Chesterfield Panthers RUFC
Committee Meeting Minutes
Wednesday 9th August 2017
Minutes submitted by: Mike Curley, Hon. Secretary
The committee met at 7.30 pm at The Clubhouse, 2012 Dunston Road, Chesterfield. S41 9BF
Present
Phil Arnold – Chair
Mike Curley – Hon. Secretary
Darren Burton
Ben Perrin
Pete Amos – President
Mark Preece
Andy Housley
Tracey Fox
Also present Mark Blair & John Jefferson (Agenda item 3) and Rachel Cahill (Agenda item 4)
Apologies
Edward Coxhead
Welcome to new Committee members
An enthusiastic welcome was given to our newly elected Committee members Tracey Fox, Andy Housley and in his unavoidable absence Edward Coxhead.
Election of Honorary Chair for the ensuing season
It was proposed and unanimously accepted that Phil Arnold continue as Chair for the ensuing season.
Senior rugby goals for the coming season
A document entitled “Chesterfield Panthers RFC – Club and Senior Squad Goals 2017-18” has been produced and is available to read or download on our Pitchero website.
The document explains that the rationale behind this season is to be one of redevelopment and consolidation with all targets being SMART. In order to create the feeling that every senior player is a Club player the concept of 1st & 2nd XV is to be dropped in favour of League & Pennant XV.
It was confirmed that all senior players must be RFU registered if they are to represent the Club at any level.
The suggestion that a Club tie be awarded to players for their first senior rugby game was agreed. Suitable rewards for long service are to be sought.
A request was made to purchase a video camera and tripod to record matches and training sessions. This was agreed as a very useful coaching tool not only for senior rugby but also for the newly formed U17/U18 Colts squad. A raised platform is to be erected alongside Pitch 1 to maximize coverage of the playing area.
Match day programmes are to be produced with a professional quality to them. The first home match on 9th September will see the first one of its kind. It was agreed that this will provide valuable opportunities for sponsorship.
The senior coaching staff is pleased to report that a Vets game against Dronfield has been arranged for the evening of Wednesday 6th September.
Club shop
The opening times of the Club shop are now displayed in the entrance lobby. During quieter times bar staff may be able to open up for one off requests.
A small stock of commonly purchased items will be held while a selection of clothing available to purchase will be on display during opening times.
RAM Rugby is able to provide all of our bespoke needs throughout the Club and all orders for squad clothing, training equipment etc should be placed with RAM Rugby on an official Club order form.
Minutes of previous meeting on 14th June
The Minutes were approved as a true record.
Minutes of the AGM on 19th July
Minutes of the recent AGM had been distributed to Committee members for comments. They will now be available for viewing on our Pitchero website.
Finance (omitted from Agenda)
A report on Income & Expenditure for the month ended 31st July had been circulated to Committee members. It was commented that income at this time of year is low – close rugby season and no membership income being collected. Repairs & maintenance of pitches was lower than this time last year reflecting their increasing maturity.
Roles & responsibilities
Our new Committee members have stepped forward and volunteered to take on essential Club roles.
· Edward Coxhead is now our Club Safeguarding Officer and also our Junior Chair.
· Tracey Fox is now our Membership Secretary. She may be contacted by email at for any queries regarding membership.
The role of Honorary Treasurer has been vacant for a while and the need for a name to be allocated to role was discussed. As reported in the May Minutes the bulk of the Club’s finances have been out-sourced and are handled by Square 1 Accounting so the role of Honorary Treasurer is not too onerous. Pete Amos has volunteered to be our Treasurer until a permanent replacement is found. It was pointed out that Pete is not an elected Committee member. As there is an existing vacancy on the Committee it was proposed and seconded that Pete be duly elected onto the Committee.
Bar staffing
We are about to lose three of our regular bar staff - two due to work commitments and one due to pregnancy. As a matter of urgency we need to recruit part time bar staff.
Committee members are to be trained up to help out at busy times particularly on Saturday and Sunday match days.
Verbal abuse of and intimidating behavior towards bar staff will not be tolerated. Bar personnel will be asked to report names of offenders to the Committee so that sanctions may be imposed.
AOB
· A sponsor is being sought to cover the cost of coaches’ training tops.
· A citing by Belper RFC on James Kennedy is to be heard by an RFU panel on 15th August at the Ramada Hotel, Grantham.
· A club sponsors’ day is to be held on Saturday 9th September. It is the first home match for our League squad and also for our U17/U18 Colts squad.
· Mark Preece announced with deep regret that he was standing down from his long time role as a Committee member. Members of the committee that have worked alongside Mark over many years all expressed sadness at his decision and thanked him for his long and dedicated service in helping the Club move forwards over the years.
Close Meeting
The meeting closed at 9.10 pm.
Date of the next meeting
Wednesday 13th September, 2017 in the Clubhouse at 7.30 pm.
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