Present:
Ray Wheeler, Harry Kirby, Alison Austin, James Liddiard, Jon Milton, Aly Townend, Jaimie Unsworth, John Pearson, Jon Kirby, Kate Ednay, Adam Payne, Leeya Roovis, Nicky Richardson,Lewis Heaven-Gandy, Jason Heaven-Gandy, Mike Dodds, Scott Bashford, Helen Hunnybun, David Breach, Anna Breach
HK took the Chair prior to the Election of Officers, welcomed members to the AGM, and thanked all for attending.
1Apologies
Apologies had been received from: Derrick Austin,Hannah Seaman, Jim Moreton, Mackenzie Wright, Neil Riley, Saffron Hart, Simon Butler, Tom Young, Neil Harris
2Minutes of the EGM held on 15 June 2016 (also non-quorate AGM, 20 May 2016)
Proposed by Kate Ednay and seconded by Adam Payne that the Minutes were a true and accurate record. This was agreed unanimously. The Minutes were signed by the Chairman (HK).
3Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
4Chairman’s Report
(All tabled reports were taken as read as they had been uploaded to the Club Website prior to the AGM)
JP does a great job of posting all committee minutes on the club web-site. He also alerts members to this via Facebook, so, none of this should be news to you.
Concerning teams and selection...... the Men's 2s, before Christmas, sometimes struggled to field a full team. There were also times when there were problems with transport through a lack of available drivers. Unfortunately this situation resulted in the decision being made that, from January, we would no longer be able to field a men's 2nd X1. The Ladies' 2s also often struggled to field a full side, but valiantly struggled on (thanks Aly) and were suitably rewarded by retaining a place in their current league.
The First X1s in each section had a successful season and will be fully reported on by their captains.
Men's attendance at training was encouraging at the beginning of the season, but numbers diminished and we were forced to cancel the men's training due to it not being cost-effective. Ladies' training has been well attended. Many thanks Richard Christenson for trying, in vain, to develop the men's section and to Jon Milton for his successful training of the ladies and youth sections.
The transfer of under-14 training to Ventnor has been a great success. I'm sure Jon Milton will give more detail. We still need more adult support for this, especially from the men's section to support the transfer of youth to the men's teams. Jason H/G is keen to be involved in this, but his involvement is curtailed by transport problems.
Thanks to Alan Ball, Katy, Adam and Aly for their help to Jon in this training, especially to Aly who facilitates the girls' smooth transfer to adult hockey.
In spite of the efforts of Aly as Treasurer, and Alison as Secretary, I understand that we still find it difficult to keep track of fully paid members as opposed to visitors or guest players.
The umpire situation seems to be easing now that we have Simon as a level 1 and myself finally a Level 1 (Assessed). Members may not be aware that a recent new recruit to the ladies is a Level 3 Umpire and Level 2 Umpire coach/assessor! A useful acquisition.
In following the committee's wishes I delivered suitable hampers to Derrick and Mark. I delivered Mark's when he was in the hospice. At that time, although aware of the seriousness of his illness, Mark was his usual positive and cheerful self.
A couple of weeks later Mark died. The club was well represented at his funeral. Members from the distant past (including Andy Mac., Steve Lewis, Clive,) as well as existing ones, paid their respects. I was given the opportunity to say a few words on the club's behalf.
Now, more recently, we have received news of MartynSimmonds’ tragic death. Martyn was a member of Ryde HC as well as IWHC.
We have been approached by The New Forest H C and a New Forest school to see if we wished to avail ourselves of their facilities in the event of our "home" pitch being unavailable. In considering the logistics of this we decided that the options were not very practical. There seems to be more hope concerning a possible new pitch over here. There may be more news available at the meeting.
With Derrick being ill, Alison's time committed to club activities has been greatly restricted. I appreciate that she has continued to manage much of her administrative role. She tries to keep us on the straight and narrow and to ensure that we do what is required of us as a club and committee.
As in previous years, the running of the club has fallen to the same few people. I am grateful for members who filled vacancies so that the rest could still enjoy a game of hockey. Members need to be aware that, unless there are people prepared to manage the club, and be committed to supporting it, it may not be able to continue in its present form. We currently plan to re-enter a 2nd Men's x1, but we wait to see how well it will be supported.
I would like to thank those players who were committed to play every week and formed the backbone of each eleven.
I would like to thank ALL committee members for the time and effort given to the club over the year and for the support and advice given to me.
Harry Kirby
5Secretary’s Report
All correspondence received has been forwarded to relevant committee members for action.
A letter to the Hampshire OL re the withdrawal of the Men’s 2s was acknowledged only, but no further communication has been received and they are still showing on the HHA webpage. As requested I also copied the letter to Gaynor Toms, who asked to be kept informed of any developments.
The Club did send a letter to the Hampshire OL Secretary, re the format of the lower divisions in the OL, for discussion at the 2016 AGM. This was rejected at the Hampshire AGM last year, and the Club will be sending another letter this year, in support of the reorganisation of the lower Hants leagues. However in light of a recent email,it would appear that Hampshire may already be considering the reorganisation of the lower leagues, but we don’t have any more information to date.
The Hampshire AGM is at Fareham HC on Monday 19th June at 19.30. It may be beneficial to the Club to attend to reinforce our submission re the league format.
EH have sent me information on the Women’s World Cup 2018 and I have posted the info on the Facebook page.
Information re the 2017 AGM has been posted on the Facebook page and also sent to Club Captains and Team Captains for distribution. I do not have email addresses for all ‘members’ so can only go through these channels. I have said that if people want a copy of the Calling Notice that they need to email me. At least that way I will get an email address and Aly can confirm they are a member.
I have been in touch with the Cowes Community Club and we have discussed very briefly what our needs would be.
Alison Austin
6Treasurer’s Report
(Income Statement attached.)
AT distributed an income statement for 2016/2017. The following points were noted:
- Loss of £2,975 over the year (one-off cost of new goals for Rew Valley contributory factor)
- Drop in match fees partially attributed to previously separating match fees from DDs (this year included with membership); Withdrawal of Men’s 2s from the Hampshire League in February
- Cost of training (£2,903) unsustainable : currently £104 p/w for men’s/ladies’ training at Smallbrook
- Fuel costs too high and need to be rationalised
- DDs were still coming in and need to be completed by 30 April
- Current balances: Main Account: £760.97; Festival Account: £1,494.03; Ex Ryde HC Account (Juniors):£520.72
The above headlines were discussed at length and action resolved as follows:
- Training: options for the new season were debated, including moving adult training to Rew Valley or moving adult training from Wednesday to Monday evenings at Smallbrook (Ryde School’s preference, possibly taking advantage of the ‘free community use’ currently available for juniors). It was agreed that a decision would be made by the new committee immediately following the AGM. JU felt that it would be prudent to have a face-to-face meeting with Ryde School’s Bursar and new Head of Hockey to discuss arrangements/fees prior to the 2017/18 season to mutually benefit each organisation
- Fuel: Following discussion it was proposed by AT and seconded by JU that fuel payments to drivers for away matches would be set at 20p per mile with no cap. This was agreed unanimously
- DDs: Following discussion, it was proposed by AT and seconded by JL that members paying subscriptions/match fees by Direct Debit (Standing Order) would need to set up 10 monthly instalments from July to be completed by 30 April. (Any individual arrangement post July – eg new members - could be discussed with the Treasurer, but in any event payments to be completed by 30 April.)
8Subscriptions and Match Fees (brought forward)
Full Membership:Subscription: £160.00; Match Fees: £12.00
Direct Debit (Subs + Match Fees): £400 (£40 x 10 monthly payments)
Social Membership (maximum 6 games):
Subscription: £50.00; Match Fees: £12.00
Junior/Student (Over 16 and/or in Full Time Education):
Subscription: £120.00; Match Fees: £12.00
Junior (Under 16):Subscription: £40; Match Fees: £6.00
Junior (Under 11):Subscription: £25 (Match Fees n/a)
Non-Playing Membership (New Category):
Subscription: £20.00
Vice Presidents/Life Members:
Donation (Minimum): £5
It was noted that individuals would need to ‘apply’ for non-playing membership and be vetted by the committee, but once accepted would enjoy the same rights as playing members.
Following extensive discussion on the above, it was proposed by AT and Seconded by MD that subscriptions/categories of membership for season 2017/18 be approved. This was agreed unanimously.
HK expressed thanks to AT for her work and report.
Officer Reports (Tabled)
Ladies’ Club Captain
The ladies’ section has continued to go from strength to strength. We benefitted greatly from the GB Olympic success with a number of new and returning players joining training and filtering into the teams.
Despite the new look squads both teams shone. The 1s finished comfortably mid table with a mixed bag of results that included draws with both the teams later promoted to division 1. The second team welcomed even more players from our ever flourishing junior section alongside some new more experienced faces. Again their attitude and skill were a credit to our club on numerous occasions and promise a bright future for the ladies.
Issues arising were thankfully minimal; Ryde School's frustrating block-booking system aside.
A huge thanks, as ever, goes to Adam and Jon for umpiring as well as Harry who was cajoled into his assessment so he was also available for the ladies 1s as well as travelling across Hampshire with the ladies 2s. With Simon doing his theory and now in the process of gaining experience as well, the pressure has been somewhat relieved for now.
Finally, an even bigger thanks to Aly and Kate who make my job easy. It is a somewhat thankless task at times, where you dread hearing your phone go at 11:30pm on a Friday night, but both of them managed to go about the business of getting teams out every weekend (no easy feat at times) with a smile (grimace). We would not be where we are as a club without both of you.
Jaimie Unsworth
Men’s Club Captain
It’s been a very mixed season for the men’s section with some highs and some lows. The men’s 1st XI had a very successful season and managed to finish in 3rd place in Hampshire Division 2, whereas the 2nd XI unfortunately struggled to field a team after the Christmas break due to availability and had to withdraw from the league.
A core squad was maintained throughout the season in the 1st XI with regular appearances being made from the 2nd XI squad- showing more of a unity between the 2 teams (Something I feel had been lacking in previous years). A criticism that had previously been made of the men’s section, was that the younger players were not given a chance to break into the first XI. However, this season, significant progress was made with in this regard, with regular appearances from Rio and Ellis. I believe these 2 players should be congratulated for their great attitude to team hockey and their willingness to travel away for a whole day, even for games in which they were substitutes for the majority of the match. This showed great commitment.
The 2nd XI competed well up until Christmas, at which point the club members from Ryde School became unavailable for selection owing to school commitments. Alison, Jason and Carl worked tirelessly to field a team, but as a club, we failed to provide a regular commitment to playing and the team had to withdraw from the league. The 2nd XI ended up with a regular committed core of about 4 players, which was insufficient to allow a team to be put together week on week. On a positive note, it was great to see players from the 2nd XI squad moving into the 1st XI squad towards the end of the season and rising to the challenge.
Next year will be a huge challenge if we want to be able to field 2 teams in the league. We do not have sufficient numbers to manage 2 teams at present, but as a club, we are working to bring in more youngsters from the junior training sessions. This, I believe, will be our only route to surviving as a 2 teamed club as we do not have enough members willing to commit for regular away games.
This year, we have had illnesses within the club as well as a very sad bereavement. I’d like to wish those who have been taken ill a speedy recovery. Mark ‘Dicko’ Dickenson sadly passed away at the beginning of 2017. He’s one of the ‘Old Guard’ from the Isle of Wight HC and remained a member of the club when it split in the olden days and assisted in the club’s re-growth. He was always around to support/coach from the sidelines and will be sorely missed by the club.
Thank to the social committee, who have worked hard to put together the Christmas Party and End of Season do, which looks to be just as successful as last year. Special thanks to Jaimie and Roovis for their dedication.
I’d also like point out the hard work and dedication of all members of the committee for their efforts to keep the club running as successfully as they have, despite the challenges that have arisen.
Jon Kirby
Ladies’ 1st XI Captain
The ladies have had a relatively successful season and have finished mid table. The effort from all the girls has been tremendous both on and off the pitch and has made my job as captain relatively easy. Special thanks to Claire Caddick for sorting out the teas for the opposition and booking the ferries.
Thanks to the "Olympic Effect" we have enjoyed a boost in numbers at training which in turn has led to new members of the 1st team squad. Some of the 2s have also stepped up and played a couple of games and I would hope that this continues next season.
Thanks to Harry, Jon, Adam, and Elaine for umpiring
Kate Ednay
Men’s 1st XI Captain
We had a great season, finishing 3rd a great result. Every game was hard work, each and every player gave their all in 22 games. If it was not for a few injuries we could have possibly finished higher - great season and a fantastic bunch of lads.
Unfortunately this will be my last season of hockey as the knees are giving up and I want to preserve them. Thank you IOW hockey club it's been great. Give me a shout for the odd vets game.
Tom Young
Ladies’ 2nd XI Captain
It has been an interesting season for the Ladies 2s. We have had some new ladies join the club old members returning and youngsters moving up to adult hockey. Results have been mixed, and having been short of players on a couple of occasions we have unfortunately lost some games that with a full squad, we could probably have won. A cancelled game in the first half of the season also saw us losing 3 points. Despite this we have managed to avoid the relegation zone and will be playing div 4 hockey next season. It has been lovely to watch the younger members of the team gain in confidence and skill and they are a testament to the excellent junior system we now have in place.
The team spirit has been great probably due to the occasionally scary minibus rides and the fact that Harry and I make everyone stay for teas!
Aly Townend
Men’s 2s Representative
As has been reported, the Men’s 2s failed to complete the season and the team was withdrawn from the league in early February. This was due to a combination of factors – lack of regularly available senior players, Ryde School boys not available post Christmas because of school commitments and demographics of the league structure (ie long distance travel). It had started promisingly with comprehensive victories against Gosport and Portsmouth & Southsea, but club officials were always aware that in the new year there would be problems fielding a team, and this was exacerbated by logistical and travel issues and the intransigence of the league when it came to rearranging fixtures.