Most of you will have received a copy of the accounts and financial statement prior to the AGM. (If not please contact Ali Keogh at alisonfkeogh@gmail.com).
As part of this the officers of the club highlighted the need to change certain structures within the club so that we can both sweat the assets but continue to grow our hockey.
Two years ago the council was established to deal with the long term continuity of the club to allow committee members deal with the day to day running. After two years we have seen the need to tweak the remit of the council even more. The longevity of the club relies on maintaining income streams so that we can continue to provide the facilities we do, while having the funds the replace them when necessary. To effectively do this therefore we have agreed that the council, in conjunction with our new club manager will be responsible for the running of the complex as a whole, while the committee will now only focus on the growth and development of hockey.
Our council members sit for up to 5 years and are replaced intermittently rather than all at once. They therefore have the continuity that the committee lacks. Each council member will be responsible for a certain area eg finance, pitches, bar etc. The new club manager will then liaise with the relevant person regarding each area. The primary role of the new club manager will be to generate revenue for the complex through pitch rental, clubhouse rental, advertising etc. they will also be responsible for pitch bookings.
The flip side of this for the committee and the hockey club is that it frees all committee members, but in particular the club captains, to focus on the hockey side of things. The only source of income for the committee in its accounts will be subscriptions and fundraising. Costs for committee will also only relate to hockey ie coaching wages, equipment, affiliation fees, and direct costs relating to pitch usage. As a member your sub will only be used to pay for hockey, it will not go into the maintenance of the clubhouse, admin wages etc. However, by limiting the committees income we are relying on our members to fundraise any deficit that may exist within the committees budget. Each year the club captains will draw up a development plan of costs that will highlight what the fundraising target needs to be. This will be clearly outlined at the start at each season.
Both council and committee believe that this new structure is the best way forward for the club. It is our hope that the continuity of the council will allow for focus to increase revenue, while freeing up committee to focus purely on hockey will allow greater value for membership and the potential to market for new members.
Ultimately the goal of the club is to replace the front pitch and watering system in 3 years. Should we begin to generate increased revenue, hopefully the back pitch will not be far behind.
