren Vigor with a number of major initiatives and he is to be commended for his hard work and dedication to the task. The Victorian Schools Cycling Championships continues to be a major focus for our organisation and this year, with the help of our sponsors, Jayco, VIS, Giant & Uno clothing, the event took on new proportions with a revamp of its format, breathing a new life into it. Conducted completely on road and criterium courses this year, we saw entries increase by nearly 15% to around 830 entries. Some impressive figures of which we need to capitalise on. I would like to thank the sponsors, along with the Maillot Jaune club who again contributed to prizes for novice riders. Amongst the various other operations, CSV t his year have hosted development camps on both the road and track with good response, along with VIS Future Athlete program s, a Level 1 coaching course, 3 skills coaching courses, 5 regional meetings around the state and a come n try day here on the track f or w om en. 2004 –2005 ANNUAL REPORT CycleSport VICTORIA Staff With the realisation of the huge involvement here at DISC, our staff have needed to adjust with their roles taking on a few changes. They have performed admirably over the past year in their respective roles with Ian Maher on racing, Amy McCann on membership and communications, Steve Peterson on administration and DISC operations and Warren Vigor in his role as Development Officer. We are not in a position to allocate the wages our staff probably deserve and their workloads are consid erab le but I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their commitment and dedication to the sport and their work. Volunteers This year at our now annual Victorian Cyclist of the Year awards, we chose to introduce the inaugural Volunteer of the Year awards in order to honour the time and commitment that our officials and members put aside to contribute to Victorian Cycling. After the hosting of the DISC Open Day, One Council officer from the City of Darebin commented on how impressed she was at th e level of commitment shown by our volunteers in this sport. This is something that CSV does not take for granted and is forever grateful for their time.