2018 UKWAL AGM MINUTES. Before our AGM meeting Simon Fennel went through the new computer Results Programme and Declarations.

Transcription

1 2018 UKWAL AGM MINUTES Before our AGM meeting Simon Fennel went through the new computer Results Programme and Declarations. Apologies:- Moira McGuire, Committee, Statistician, Edinburgh; Mick Bromilow, Marshall Milton Keynes; Tony Benton, Havering; Keith Hopson, WGEL; Tim Mundle, NEB; Ray Gibbins, Enfield and Haringey. Present;- Norma Blain, President, Birchfield. Committee;- Lyn Orbell, Chair, Treasurer, Birchfield; Margaret Grayston, Secretary, Wigan Harriers; Anne Owen, Vice Chair, Swansea; Elizabeth Wilder, Vice Chair, Registration Secretary, VP. City of Glasgow; Jan Lishman, Chief Scrutineer; Sharon Herbert, Scrutineer, Division 2 Secretary; Mike Harris, Rules Secretary, Trafford; Alan Johnson, Web Master, Trafford; Irene Speller, Officials Secretary, WSEH; Nicole Cara, Handbook, Shaftesbury Barnet. Club Representatives;- Seemita Gumbs, Birchfield; Tim Souter, Blackheath and Bromley; Sharon Heveran, Cardiff; Anne Scott, Edinburgh; Manuel Da Silva, TVH; Mary Johnson, Trafford; Julian Schlaepfer, WSEH; David Buckett, Crawley; Richard Bloom, Herts Phoenix; Geoffrey Morphitis, Shaftesbury Barnet; Tim Hall, Southampton; Pete Wareing, Wigan; Laura Turner-Alleyne, Harrow; Chris Elsden, Bristol and West; Linda Rushworth, City of Sheffield; Ken Maggs, Nene Valley; Tony Simmons, Sale Harriers; Linda Innes, VP City of Glasgow; R.J.Bridges, Belgrave; Paul Isenwater, City of Liverpool; Matthew Dalton, Peterborough; Robert Tan, Reading; Bryan Acford, Rugby and Northampton. Our Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for their attendance. Minutes of the last AGM meeting These were accepted and signed Matters Arising There were no matters arising Presentation of Trophies Norma Blain presented the trophies Premier TVH Division 1 Cardiff Division 2 Wigan and District Division 3 Havering Chair s Report Lyn Orbell Thank you to the clubs for all their support and also the good matches which have taken place. We should mention that Christine Ohoruogu did her last competition in our league at Sheffield. We are now going to have joint matches with BAL but not joint scoring yet. At the moment for this coming season it will not necessarily be the same clubs in the same division or at the same venues.. We are working towards this in the future, but it will take time. We need to be patient if we are to have the best deal and set up as possible. Lyn thanked Manuel for all his hard work at the Manchester International and also to Moira for providing the statistics on which the UKWAL selection was based. Page 1

2 There were s to the UKWAL to say how much athletes had enjoyed the event. Once again we had a good result finishing runners up to England. Questions and Comments Anne Scott asked about Joint Scoring and showed concern about how this would take place. She also pointed out the fact that we would need a system to enable us to have it correct and later promotions etc., and the fact that clubs think the system is correct. David Buckett mentioned the fact that the Southern League, after the formation of a joint league, had been unable to continue to sustain both leagues. Mike Harris informed us that BAL had had a progressive meeting and it would be about collaboration and not rushing things. The Leagues need to work together and that proposals should be brought to the 2019 AGMs. Most seem to be in favour of Joint League competition but there have to be constructive time lines on this. Geoff Morphitis told us that BAL have a meeting in March and has been empowered to meet UKWAL to discuss finance and how to approach the sport. This could be introduced in 2020 with pro-active discussions and a joint committee. Bryan Acford expressed the feeling that the provision of officials must be made mandatory especially in the provision of field judges. Iren Speller asked what the penalty would be for the non- provision of officials Everyone was in agreement with this. Alan Johnson told the meeting that the Northern League asked for two graded field officials. Matthew Dalton asked would there be an obligation for BAL to provide the required number of officials for the joint matches. Elizabeth Wilder asked when would the leagues be likely to be reorganised. The meeting was told that clubs would be told of any changes after the discussions with BAL had taken place in December. There were unlikely to be any changes as yet. Mike Harris had the opinion that the match up of leagues and divisions could take place after the 2019 season. Alan Johnson thought that this could be done very quickly. Anne Scott informed the meeting that this could be very difficult with many Scottish athletes competing for English Clubs. Bob Bridges was of the opinion that we should consider Ray Gibbin s ideas. Tony Simmons took the view that thinking about restructure we should look at regionalisation because at the moment we appear to be restricting the number of clubs and also travel and costs. The Sunday matches were mentioned and Lyn explained the reason for the Sunday matches being the same weekend as the County Championships, although permission had been given for the counties to choose a different date, and also later the Schools County Championships. Sharon Herbert had observed that very few counties, if any, would choose a different date. The meeting was also informed by Geoff Morphitis that Ian Hodge had made a survey of the attendance at County Championships and this had proved that it was the younger age groups that tended to figure in these championships and that in the majority of Counties senior attendance was poor. Page 2

3 Anne Scott pointed out that there was also a clash with the Scottish District Championships and that Seniors did attend. Ken Maggs was concerned that with clubs not necessarily being at the same venues officials and that club personnel would be a problem. He also mentioned the use of U 17 athletes by the BAL which was not the case with UKWAL. Mike Harris told the meeting that Trafford men would need four overnight stays and the women two, but that he was willing to accept these problems as it was a year of transition. Also as we progress the league is like to attract officials. Geoff Morphitis announced that we are not yet sure who will control any monies, UKA or England, if we are looking for support. Jan Lishman told the meeting that Border Harriers had pulled out of the leagues because of travel and costs. She also suggested that some athletes might be persuaded to continue in the sport as officials. Lyn told us that Portsmouth would now like a team in the UKWAL because of the future joint scoring system for matches. At the moment this is not possible but both UKWAL and BAL will need to decide how to accommodate other teams. Lyn went on to say there would be fewer venues needed and therefore there may be the flexibility of the movement of officials. Also we must now remember the new rules concerning throwing cages and tracks. Simon Fennel advised that a brokerage system where officials were concerned might be the answer. Some clubs already do this. Sharon Herbert reminded us that we need to communicate with clubs to find out what is happening.. Our officials secretary now needs to find out the availability of officials and which matches they can attend. Irene Speller added that there was more chance of officials on the basis of joint matches but we cannot afford to put unnecessary pressure on clubs and officials. Finance Report We have not received any funding at all apart from Clubs. We have had to pay for numbers for the first time in a few years. We will therefore be existing on our current bank balance. Once again your committee has tried to keep the costs down as much as possible and again this year we have not had any demand for a promotion match. Money has not been transferred to the deposit account this year. In order to keep costs down we have been using the Birchfield Club room for the Committee Meetings. The 2019 affiliation cost will be held at 300 and the invoice will be sent out and will have the bank details on to allow clubs to pay the fee straight into the band account. We paid out 10 host Club payments because of the two double header meetings that were held and this helped to keep the costs down. Payments will be made to host clubs so long as the scrutineers have all the necessary paper work and results which can be verified. Total in the accounts 24, Page 3

4 Alan Johnson told the meeting that there would be no fee for BATFL this coming year. It was agreed that the athletes of the match would be worked out from the scoring tables. Also that for the relay record the athletes would receive 50 each. Secretary s Report Margaret Grayston Thank you to everyone who has worked tirelessly in continuing the high standards of our league. A special thanks to all committee members, officials results compilers and team managers. We have had several amicable meetings with BAL and we are moving forward, with joint matches, not joint scoring, wherever possible for the coming season. Thank you to everyone who hosted last season. Again it is very important for all host clubs to send all paper work to the scrutineers;- Jan, Sharon and Liz have done an exceptional job at sorting out results which cannot be done if the appropriate paperwork is not received. We did have some hiccups but hopefully these have been resolved. It must be pointed out that it is essential that host clubs inform their referees concerning timetables. With joint matches it is very important for the coming season, and especially our rules which are different from those of BAL. Could I also remind clubs that it is again essential that clubs let host clubs know their officials, with grades, that they intend to bring to matches asap. Our joint matches and double headers worked well this season and we are hopeful that this will continue. Congratulations to all our international athletes who with the BAL team who finished runners up on a wet evening at the Manchester International. Thank you to Manuel for managing the team and Moira for providing the statistics on which selection was based. Manuel will also tell us about TVH who represented us in Europe. Also congratulations to any athletes who broke a league record and to those who were athletes of the match. Registrations and eligibility have been much better this season, unfortunately many of the problems were caused by England. As far as Guest athletes are concerned it is not a right for an athlete to be accepted to compete. This coming season, with tight timetables, it will be most important to go through the correct procedure. Congratulations to our divisional winners and those who have been promoted. This coming season we welcome Peterborough back into our league in Division 3. Thank you to Simon Fennell who has worked hard to provide us with the new results programme which should make things much easier. Also to Alan who has continued to chase Simon into getting everything up and running. Page 4

5 European Clubs Match at Birmingham- Manuel Da Silva Manuel reported on this saying there was obviously a home advantage. Birchfield organisation was exceptional and the hard work was appreciated. However it was felt that England Athletics did not promote the meeting well enough. Ten teams were in the competition and congratulations to TVH who finished in fourth place. Next year this match is in Valencia so it should be a great incentive for athletes. Manuel expressed his appreciation for the Manchester International and for the athletes who represented the UKWAL, coming Runners Up, with some excellent individual performances. Registration Secretary s Report- Elizabeth Wilder This has proved to be a great deal easier this year. The main problems have occurred when clubs, team managers do not check their returned registration lists and do not return them when they have sorted out any problems that have been highlighted. If an athlete is highlighted in yellow it means that there has been no registration for this or the previous year. Thank you to those clubs who sent in and returned their corrected lists. Scrutineers Report Jan Lishman Thank you to Ann and Sharon for all their help and also to Liz. It is really important to have Divisional Secretaries. It should be pointed out that neither Sharon or myself have a league club, so we are impartial. It is also important for clubs to register their athletes although not every club was compliant with this and it led to problems later. Divisional Secretaries Reports Premier Division Anne Owen Match 1 WSEH at Eton A very well organised match. There were no specific problems that were brought to my attention on the day. There were some queries with registrations but these were all sorted. Jan Lishman, the scrutineer was present at the match so she was able to collect the results. Match 2 Edinburgh at Grangemouth Again a well organised match. There were some queries regarding registrations but these were sorted out on the day. Page 5

6 The results team found that it would have been far more beneficial if they had been using two computers to produce the results, since the changes to previously declared athletes slowed down the process of producing results on the day. Match 3 Southampton at Southampton Again a very well organised match. No issues were reported on the day although athletes did have a concern over the horizontal jump pits. Many thanks to all three clubs who hosted the matches for all their hard work and excellent organisation. I feel that contact details need to be in the Handbook with the consent of individuals concerned. ( this will be done) Divisions 2 and 3 Reports Sharon Herbert Match 1 at Bedford First match and first double header of the season at Bedford, worked well, and ground staff always very helpful. As there are outside throwing area the start was not as early as normal. Kayleigh Presswell, Milton Keynes Division 2 Hammer record of 61.64m Athletes of the match Victoria Ohorougue, NEB, and Amy Odunaiya, City of Liverpool Match 2 Double Header at Liverpool This match started earlier and there were a few grumbles by team managersew but everyone settled down and everything went smoothly. Athletes of the matches, Danielle McGifford, Wigan Harriers, and Chloe Williams, Havering. Match 3 Division 2 at Sheffield As only a single header there was not as much atmosphere but all went ahead smoothly. Athletes of the match Finette Agyepong with in 200m for NEB, this was also a divisional record, Match 3 Division 3 at Lee Valley As I was at Sheffield I could not attend this match. However as lee Valley staff are very good I would not have expected any problems and none were reported. Athlete of the match was Stacey Ward, City of Liverpool Congratulations to Wigan and Herts Phoenix going up to Division 1 next season and to Havering and Nene Valley to Division 2. This Year I was involved with the scrutinising, which is an onerous task especially if forms are not clear to read, as I imputed for both divisions at the first match. Thank you to the League for allowing us to stay on the Sunday night to start the checking of results so there were not too many errors to sort. Page 6

7 Alan Johnson asked why the Divisional Secretaries did not send their reports to the clubs as this would take up less time at the AGM. Proposals It was agreed to take the proposals Out of Order as the results could have an impact on the dates and venues. This year the UKWAL, although retaining its individuality, will be under the banner of the National Athletics League This was agreed by the meeting BAL have agreed, in principle, to provide officials Proposal By Trafford, Seconded by WSEH. To change Rule 1 to read there shall be four matches per season. Before Mike Harris explained his Proposal, Irene Speller, WSEH, explained why she had had a change of heart concerning this proposal. She had reservations concerning a May date, with clashes and warm weather training in 2019.and also the fact that we do not want to lose any clubs from the league. Mike had done a survey with BAL and some UKWAL clubs and athletes who not only wanted joint matches but would welcome four matches. Unfortunately this survey had not included all UKWAL clubs. Mike went on to say that a high profile was needed and therefore four matches would seem logical. There is a real battle if only three matches and there is one poor match for the team, much better if four matches as easier to redeem after a poor match. Paul Isenwater mentioned about Four away matches and the problems this could cause. Manuel Da Silva would not be happy with a May match as too near the European Clubs meeting. Nene valley felt they would struggle with four. Laura Turner Alleyne felt that an extra year to make a decision would be more beneficial Anne Scott felt that with four matches we could be asking athletes to do too much especially with the clashes which were appearing. Elizabeth Wilder pointed out that money would be a problem if the league went to four matches Sharon Heveran said that three matches would be the better prospect as difficulties could arise if trying to get athletes out for four matches. Lyn Orbell was happy with joint fixtures as this created a much better atmosphere Vote 2019 for four matches For 7, Against 22, Abstentions 1 There will be three matches in 2019 Page 7

8 Proposal To consider four matches for 2020 For 23 Against 0 Abstensions 2 Dates and Venues The secretary explained that these were nearly finalised as far as UKWAL was concerned. The Dates, Venues and Host Clubs will be put on the UKWAL website. Results Programme Alan Johnson mentioned that a new results programme should be in place for the coming season. It is similar to the YDL which should make things much easier. There will be a slight change of the Rule in the Handbook to accommodate the new set up. Liz and Jan had been concerned about the results programme not being compatible with a Mac but Simon is hoping to work something out. Jan pointed out that host clubs must send all paper work to the scrutineers including a paper declaration sheet. Election of Officers This was unanimous Mike Harris will take over as Divisional escretary for the Premier Division Ann Owen will be Division 1 Secretary Sharon Herbert will take on more as a Scrutineer We still need Division Secretaries for Divisions 2 and 3 AOB It will be mentioned to BAL about our AGM dates as there is a clash with Scottish Athletics Awards Evening. We will be having a meeting with BAL in December to continue our discussions and the best way forward The ideas put forward by Ray Gibbins were not discussed asray could not attend the AGM Thank you to everyone The meeting closed at 3.25 pm Page 8

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