Minutes of AGM and Committee Meeting
Held Tuesday 6th May 2008
Thorney Golf Centre

 

Those in attendance: Michael Shuster, Stuart Clarke, Tim Cain, Gary Gooper, Neil Allan, Stuart Smart, Andy Fox, Tracy Wilmer, Stuart & Heather Cade, Louise Cammidge, Kim Gallagher, Graham Parker.

 

Apologies received from Helen Lea, Norva Macintosh, Angela Roxbury

 

1. The meeting was opened at 7.30pm by Club Secretary Michael Shuster.

 

2. The minutes of last year’s AGM, previously circulated, were unanimously adopted.

 

3. There were no matters arising from these minutes.

 

4. Club Officers: as per the Club constitution, the Chairman (Stuart Clarke) and the Secretary (Michael Shuster) expressed the will to continue in the respective roles. There being no objection from the committee and no alternative to undertake these roles, Stuart Clarke and Michael Shuster shall continue in the respective positions of Chairman and Secretary.

 

Treasurer Tracy Wilmer had previously written to the Club to give notice that she would be standing down from the position. Elaine Fox volunteered for the role. There being no other expression of interest, Elaine Fox was unanimously accepted as Club Treasurer.

 

The Club presented Tracy with a trophy by way of thanks for her five years in the role.

 

5. Secretary Michael Shuster provided an overview to each of the age groups and teams, summarised below:

 

Development team – really proud to see ten to fifteen children between five and seven years old each week. The feedback has been extremely positive and the children (and parents) do enjoy what we have to offer.

 

Under 8s – had a really good season, finished fifth behind four teams who had been playing together for much longer. The children were happy and there is a good atmosphere throughout the team. The under 8s won the group’s Fair Play Award, which is very highly valued.

 

Under 9s – from nearly having to fold after the second week, the under 9s had an amazing season. The football was competitive, the atmosphere within the team really good and week after week the team grew both in stature and ability.

 

Under 12s – another good season from this age group. Came second bottom in the table, but were the most highly regarded second bottom team around. Maybe two players short of really being able to compete with some of the bigger teams in the first division but at the same time teams did not take playing us very lightly. Following the rules set out in Club policies, two parents and their children were dismissed from the Club in December as their behaviour contravened the Club’s code of conduct. It has been expressed how much happier the team was (both children and parents) since this event.

 

Under 14s – a slow first half and a strong second half saw the under 14s finish mid table. They are still learning some of the fundamentals but are constantly showing improvement. The children enjoy playing on the team and there is good camaraderie among them.

6. Finances – outgoing Treasurer Tracy Wilmer reported the current cash position of the Club as £1320.40. Income for the year was £4487.52 and expenditure was £6516.64 – much of which was spent on new uniforms and team jackets.

 

There was a discussion about the issue of membership fees and weekly subscriptions. While there was a view that the Club should be in position to offer free football for all, it was determined that this position was not practical. Parents had generally not expressed any dissatisfaction with the fees or subs and it does contribute to the Club’s ability to purchase equipment. Also, a fund will be required to pay for any future building or development works. It was therefore decided that membership fees and weekly subscriptions should stay as they are.

7. Club development – Thorney Colts are a small club, primarily serving a small village community. While we do rely on players from outside the village, there was a view that we do not want to promote ourselves too much too soon as we are just becoming comfortable with the infrastructure that we currently have. At the moment, the under 8s could use two or three players as they go up to under 9s; the under 9s could use three or four players going up to under 10s; the under 12s need two or three players to continue as under 13s and the under 14s also need two or three players to move up to under 15s. We also require four or five players to enter under 8s next season. Ideally, we are looking to attract perhaps ten to fifteen players which does not suggest a huge recruitment effort.

 

We will therefore seek to attract the few players that each age group requires, and to continue to attract five and six year olds into the Development programme in an effort to grow within the means of the Club infrastructure.

 

8. Policies – the Club constitution, policies and our codes of conduct were accepted by the Committee and agreed to continue to be applied to next year.

 

9. Chartered Standard – the Club will apply for Chartered Standard status at the earliest opportunity. Each of the coaches attended the Hunts FA coaching course (cost £630 in total), and the benefits of the course have been apparent to all. Chartered Standard will enable the Club to apply for founding opportunities and to raise our profile among the Peterborough football community.

 

10. Courses – all coaches have completed first aid, safeguarding children and the Level 1 coaches course (Stuart Smart had to amend his plans and will be completing his course in June). The Club will support – in part or in full – any request for Committee members or those otherwise associated with the club to go on any course where the Club may benefit.

 

11. Fund Raising – the Club does need to have a sustained fund raising plan, particularly if we are going to aim to improve facilities. The idea of a tournament was discussed and it was agreed that this would be investigated. We will try to get a fund raising committee in place, though it was said that every time this subject has come up there has been little expression of interest for anybody to take the lead.

 

12. Facilities - The Club calls Thorney Park its home and there is strong feeling that it should continue – it is within easy access of the residential community and many people do walk to training and matches; it is also a visible reminder that there is kids football in the village – and it has been commented many times from passers-by how wonderful it is to see the park full of children playing football on a Saturday morning.

 

There has been agreement in principal to convert the disused toilet block at the park entrance into a storage facility so that we need not assemble and disassemble the mini goals after each training session and match. We are waiting for the Peterborough City Council to draft a lease agreement and we will then be able to undertake renovations to make the building fit for purpose.

 

Longer term, the aim is to gain consent for the Club to build a new pavilion adjacent to the storage facility (former toilet block).

 

13. Club website – everybody was happy with the Club website, which shows training times, match results and a bit of useful information.

 

14. Club presentation day – the Club’s end of year presentation will take place on Sunday 6th July and will once again be held at the Duke of Bedford Primary School. BBQ services will be sought by M&B Caterers. Trophies will be given to all children, with three special awards for each team.

 

There being no other business, the meeting was closed at 9.25pm.