Water Polo ACT Annual General Meeting

MINUTES

Water Polo ACT Annual General Meeting

Date: Thursday, 15October 2015|Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm | Venue: Southern Cross Club, Woden

Attendees:John Fox (President WPACT), Simon O’Connor (Vice President WPACT),Julie Kennett (Secretary WPACT), Greg Ward (Dragons WP),Jeremy Mather (Nordek WP), Matt Holdway (Nordek WP), Sue Sinclair (Nordek WP), Claire Lennox (Nordek WP), Matt Negline (Dragons WP), Andrew Wiley (Nordek WP), Ryan McDermott (CWPA), Lara Kym-Lever (Dragons)

Agenda

Items

Actions

• The strategic planning day that provided good insight into the concerns, issues and direction of the association.
• Change to the winter competition format was a success, with positive responses from all clubs. Also great to see the inclusion of ADFA in the competition.
• Finances are up-to-date and back on track from where they were in previous years.
• WPACT presentation night after grand finals 2015 was a great success with a good turnout. John Fox thanked Claire Lennox for organising the event.
• Appointment of Ryan McDermott to the position of administration officer.
• Decision to run the WPACT competitions under the new FINA rules, which provided more opportunities for Juniors.
• Links with NSW Water Polo strengthened with the U16 NSW Championships held in Canberra. This will continue next year. NSW also offered assistance in relation to representative teams, e.g. combined Country teams for U18 & U20’s

• WPACT were successful in negotiating a reduction in the annual capitation fee charged by WPA from $24,000 to $17,000.
• This results in a reduction in membership fees for WPACT members.

• Simon O’Connor has reviewed and amended the WPACT Constitution. The next step is to have the amendments reviewed by Water Polo Australia lawyer at a cost of $800.
• If changes are acceptable, then another General Meeting would need to be convened to pass the constitution.

• Dragons – Greg Ward
• Nordek – Matt Holdway
• Vikings – Karen Groves

• Public Officer - Trent Birkett
• Head Referee – Andrew Carney
• Member Protection Officer – Jeanette Cotterill
• Equipment Officer – Vacant

• Members of the competition committee were announced. The committee consists of one member from each club – Jeremy Mather (Vikings), Andrew Wiley (Nordek), Matt Negline (Dragons) – the WPACT President, John Fox and administration officer, Ryan McDermott as Chair.

• There will be the addition of a Canberra Boys Grammar team in the junior competition. As a result, the old draw will change as of 19 October 2015.
• Clubs on duty at junior competition will be responsible for filling vacant refereeing appointments.
• Referees will be paid (via bank transfer at the end of each term) but they must sign the score sheet. Trent Birkett will require bank details of all referees.

• Clubs are to ensure referees provide their bank details to Trent Birkett and sign the score sheets.

• Senior competition would remain the status quo (Tuesday – 1st Grade Men; Wednesday – 2nd Grade Men; Thursday – Women) with the option of having the occasional game on club training nights.
• John Fox is in the process of developing a combined Albury/ACT competition with Ovens & Murray that will implemented this summer for senior 1st grade men and women. ACT will retain the local club competition and identity but will have the addition of Albury club games that will be hosted in Canberra and Albury.
• ACT and Albury will host their own grand finals day but no 1st grade games will be played on this day, they will be played at the regional grand final (proposed for Saturday, 19 March 2016).
• Clubs will rotate between Canberra and Albury for games on identified weekends. For example (and based on team entries), Dragons & Vikings will travel as a group to Albury one weekend and Nordek would travel as a group another weekend.

• John Fox to provide further updates as they develop.

• John Fox noted that a key message out of the September WPA executive meeting was that Clubs are the primary stakeholders in Water Polo Australia. Without clubs there is no competition and no associations. This is a message John Fox wants club representatives to take back to their committee/members.

• Club reps are to forward message.

• Expression of Interest (EOI) information to go out to Club members by Friday, 23 October 2015 for WPACT representative coach and manager positions.
• A senior coach and manager is required also for the Men and Women’s Country teams.

• Ryan McDermott to draft EOI information to send to Clubs.

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