Radcliffe Arms, Hitchin

Chairman’s Report AGM Wednesday 10th June 2016 @ Radcliffe Arms, Hitchin

Review of 2015-2016 Welcome everyone to the clubs AGM

Fortunately my second season as Chairman has not been as stressful as the first, and this is down to you, the committee, that give this club a structure and that support me.

During the closed season last year, the club tried to fulfil a long time ambition of having all its teams play at one venue. Without wanting to dwell on the past, our proposal to Wymondley Parish Council to use facilities in the local area was met with strong opposition from local residents.

This setback did not deter those within the “Belles” to make this ambition a reality and we found a new “Home” at North Hertfordshire College in Hitchin. Although, some teething problems at the beginning, and not of our making, regular dialogue with the powers that be ensured we had all our teams together. We still have a long way to go to get what the girls and club deserve but we’re making steady progress and will continue to keep the dialogue open and friendly.

We continue to have good governance in this club due to our regular committee meeting`s whereby all aspects are discussed to ensure the club provides the best it can to the girls under our charge. There is transparency and accountability in finance, registrations and our teams and my sincere thanks to Greg and Vijai who both put in a lot of hard work for finance and registrations respectively. My thanks also to the managers for their efforts and keeping fines to a minimum.

We renewed our Charter Standard Mark with the Hertfordshire FA, thanks to the hard work of our Club Secretary: Jason. He is invaluable to this club and one that I rely on immensely. To the outside world, the Charter Mark shows the club continues to be well run, well-organised and has the required policies around child welfare, equality, diversity and others. My thanks to Christine White for her continuous support around Child Welfare.

Our Media Officer: Simon Gooderham has established great contacts at the local papers and we now have a weekly report of our teams in the papers. Our website has been updated, thanks to sponsorship from Norgans Estate Agents and Simon continues to ensure the website is up to date with match reports and action shots of the girls. Our profile thanks to Simon has certainly increased and I am extremely grateful to him for all his hard work.

Terry, as Resource Co-ordinator continues to seek new ways of bringing girls into the club as well as sponsor ship and fund raising. Through this channel, we are able to provide excellent training facilities to all our teams and we must all help to realise and maximise fund raising opportunities. Terry lives the “Belles” and I am truly appreciative of all he does.

This season, like many other seasons, our teams have made Hitchin Belles as a club, proud. To lead a club whose core values of sportsmanship, fair play and friendliness are way beyond that of other clubs is something I am extremely proud of. Managers must take credit for the way they instil these values within their teams.

Our managers and coaches have attained the required coaching badges, attended Continuous Professional Development Courses and have joined the licenced coaches club. This shows commitment from them to the girls in their teams that they want to provide good quality coaching.

Relationships with various parties (opposition teams, the HGFPL, the County FA, North Herts Sports Partnership et al) continue to flourish and a great way of keeping abreast of what is going on in the sporting community locally. Building relationships with these vital partners ensures we continue to promote Hitchin Belles Football Club.

This year, after feedback at one of our committee meetings, email communication with parents has improved to keep them updated on what has been going on with the Belles. It can still be improved but will continue to use this medium as a way of promoting upcoming events.

As for our teams, we can be proud of each and every one. Hywel’s U8’s joined the League in December after playing festivals and tournaments in the early stages. They have taken to the weekly commitment with enthusiasm and has seen his team grow to now accommodate enough players to form a new U8 team next season They were also awarded the League Fair Play award at the League’s AGM so a fantastic start for Hywel and the girls. Darren’s U9 were playing some excellent football and way beyond those of their peers and as such decided to challenge the girls more by playing “up a year” as U10 Blues. The challenge was evident and this only spurred his team on to play at a higher level. Jeremy’s U10 Whites have improved immensely since the start of the season and are now competing with those in his division. The girl`s enjoyment is there to be seen when I watched them play and they will do well when the season starts. Our Ull’s managed by Stuart were placed in a tougher division after Christmas such was their improvement and form. They held their own in their division and will be a force next year. On top of this they were also finalists in The Comet Team of Year category which is a credit to Stuart and his girls. Gary’s U12’s reached the semi-finals of the League Cup losing narrowly to Tottenham. They also reached the quarter-finals of the County Cup. In the League the U12’s gave a good account of themselves against some strong sides and this experience will stand them well come September. Sadly we lost our U14 team at the beginning of the season through no fault of the club and our U15 team struggled with numbers and the commitment required and folded just after Christmas. We also had our former Chairman Simon O’Leary step down from managing the U16’s and I thank Simon for all he done for Hitchin Belles over the years. Terry White kindly stepped up to manage the U16’s and with new players joining the team saw them go unbeaten since October to secure the Runners-up position in the League and win the League Shield against Bury Rangers. They also attended the Butlins Tournament in Bognor Regis and came away with another trophy as tournament winners and will now go on and represent the club in the National finals. What started as a struggle for this team ended with silverware so well done Terry and the girl`s. In their first season at Adult level, the Ladies team achieved Champion status as they won the Division 3 Title. The Ladies lost only one League game all season, reached the last 16 of the County Cup, the Quarter finals of the League Cup, participated in the FA Peoples Cup where they lost in the semi-finals and picked up the Fair Play award when they participated in a tournament in North Wales, so an excellent first season and they look to improve on that when the season starts in September.

We had our first Christmas Disco attended by all the younger teams and a great success which will be replicated again in December. Thank you to those who attended and donated prizes.

The weekend just gone, the club held its end of season awards presentation. It was fantastic to celebrate the achievements of the girls and teams. Standing on stage and looking at the young ladies is a very proud moment and shows the scale in which this club is becoming. You can see through the girls faces, how much they love playing for this great club and receiving their awards. It is imperative we, as a club, continue to offer this experience to them.

I am also very grateful to our various sponsors who have dug deep in their pockets yet again and those who have given grants which continue to support the girls year after year. They are unsung and deserve recognition. A lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes and I thank each and every one of you for your hard work. Thanks must also go to those who help our teams in whatever capacity. Lest we forget that we all have families and do this for the benefit of others. Parents on the sidelines may forget this when they collect their child and you still have to pack away in the cold, or have a filthy car full of mud and football kit but I can assure you from my position as Chairman, I do not forget and I honestly believe without you all doing what you do and the dedication you all show to your teams, there would be no Hitchin Belles.

Forward Looking Statement I continue to define the Ethos of the club as being one that offers “football for all” and which focuses on performance and developing girls into good players and people. Good performances both individual and as a team breed confidence, inclusion and increase self-esteem, all of which are far more important. We will continue to offer the girls who want a challenge to have that whether this is playing “up a year” in the League or attending the AAC talent pathway at the County FA. I will look to have a smooth pathway for those who want to play adult football, can do so, at a time that suits them. It is a vision of mine that our younger players see a pathway into adult football and I will ensure we have events that will include the younger age groups with the Ladies team, whether through being mascots at games and watching them play or taking part in a training session.

Last year I did not fulfil the ambition of having teams at all age groups and now realise this takes time. We will look to have this in the short to medium term but imperative we have the structure and facilities in place in which to be able to do so.

All coaches and managers will need to attend courses as part of the clubs Charter Standard and to upskill themselves so the girls in their teams continue to receive the best coaching possible. I will continue to ask them to attend these during the season so they understand the environment and how children learn and which will set us apart from other local teams.

We must look at new fund raising ideas and to leverage the great support of the parents who bring their children to play for the Belles. By encouraging them to attend fund raising events, will show case what a great club we are and increase our committee members instead of relying on the few.

Futsal will be on the agenda for next year and I will look at providing this for all ages. This will further develop the girls in their footballing careers. We welcome on-board new managers Gemma Smith and Tom Rance as our new U8’s managers. Thank you for offering your services to the “Belles” and you will have all the support you need. If you need to know anything just ask.

For me as Chairman, it is a real pleasure to be part of this great club. I will, if re-elected, continue to serve at least one more season but will step down at next years AGM after 3 years at the helm. I was only going to be Chairman for an interim period of a year but such is the enjoyment, this has extended into 3. Succession planning will take place over the coming months but for now I will work hard to ensure this club offers football for all that want to play.

We have come such a long way in such a short space of time but there is still such a huge amount of work to do in order to provide longevity as a club. We all have a responsibility to ensure girls remain with Hitchin Belles and have the opportunity to play football for this great club. We must not be complacent and focus on those with better ability but to focus on all the players and develop them all. It is these “lesser” players that keep teams going and provides them with invaluable social skills and a determination to improve.

My mantra “Develop as Players, Grow as People, Achieve Playing Success” still resonates today.

Thank you