Venue Football Club Boardroom, Champion Hill

Venue Football Club Boardroom, Champion Hill

Board Meeting Minutes

7.00 pm, 18 August 2016

Venue – Football club boardroom, Champion Hill

In attendance – Alex Atack (AA), Alex Crane (AC), Alex De Jongh (ADJ), Duncan Hart (DH) (chair), Mel Hughes (MH), Darren McCreery (DM) (secretary), Isaac Parnell (IP), Mark Scoltock (MS) and Peter Wright (PW)

  1. Apologies for absence
  • Andy Greig (AG), Matt Purser (MP), Dave Rogers (DR), Walter Johnson (WJ)
  1. Agree July Board meeting Minutes
  • Minutes agreed
  1. AirPos demonstration
  • Nick of AirPos gave a demonstration to the board of the new AirPos system that was introduced to the MegaContainer on 16 August to facilitate electronic stock and cash taking.
  1. DHFC has a secure long-term home in East Dulwich:

4.1Update Board on proposed changes to design of new ground

  • AC provided an update.
  • ACTION - AC and James Masini (advising the board on matters relating to ground development) to meet with Hadley on 22 August to discuss latest plans for the ground and the timing of DHSTs response to the planning application. AC to report back to the board.

4.2Update on lobbying throughout summer

  • DH circulated a comms script to the board in advance of the meeting that isto be used by board members when responding publicly to issues linked to the ground.
  • ACTION –ALL board members to undertake actions as detailed in the plan.
  1. DHFC has an ownership model that involves supporters/community either fully or partly:

5.1Update from fan ownership sub group

  • DH/MP/AA had a productive meeting with members of the football committee on fan ownership, business planning and working together going forwards (including potential for a small group of DHST board members to shadow the work of the football committee) .
  • AA gave an update from the fan ownership sub-group, which is due to meet next month to consider matters such as agreeing short and long term actions, business planning, and the future role of any vision document for a fan owned club. The sub-group will touch base with Supporters Direct as necessary following the meeting.
  • ACTION – Fan ownership sub-group to meet before the next board meeting and report back to the board. Board members on the sub-group who have not given availability for the meeting should do so asap.
  • ACTION – DM to recirculate Supporters’ Direct documents on fan ownership from 2014.
  • ACTION (Carried forward from July) - MP to meet further with the club/Gavin/HPG to discuss business planning by the next meeting.
  1. DHFC as a transparent and well run football club:

6.1Update on joint issues with the Football Committee.

  • Updates on joint working with the Football Committee were also discussed under item 5.1.
  • DHSTs joint call with the football committeefor volunteers to help on match days had identified a number of people wanting to help out in the MegaContainer. PW has put together a spreadsheet to log volunteer offers.
  • ACTION – all board members to speak with people to encourage them to sign up for volunteering opportunities at the club. Any potential volunteers are to be directed to PW.
  • ACTION – PW to share spreadsheet of volunteers with the football committee.
  • ACTION – MH will add volunteers to the mega container rota.
  • While the drive for volunteers had generally been successful, it was acknowledged that greater levels of volunteering needed to be achieved at the club from a broader range of peoplein order to make fan ownership a success.
  • The decision by the club to permanently remove the stewards at short notice before the game against Enfield Town on 16 August was discussed. Whatever the justification for the decision, it was agreed that it had not been handled well by the club with inadequate pre-discussion or other consultation. It was particularly regrettable at a time when the club is working with DHST to encourage more volunteers to come forward and give up their time on match days.

6.2Update on operations at the Football club (including bins)

  • DHST sent a list to the club’s new general manager setting out a number of things that could be improved to enhance match days for supporters and other visitors to the club. Some of these have been actioned already – bins, rehang the door at the top of the main stand stairs, additional toilet facilities on the other side of the pitch, food stands relocated to improve flow around the ground. This is really positive.
  • ACTION – AC to continue to engage with the club on the list of match day improvements and report back at the next meeting.
  1. DHFC has a growing Supporters Trust that communicates regularly with its members:
  • MH updated from the first meeting of the merchandise sub group on 1 August (notes from the meeting were circulated in advance of the meeting).MH reported from the sub-group on new merchandise ideas / plans, including a potential back to school promotion that may include discounted kids clothes. Ideas for new t shirt and other designs were also needed for the season.The potential for running a competition was discussed.A new scarf design was agreed by the board.
  • ACTION – DH to look into prices and ordering for volunteer shirts for those working in the mega container and report back at the next meeting.
  • The merchandise sub-group will next meet on 7 September.
  • The latest on replica shirts from the club is that they could be available for sale in September, although this cannot be guaranteed.
  • It was noted that the 2016/17 fixture cardshad been printed and are now available in the mega container and at the 12th man stand.
  • IP gave an update on ideas to promote the 100 club.
  • ACTION – IP to produce a poster and flyer advertising the 100 club chosethe most appropriate game for distributing with the help of the whole board.
  1. DHFC has strong links with its surrounding community:

8.1Plans for community engagement and supporting other causes for 16/17

  • WJ sent round a draft community engagement strategy dated 11 August for comment. Board were happy with the overall thrust of the strategy.
  • ACTION – DH to collate comments made at the meeting and all board members to send any further comments on the draft community engagement strategy to WJ by the end of August.

8.2Updating DHST communications strategy

  • DH has sent the last version of the DHST communications strategy to MS.
  • ACTION - MS to review the DHST communications strategy and update as needed by the next meeting.

8.3Handling inc SE22 magazine and Southwark Council monthly emails

  • It was agreed that MS would lead on drafting content for SE22 magazine every month and coordinate input from others for the Southwark Council monthly email updates.

8.4DHFC social media output

  • It was agreed that MS would continue to lead on DHSTssocial media output.
  1. Trust governance and miscellaneous items

9.1Trust objectives for 2016-18

  • DH circulated draft revised objectives for 16- 18 for board discussion prior to the meeting.
  • ACTION – all board membersto come back to DH with comments by the end of August on the revised objectives for 16-18, especially those with board members’ names against them.

9.2Update from Supporters Direct AGM

  • DM gave an update on his attendance at the Supporters Direct AGM on 17 July – including sessions with Exeter City Football Club and the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as the AGM meeting itself.

9.3Declaration of Expenses

  • IP circulated the declaration of expenses in advance of the meeting..

9.4Continued use of Co-op Bank and account signatories

  • IPmetwith Eddie (former char of DHST) and has the necessary information to transfer over the bank account.
  • ACTION – IP to review information (including looking into getting a payment card) and transfer over account by the next meeting.

9.5Next Board meeting date

  • It was agreed that the next board meeting would be held on 29 September
  1. AOB
  • None raised.

Dulwich Hamlet Football Community Mutual Ltd

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