Reigate Priory Hockey Club

Reigate Priory Hockey Club Minutes of the Annual General Meeting - Wednesday 24th June 2015 8pm

1. Apologies

Adrian Dack, David Short, Nicky Short, Richard Prophet, Nick Gane, Chris Mitchell, Jono Smith, Andrew Stratford, Andrew Funnell, Corinne Daniel, Daniel Kilborn, Arran Wood,

For list of those present, please see Supplementary Page

2. Minutes of 2014 AGM

The President requested a proposer and seconder for the 2014 AGM Minutes:

Proposer: Michelle Garfield Seconder: Janet Slater

Chairman’s Report

The below report was provided by the Chairman, Calvin Bunyan.

Clubhouse After a season being hosted by Old Reigatians Rugby club, people generally agreed that it was also good to be back in the Reigate Priory clubhouse, as it is now a much larger and a modern facility. There were some issues with heating through this season and a heating expert has now come into the clubhouse to assess the situation.

Hockey Colts Section This is a very strong and important section of club. The large effort of Chris Mitchell, Neil Carter and Lucy Ryder make it a vibrant place to be, and it also generates a decent financial contribution to the club. The Colts Section is the future of club and there is some real talent coming through so adult teams should benefit in the coming years.

Mixed Overall it has been disappointing this year in a section which has historically been sociable and fun. Over recent years, it has tailed off and maybe we should be taking it more seriously in the HA National Mixed competition. Thanks to Harriet Rowling for organising mixed and we welcome Hawky (Tom Crees) as the proposed new mixed captain who will hopefully bring a renewed enthusiasm for the Mixed Team. This year the Mixed Team went to Worthing for Mixed Tour which was eventful and enjoyable. Thanks to Stacy Dutton for organising Mixed Tour.

Reigate Priory Hockey Club, Park Lane, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0JX Tel: 01737 244477 1 Reigate Priory Hockey Club Minutes of the Annual General Meeting - Wednesday 24th June 2015 8pm

Ladies Section All Ladies teams have performed well this season. The key stand-out team performances were the Ladies 1s and Ladies 3s who both finished 3rd which was fantastic, with other Reigate Priory sides finishing mid-table. Selection has been going well and the Ladies seem organised which has resulted in decent overall Ladies Section league finishes. A big thank you to the captains and organisers.

Mens Section

This was not quite such a rosy picture as it was a tough season although it was great news that the Mens 1s gained promotion back to Surrey / Hampshire Regional League 1. It was hoped that the club would pick up players and the season started well with 6 sides but for various reasons, a number of players became unavailable, which affected the lower sides. Following a challenge to get out 6 full sides on several weeks, a difficult decision was made to lose a league team as otherwise the Club would start to have to forfeit games, be fined and it would continue to impact on other teams. It was debated as to which team would result in the least bad scenario and it was eventually decided in mid-November 2014 that it would be the Mens Cardinals.

The Cardinals games had poor availability and whilst the Pilgrims were the lower team, they had more players available and playing at that league standard. If the Pilgrims were to have been removed, then a number of players would have found it challenging at the higher level. Also, the remaining available Cardinals players could be fitted well into the Mens 3s, Abbotts or Pilgrims. The league was engaged with the proposal who agreed for the Mens Cardinals to be removed and thankfully with no financial penalty or impact on other Reigate Priory Teams. Regrettably, the Mens 2s and 3s continued to have a challenging season with availability and both teams were relegated. The Abbotts finished 8th and Pilgrims finished 9th in their leagues. Calvin thanked the people involved with the organizing of the sides.

Other Items Financially, the club remains in a good financial position. The Socials were very successful although Calvin would want them even better attended which has been debated. The number of socials is reflected in the bar takings. Calvin commented that he is in favour of team selection meetings on Saturdays. The ladies are very keen for these meetings which may be one of the reasons for their availability and season performance being decent. Calvin appealed to captains and team secretaries to inform players of game details in advance so that people were more available so as to help their teams and club as the club really need to have a good system on availability.

Pitches – The Club are constantly offering support to RGS in terms of pitches. Calvin and Ports have written letters and sent emails to the Headmaster and Bursar, to

Reigate Priory Hockey Club, Park Lane, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0JX Tel: 01737 244477 2 Reigate Priory Hockey Club Minutes of the Annual General Meeting - Wednesday 24th June 2015 8pm express the Club’s support of the School and extended pitch usage of their new pitch. If agreed, this would generate more space for training which is desperately needed, and also help with pitch availability for Saturdays. Jess Stewart commented that she would be happy to speak to the local council and Calvin thanked Jess for her offer which would be considered to be progressed but alongside the school and their team.

Umpires – It is mentioned every year however Calvin commented that he cannot believe that there are not more players who play at a higher level who are able to umpire the lower teams. Tiger commented that some people have been seriously verbally abused by teams which really dissuade them from umpiring again. The club needs to make sure that umpires are well equipped and confident to umpire, and there are courses available to help and the club will pay for this.

As you know I (Calvin) am stepping down, and so I wanted to thank everybody and particularly Janet Slater who has been there for most, if not all, of the 15 years, and goes about her Club responsibilities confidently and quietly. I am also really grateful to Ports for all his support over the last three years and being on my back for most of the year. I am really very very grateful to you all. (Those present clapped as a gesture of appreciation for Calvin).

3. Treasurer’s Report and Adoption of Accounts

Selwyn Pye commented that the accounts had taken 23 days longer than normal to prepare due to confirming the bar takings and details, therefore the year-end was 23rd June 2015. At the start of the year we predicted a 0-3k surplus and we can report an actual surplus of £8.3k. We said we would spend more on Kit and Coaching in this season which we did by spending similar to previous seasons. In 2015, we will continue to invest more in coaching and with new shirts planned. The bar generated an £11k surplus with record sales. Next year we are expecting to not run the bar and have to pay no rent of facility charges. If this was the case, based on this year’s figures with making certain allowances we would have made circa £4- 5k surplus.

Income was £26k higher which exactly equates to the bar takings, and is particularly higher than pre 2013 due to this latest season having numerous midweek evening events at the clubhouse where the bar was run by Calvin. There is a surplus similar to last year. The net assets position was £51,668.99 at 23rd June 2015.

Please refer to the accounts and associated commentary for further details.

The Treasurer (Selwyn Pye) invited questions around the accounts

 Jess Stewart asked about clubhouse hire income and split which was explained by Calvin.  Tharpy asked around the profitability of the Colts Section. Sellers commented that looking at the detail, this made a surplus and so we would be happy to invest more in coaching.  There was a question around unpaid subscriptions. Sellers commented that there was a total of c£2k and he would be chasing up those individuals and they would not receive a new shirt if they had not cleared any debts from the 2014/15 season.  Camilla asked about the club’s “no pay / no play policy”. Calvin commented that it was a difficult balance especially when teams have been struggling with availability. These individuals were continued to be chased and the club normally wrote-off c£500 which is a relatively small amount versus the total subs, although it is acknowledged that it is not fair on those people that pay subs. Also new shirts next season will not be issued to players who have arrears on their subscriptions.

The President requested a proposer and seconder for the 2015 Accounts:

Proposer – David Tharp Seconder – Neil Carter

Continued…

4. Adoption of Officers and Committee for the 2015/16 season Proposed Officers/Committee 2015/16 President Calvin Bunyan Past President Bill Stephens

Vice Presidents Humphrey Bate Herbie Rijndorp John Seear Richard Prophet Steven Mills Martin Seymour Ken Crawley Andy Packham Janet Slater Geoff Dennis Nigel Pilkington Neal Sullivan Richard Davies Richard Prophet Sarah Sullivan Nick Horsfall Dave Loader Diane Tuppen Chris Mitchell Andrew Stratford Corinne Daniel Liz Mitchell David Jennings Nick Gane Rachel Bate Chris Beeley Neil Carter

Chairman Andy Porter Secretary Michelle Garfield Treasurer Selwyn Pye Fixtures Sec (Men) Andy Bamford Fixtures Sec (Ladies) Janet Slater Membership Sec (Men) Andy Bamford Membership (Ladies) Janet Slater Social Secretaries Andy Porter / Stacy Dutton Boys Colts Manager Neil Carter Girls Colts Manager Chris Mitchell Junior Colts Manager Lucy Ryder Welfare Officer Simon Owen Team Sec (Men) Mark Dowling Team Sec (Ladies) Lucy Ryder Webmaster/Press Mike Johnson Astro/Ump Liaison Janet Slater General Committee Dave Tharp Coach Mens Elite Simon Owen Coach Ladies Elite TBC Coach Mens Club TBC Coach Ladies Club Chris Mitchell

Captains Men’s Ladies 1st XI Henry Williams 1st XI Michelle Garfield 2nd XI Andy Cobb 2nd XI Jess Stewart 3rd XI Si Wallace 3rd XI TBC Abbotts Dave Tharp 4th XI Janet Slater Pilgrims Ken Crawley 5th XI Philippa Keith Mixed Tom Crees *All names in bold are committee nominations*

The Chairman offered thanks to all those who served last season and are not standing for re-election.

The President requested a proposer and seconder for the proposed officers, Captains and Committee for the 2015/16 season:

Proposer – Jez Gray Seconder – Rachel Bate

5. Subscription Fees for 2015/16 season

Ports provided a background to the proposed increase in subscription fees for the 2015/16 season.

The club have managed to keep subs unchanged for many many years due to the strong administration of the club’s finances, thus there being no need for an increase. This has been with thanks to many people, but importantly including Calvin Bunyan for the long-term running of the bar on a voluntary basis. Also, the Treasurer Selwyn Pye and Janet Slater for very efficient pitch bookings which is the club’s largest cost. The current Reigate Priory HC playing shirt has been discontinued therefore the club has been forced into seeking a new kit supplier so that all playing members look consistent on the field of play. Various suppliers have been assessed, and it has been proposed to progress with Akuma due to the quality playing shirts, good traditional look and short 2-week lead time. It is acknowledged that this has been sourced through member Tom Pickersgill however this brings other benefits of being able to secure a decent discount, the club having a key contact at the supplier and most deliveries expected to be free of charge via Tom. This conflict of interest has been noted but is not proposed to affect the supply being through Akuma. Tom has also kindly offered to be Kit Secretary for the Club and to co-ordinate all the kit orders. Ports expressed his thanks to Henry Williams and Tom Pickersgill in progressing the new kit, and advised that Henry would further elaborate later surrounding the new kit.

The club had sought sponsorship however this could not be confirmed by the time of the final design confirmation. It is proposed that the club should seriously look at obtaining a sponsor with any new kit in several years as this would make a material impact on the club’s finances. On the basis that a new shirt cost is expected to be approximately £30 and the shirt should last 3 years, it has therefore been proposed that adult, student and unemployed categories of membership be increased by £10 per annum.

Ports went onto comment around the new categories of subscriptions for adults under 25 at 1st September 2015, and new members in their 1st season. The mens section struggled last season and lost members for various reasons. This ultimately resulted in weaker overall team availability and the loss of a mens team. The ladies had good availability however something has needed to be done to try and encourage new and younger members to the club, with a view to hopefully bolstering membership, availability and team success. The key to this will also be retaining existing and any new members. Over more recent years, the club has continued to struggle to attract and retain the post school and university leavers, as many move away or the travel back is cost-prohibitive. It has therefore been proposed to offer a 25% reduction to any adult members under 25 at 1st September 2015 as an incentive to join or continue to be a member. There is also a proposed new category for new members in the 1st season at the club which would be at the same rate as students and those unemployed. This rate would exclude any people returning to the club from a prior season.

It is very much hoped that the above initiatives of new membership rates will attract new members to the Club.

The proposed subs for 2015/16 would therefore be :

- Full Membership : o Flat Rate: £270 as a one off payment or by monthly by direct debit o Variable Rate: £110 Subs + £10 Match Fees for league and friendlies - Adult under 25 at 1st September o Flat Rate: £200 as a one off payment or by monthly by direct debit o Variable Rate: £85 Subs + £8 Match Fees for league and friendlies st - Student / Unemployed / New Member for 1 Season o Flat Rate: £140 as a one off payment or by monthly by direct debit o Variable Rate: £60 Subs + £5 Match Fees for league and friendlies - Colts o £80 for Year 7 or older o £65 for Year 6 or younger o There is no extra charge for any colts matches. o If a Colt plays in an adult team it is £5 per match or £140 for the whole season. - Social – £15 if not playing hockey

ALL SUBS INCREASE BY £10 IF SUBS NOT PAID / BEING PAID BY DIRECT DEBIT BY 1st NOVEMBER 2015 Calvin invited any questions or comments around the new proposed subs for the 2015/16 season. There were no comments

Proposer – Michelle Garfield. Seconder – Jez Gray

9. Any Other Business

 Henry Williams provided further details around the kit. The current playing shirt had been discontinued and so Tom Pickersgill was asked in January 2015 to assess the market and source different prices, quotes and electronic samples. Tom responded with 16 quotes and whittled this down to 3. Henry also engaged with other members of the committee and it was concluded that the Akuma option appeared to be the best option because the company and manufacturer is UK based, there is a 2-week lead time, the quality compares well and the pricing is reasonable. Going forward, there will be advertised opportunities for sizing tests, although the actual measurements will also be communicated. Henry welcomed any questions although there were no further comments at this stage.  Calvin Bunyan provided more details as follows around the clubhouse and bar arrangement. Calvin commented that this facility is attractive and so there is much more potential for other hirings, including in midweek winter evenings so the cricket club want to maximize the clubhouse potential. This last season for any events or external hirings, Calvin has still managed the bar and clubhouse during the week where there was a profit share arrangement with the cricket club. Ultimately, the clubhouse is their facility although the hockey club contributed a substantial amount of £40,000 to assist in the fundraising for the clubhouse, subject to a revised 10-year arrangement.

The cricket club are suggesting that they take full control during the winter, and so throughout the week they will manage and run the bar however on a Saturday, the clubhouse will be for the hockey club, and the hockey club will maintain bar control as we will have lower prices due to the voluntary staff working behind the bar. Calvin reiterated that we want to make sure we still have a club atmosphere and hockey club staff behind the bar. The proposal is that RPCC will have the benefit of the bar turnover and surplus, however RPHC will not pay rent or any facility costs. This is proposed as there is minimal difference on these two items, although noting that RPHC also passed over the income for pitch hirings within the revised agreement. The key was that it will make the bar transition and accounting much easier, as well as RPHC not having the responsibility of the clubhouse during the week.

The RPCC Chairman is concerned that by this revised proposed arrangement, RPHC have the opportunity to go elsewhere on a Saturday however Calvin has reassured him that the members love the clubhouse as it is a clubhouse for hockey club members and supporters on Saturdays during the winter which is the hockey club’s home. It is also a great venue for socials which generates the revenue. It was therefore not realistic to think that RPHC would be elsewhere. The RPCC Chairman is keen to include bar profit thresholds within the revised proposed arrangement to ensure that RPHC are motivated to continue using the clubhouse.

 Jess Stewart commented that she feels a bit edged out however Calvin reassured her that she really should not feel any change  Tiger (Michelle Garfield) commented that RPHC provided £40,000 to RPCC to support their fundraising with a new 10-year clubhouse arrangement. Tiger was concerned that RPCC may look to further alter the arrangement. Calvin commented that it has not been amended yet and the agreement had originally been flexible around the bar arrangement, and that it was a 2-way conversation. Historically, the bar had been a single bar for decades but it was transferred to RPHC more recently for the hockey season as RPCC did not want to run it. Dave Tharp commented that if RPHC wanted the clubhouse at other times, then he would not expect RPCC to object. RPHC were expected to have the clubhouse free of charge on occasional Sundays. Camilla commented that costs were likely to increase and that members should be supportive of Calvin’s views  Jez Gray suggested a clause such that if it did not work, then RPHC could return to the old agreement.  Mark Dowling confirmed that the hockey club needed to be protected within this revised arrangement.  Calvin commented that the majority of RPCC were on board, and generally thought it would be best for both clubs.  Mark Dowling asked around the membership fees for students at university who are occasional players. Sellers advised that he would look at this and come back to Mark however there would need to be some form of payment for insurance purposes.  Robyn Kollewyn asked around any “Back to hockey” club sessions. Ports commented that the club had not run these earlier in the summer however it was a good idea and that this was something which the club should look to do in 2016. Ports was keen to have a session similar to “Back to Hockey” in August 2015 to try and attract new members to the club. This would be through advertising on our website and facebook, but also as another initiative, through emailing out details of this session to a number of larger employees in the Reigate area.  Jess Stewart commented about the need to have a marketing campaign to promote the club and our new member fee structure. Ports commented that this was on his agenda and he would follow up with Jess.  Camilla Thrush commented on the possibility of family membership. Calvin responded that the committee have spoken about that before and there was no proposal at this present time.  Rachel Bate commented that we need to encourage players to come back to the clubhouse. Calvin and Ports agreed and advised that this needed to be encouraged by captains after the games. Rachel was also going to ask the cricket club about other incentives.  Camilla Thrush commented on expected abysmal goalkeeper numbers within the ladies section and that the club needed to think about running goalkeeping sessions. Henry Williams responded by advising that he remains in contact with

goalkeeping coaches without paying excessive amounts, however the cost of the specific sessions are substantial. This could be discussed also with the new RGS Hockey Coach. Camilla reiterated her concern around the number of goalkeeping coaches which was acknowledged.  Rachel Bate commented that she has received a lot of comments from people around the lack of RPHC memorabilia within the clubhouse. Dave Tharp responded by commenting that he and Calvin would be liaising with the cricket club and requesting more space. There are not as many historical photos of the hockey club however we need to progress and frame these for the benefit of the clubhouse. It was commented that RPHC need a decent space within the clubhouse to put up RPHC items.  Nick Chadwick commented that he definitely wanted to target Reigate College to try and attract any new players.

Ports thanked everyone for their comments and also advised that he wanted to say a few words as the new Hockey Club Chairman.

As your new Chairman, I really want to take this opportunity on behalf of the club to express our appreciation for our outgoing Chairman Calvin and outgoing President Bill. You may not realise but Bill has been President for an astounding 11 years but has also been an incredibly strong advocate and promoter of the club, continuing to umpire and always being interested in the best for the club. Bill, we really hope that you’ll continue to be seen at the club whenever you can and particularly on Presidents Day, as the Past President. (People clapped for Bill)

Moving onto Calvin, I could really talk for a very long time about how much Calvin has put into the Club also over a huge number of years. If you were at the end of season dinner, you would have seen Calvin be presented with an exceptional special recognition trophy for long-service given to the club. This has been on a voluntary basis including the last 15 years as Chairman, as well as running the bar very successfully which was particularly challenging last season. Calvin, on behalf of the club, I really want to express our sincere thanks for all you have done. (People clapped for Calvin). Calvin will continue to be overseeing the bar and facility, effectively as RPHC Facilities Manager, but more importantly, with Bill stepping down, there could not be a better choice for the honorary role of President for Calvin.

If we all look at the long list of people who have voluntary roles as captains, administrators or committee members, you can see that there are a number of other people who really put themselves out on a voluntary basis for the benefit of the club. The club could not survive without the volunteers and we are very grateful to all of you for the time and effort which you input. I want to thank as well those that are resigning from their posts and also welcome and thank those people who have roles over the next year. I won’t go through people individually but I specifically want to continue to thank mention Karen Rowe who has captained the Ladies 1s and 2s over many years, and has stepped down as Ladies 2s captain, but I am pleased to hear is

Reigate Priory Hockey Club, Park Lane, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0JX Tel: 01737 244477 10 Reigate Priory Hockey Club Minutes of the Annual General Meeting - Wednesday 24th June 2015 8pm continuing to play. Personally, I also want to thank Janet Slater who has been ladies fixture secretary since 1998 and has also organised the whole club’s pitch bookings for a huge number of years as well. Janet does an amazing job with minimal fuss, which is also reflected in the accounts. Thank you Janet. The Colts Section continues to thrive and we have mainly Chris Mitchell, Neil Carter and Lucy Ryder to thank for that.

So we move onto another season. It is absolutely fantastic that we are able to continue to use this awesome clubhouse with the great setting and it’s really important that the great work continues so one thing that I would ask where there is a role change is that there is a full and detailed handover of what is required for completing a role successfully.

There have been a few challenges recently, and I wanted to just mention membership, pitches and the club atmosphere. The mens section have struggled with members and so we have welcomed and supported Henry’s initiative of providing discounted subs for new members and younger adult members, with a view to encouraging more members in both the mens and ladies sections. I also would thoroughly members to encourage new members to join which I know that some of you have been doing already.

In terms of pitches, we have shown our backing to RGS through letters and emails to the Headmaster and Bursar, to support extension to the new RGS pitch usage. Pitch space for all mens, ladies and colts has been under pressure and therefore whilst there will be a greater cost, we desperately need more pitch space. I am told that the school have asked their planning consultant to prepare a variation to the planning condition for the new pitch. They are asking for extended use on Saturdays to 6pm, use on Sundays to mirror the use of the older pitch, and the same evening usage with floodlights compared to the current pitch. The school have asked the club to again show our support which we will do.

As Calvin has said, there are going to be some changes in terms of running the clubhouse. Calvin has really put himself out specifically over the last year, and understandably the cricket club want to take control of the club during the week to maximise it’s potential. Calvin will still be around at the club and will oversee the bar operation.

We have struggled with some availability last season. I appreciate that people have other commitments, but I would really really encourage players to do their best to make themselves available for their team mates, captains and club to make sure that we all have a successful season. As Chairman and one of the Social Secretaries, I’m really keen for this tradition to continue so we can make existing and new members feel welcome and enjoy their hockey as well.

All that leaves me to say is that I wish everyone a great summer and a great season ahead.

Meeting Closed at 940pm

Present

Bill Stephens Humphrey Bate Calvin Bunyan Herbie Rijndorp Selwyn Pye Martin Seymour Andy Porter Robyn Kollewyn Janet Slater Camilla Thrush Michelle Garfield Jess Stewart Lucy Coxon Simon Owen Rachel Bate Mark Dowling Colin Bate Tom Pickersgill Henry Williams Tom Crees Dave Tharp James Brooker Neil Carter Rob Baxter Andy Bamford Nick Chadwick Jez Gray Jonny Perkins

Reigate Priory Hockey Club, Park Lane, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0JX Tel: 01737 244477 12