Ottawa Senators Rugby Football Club Inc.
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting
Held: Saturday23rd January 2016
Ottawa Police Association, Catherine St.
Item/Notes
- Call to Order: (W Clifford)
The Chair, President, called the meeting to order at 4:14 p.m. (Quorum confirmed [22 – at least a quarter of all registered members – 32 on roster]
Member attendees: “The list at Appendix “A” forms part of the official record in the books and records of the Club.”
- Review of Agenda: (W Clifford)
- Additions/Omissions
- Review of Preceding Minutes (AGM 2015)
- Review of Reports
- Election of New Executive
- New Business
Motion: “That the Agenda be adopted as read.”
Moved: W CliffordSeconded: N HarrisCarried
- Review of Minutes: (W Clifford)
Review of Minutes of 2015 Annual General Meeting held Jan 2015 at the Ottawa Police Station, Orleans.
WC discussed the matters arising [action points] from last year’s AGM:
Motion: “That the Minutes be adopted as presented.”
Moved: W CliffordSeconded: N HarrisCarried
- Business Arising: (W Clifford)
- Recruitment
M Patterson: We have no feeder clubs – we rely on word-of-mouth; numbers were short this season. To maintain numbers we need to do some active recruiting to prevent the decline of the Club.
D Christie: Attendance at games was poor – the incentive to travel away was poor as only 8-10 players out of 32 total committed to travel.
M Storeshaw: Ongoing marketing & communications issue; proposed merging with another old boys club or attempt to attract O35 players from other clubs that do not have an old boys section.
M Hartigan: Some players snapped up by Barrhaven Scottish old boys; Gary Thomas is an active recruiter.
S Tucker: A lot of good rugby played this year – have to stay positive.
A Bailes: Agreed – a few new players have been recruited since the end of the season – not all “doom & gloom”.
T Frank: Cyclical nature of Club membership – has happened before. Supply of O35 players too low for the number of Clubs in Ottawa. Perhaps we should join with another club for away fixtures.
W Clifford: We have to prioritise fixtures for next season – choose away fixtures carefully.
A Watson: We should attract out-of-town players and expats – our niche.
- Fixtures for next season
M Patterson: Involves recruitment & attendance at games – need to prioritise fixtures e.g. Syracuse H & A should be a definite (we cancelled the away fixture this season). This should be first on priority list – better home hosting required too.
JF Gaudreau: Syracuse only play twice a year (they host us in mid-September at the same time as their homecoming weekend).
D Elder: Franconia, Syracuse, Saranac Lake, Quebec City – players will be asked to rank their preference – maybe choose their top 2 for away fixtures; the other 2 could be “invitation” sides open to other clubs.
B Hourston: Join with Brockville for Syracuse away? Needs forward planning.
- Tour 2016?
M Patterson: To tour or not to tour? Some tour fund left over. Suggested having no tour this year and concentrate on getting away fixtures right – try again next year (2017 or 2018).
W Clifford: Tour destination should be a large city e.g. Boston, NY. People seemed uninterested with Rhode Island.
A Rose: Reduce away fixtures during a tour year to cut player personal expenditure.
T Frank: Suggested touring for a longer period of time (4-5 days, flying somewhere).
It was generally agreed that this topic should be for future discussion at Executive Committee meetings and next year’s AGM.
- Kit
D Elder: Time for a new playing shirt? (ours are 4 years old now – although still in good condition).
M Patterson: We should have a stock of Club T-shirts to award to opposition team man-of-the-match.
D Nally: New players should also be given a Club T-shirt/polo shirt.
- Executive Reports(W Clifford)
“Upon presentation of the Reports, there will be one motion for the adoption of all.”
- President’s Report (W Clifford)
There has been some change in the club from the prior season. Most notably is the loss of some players, resulting in the Senators struggling to field a team. This was most evident at the Fall Brawl where we only had 13 players take the field. Recruitment of new players will therefore be important as we need to have a minimum of 40 registered players to remain competitive. As always Franconia is well attended by the entire club – let’s keep that up.
The club is in a good financial position and tour fundraising efforts have been successful. The club used some of these funds to purchase each registered player a Senators polo shirt and buy tickets for the Canada versus USA test match at Twin Elm. Through Andrew we were able to get a block booking with great seats near the half way line. We also used some of the tour funds to subsidize the costs of some of the away trips as an incentive to get players committed to these.
I would like to thank Al, Rhonda, JF, Andy and the others involved for all their hard work in making the Fall Brawl a success. Each team had two competitive matches followed by a great spread in the bar. It was good to see so many old boys stay and socialize – the other teams are looking forward to this becoming an annual event.
Looking ahead we will need to get members committed to attend practices and social events. Outdoor practices normally had 12 attendees – most of which were backs – so we were unable to practice line outs, scrums or the match simulations as we have done in the past. Some social and fundraising events were also not that well attended and it seems to be the same faces each time. This will be something the newly elected committee should focus on.
- Captain’s Report (C Currie)
In light of the downturn in the number of active players I believe we had a successful year where I calculate that the Senators have supported and participated in ten (10) fixtures including matches and tournaments. The ten fixtures include matches against the Indians (2), the Blues, Syracuse, Kingston, and Quebec City. The tournaments included: Franconia, Saranac Lac, and the TERP’s Fall Brawl.
A season of no Rookies provided some challenges but we were well represented by the consistency of the Rookies from the previous season who received Senators’ awards for the Players’ Player of the year and the Forward as selected by the Backs.
There was more interest in home matches than away, likely for obvious reasons of convenience. Despite an honest effort by the Senators, often we came up short for numbers for matches. This was predominant, not only for away fixtures, but also for home matches leaving the executive and Captain to decide whether we should go forward with the fixture. This pattern carried to the end of the season where, with thirteen (13) confirmed players, our last two fixtures versus Belleville and Barrhaven were cancelled.
All but two away games were cancelled. The two matches included a small contingency travelling to Quebec City and a very hard fought match against Kingston. – Probably our best and most enjoyable match of the season. There was a monetary encouragement for players to attend the Quebec City fixture but I believe that this had limited success. I think that the Quebec City fixture should be considered with some scrutiny. Additionally, in light of a similar situation of poor commitment to an otherwise notable fixture occurring in the future, the Senators should consider having a policy in place with some guidelines for the use of monetary encouragement. I believe that everyone who went to Quebec City enjoyed themselves.
There were positives: given the fact that we had a short list of players there were successes with practices and matches where a core group of players were a consistent show.
As already mentioned in the coach’s report, recruitment will be a crucial issue, and with the number of new faces at the indoor winter practices I think we are getting off to a good start. As Dave has indicated before, if each one of us could encourage an additional player then that would go along way.
- Treasurer’s Report (A Bailes)
See “2015 Ottawa Senators Financials – AGM Presentation” (Appendix B).
N Harris: Questioned the sustainability of expenditure as we are $3000 down from last year’s total cash. Cuts in spending would have to be made eventually to maintain a healthy bank balance (e.g. $5000, as suggested by W Clifford).
R Paterson: 35 year anniversary? Could help recruitment and finances.
M Patterson: Also corporate sponsorship for shirts?
General discussion followed. Expenditure for next Executive Committee to discuss.
- Fixtures Secretary’s Report (A Rose)
The 2015 season was another great year on and off the pitch for the Ottawa Senators Rugby Football Club (OSRFC) and as usual the Fixtures Director’s Office was kept busy with the organization of our full schedule. Though we struggled with numbers on the pitch all year, those that did attend or fixtures enjoyed some excellent competition. The fixtures for this past year included:
Regular Fixtures 2015
Game Date / Location / OpponentMay 9 / Twin Elm Rugby Park / Captain v President
May 24 / Twin Elm Rugby Park / Blues/Indians/Barrhaven
June 13 / Twin Elm Rugby Park / Syracuse
June 21 / Belleville / Belleville Bulldogs (Cancelled)
June 27 / Twin Elm Rugby Park / Ottawa Indians Old Boys
July 11 / Quebec City / Quebec City
August 22 / Providence, Rhode Island / Rhody Old Cocks (Cancelled)
August 30 / Twin Elm Rugby Park / Bytown Blues (H)
September 13 / Kingston / Kingston
September 19 / Syracuse / Syracuse (Cancelled)
September 27 / Twin Elm Rugby Park / Ottawa Indians Old Boys (A)
October 18 / Twin Elm Rugby Park / Belleville Bulldogs (Cancelled)
October 31 / Barrhaven / Barrhaven Scottish (Cancelled)
Tournaments 2015
Tournament Date / Tournament Name / LocationJune 6 / Old Man of the Mountain / Franconia, NH
July 31 / Can-Am Rugby Tournament / Saranac Lake, NY
August 15 / Platinum Oldies (Over 50) / Peterborough
October 3 / Fall Brawl / Twin Elm Rugby Park
There were some issues related to scheduling games on Saturday this year associatedwith the availability of other old-boys club and the availability of referees. Following conversation with various other Fixtures Directors in other nearby clubs and the reps from the Referee Society it is recommended that fixtures be scheduled on Sunday as much as possible in the future.
The Ottawa Senators was not the only club struggling to field a team this past season. There is a desire by nearby clubs to do a better job of coordinating the schedule this year and cluster the games so there will be 2 games scheduled at each location so teams can draw from each other to fill out their rosters. To facilitate the scheduling of the 2016 fixtures several Fixtures Directors plan to meet in February to set the schedule. It is hoped that this approach will help reduce the number of cancelled fixtures.
Smiles For Seniors
- December 2015
- Coordinated the collection and delivery of approximately 100 Christmas gifts for veterans residing at Ste Anne’s Hospital in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and patients at Elisabeth Bruyere Hospital in Ottawa
- The Club’s participation and financial support for this program is great, and it’s programs like this that make a difference in our greater community
Thanks is owed to Rhonda Gordon, Dermot Nally and others who helped make this program success this past year.
- Social Secretary’s Report (D Elder)
As I started to write this report I thought the overriding theme would be cancellations and disappointments. However as I did a thorough review of the social year I found that in fact we did have a number of successful social events.
January - Quiz night on 23rd
February- Skate night
- Sundowner
April - Quiz night
May - Players' pub crawl
- Sundowner
June - Franconia
July - Quebec
Aug - Saranac (Falls)
October
World Cup Final brunch
Friday 23rd October - Quiz
Friday 13th Nov Pub Crawl
Awards Dinner - 60
The other side of this is that we had planned other events which were eventually cancelled- mainly due to lack of support.These included :
Turkey Fry and the Rhode Island tour.
We also looked into a club evening boat trip but this will require a big commitment from all members in 2016.
In May we circulated a survey asking for opinions on social events and away games etc
My summary report is available on the club website or I can send an email copy to those interested.
A brief summary of the results is:
- 98% of members are interested in attending social events and are generally happy with the current socials.
- Suggestions such as wine tasting, golf etc didn't receive widespread support.
- family commitments is the main reason given for non attendance.
- future events and trips must be limited and planned/announced well in advance.
- Communications and Recruitment Coordinator’s Report (D Christie)
Communications were sent. Some successful recruitment since the end of the season. DC announced he was stepping down from the position.
- Coach’s Report (M Patterson)
Generally a good year for the team although we are struggling for numbers both at games and at training. From a coaching perspective, there are no ongoing safety issues and the players, especially the front row, have enough experience for the caliber of teams we play. We don’t execute an effective game plan mainly because of the delta of players at attendance at training and then being available for weekend games; we rely heavily on the experience of a quorum of the players.
Issues:
1.We still need a second certified coach. Due to the frequency of my travel for work, while Darren steps up on the fitness side, the remaining core rugby skills development are very much ad hoc. Accepting we are mainly a social team this may not be a big issue for a lot of people, depending on the expectation levels from the team. I would like to get a few more coaches to attend the level 2 course and then get a few certified too.
2.Attendance at games. All of the above points are pretty much mute, if we don’t have the numbers to field a team and we rely too much on players from other clubs. Recruiting should be a priority for the club this season.
3.Training location. Another contributing factor to the lack of numbers at training could be attributed to the 3 changes of training location. We should try and book Gloucester High School for the whole season as early as possible. We could also engage Todd Fortier, their athletic Director to see if we could potentially store some of the bigger training aids there to stop having to transport them around in the vehicles.
4.Equipment. This year I would like to purchase a few more extended hit shields, 2 large tackle bags, more cones and 2 new match balls. Training balls are not normally an issue, but we may wish to consider budgeting for a new team kit this season. This season we should also approach one of the senior clubs to use their scrum machine for a few sessions prior to the season starting, my suggestion would be to approach the Ottawa Irish and conduct a session at their training location at Col By School.
Motion: “The Executive Reports be adopted, as read.”
Moved: W CliffordSeconded: N HarrisCarried
- Election of Board Members/Executive(W Clifford)
“Nominations will be taken from the floor for the following Executive positions:”
i) President: D Elder
Proposed: N Harris
Seconded: A Bailes
Acclaimed
ii) Captain: W Clifford
Proposed: D Elder
Seconded: M Storeshaw
Acclaimed
iii) Past President: M Hartigan
Proposed:W Clifford
Seconded: N Harris
Acclaimed
iv) Secretary: N Harris
Proposed: W Clifford
Seconded: B Hourston
Acclaimed
v) Treasurer: A Bailes
Proposed: M Storeshaw
Seconded: W Clifford
Acclaimed
vi) Fixtures: A Rose
Proposed: A Bailes
Seconded: W Clifford
Acclaimed
vii) Social: S Tucker
Proposed: D Elder
Seconded: M Hartigan
Acclaimed
viii) Communications/Recruitment:
M StoreshawC Currie
Proposed: B HourstonProposed: S Tucker
Seconded: P RomanoSeconded: M Patterson
A vote by show-of-hands was held. The 22 voting Members unanimously elected M Storeshaw.
ix)Coach: M Patterson
Proposed: W Clifford
Seconded: A Bailes
Acclaimed
“There being no further posts to fill, the nomination/election of Officers and Board Members-at-Large is closed.”
- Other Business(W Clifford)
D Elder: Announced the 6 Nations Competition – $20 entry fee - win a rugby shirt!
A Watson: Reminder of upcoming Sundowners (see Club website for announcements).
A Rose: Practice field (Gloucester) – could we move to a more central location? Also suggested we should have a non-playing members Rep to encourage membership. T Milroy was involved in this capacity this year. Perhaps A Watson could also fill this role.
M Hartigan: Thanked T Milroy & A Watson for their work in this area.
R Paterson: Again proposed that the new Executive Committee consider a 35-year anniversary event. To be discussed.
L McKenna: Proposed an ice hockey social event (Backs v Forwards…?). The idea was generally well-received.
T Frank: Willing to organise a ski day at Edelweiss in Feb for Family Day.
- Adjournment(W Clifford)
Motion: “There being no further business for discussion, the 2016 Annual General Meeting of the Ottawa Senators Rugby Football Club is adjourned.”
Moved: W CliffordSeconded: N HarrisCarried
The meeting was adjourned at 5:46 p.m.
N Harris Jan 23rd 2016
Appendix A: Member attendance list: see separate document: “OSRFC AGM 2016 Sign-up Sheet” (available by request from N Harris, Club Secretary).
Appendix B: Financial statements:see separate documents “2015 Ottawa Senators Financials – AGM Presentation”(available by request from N Harris, Club Secretary or A Bailes, Treasurer).