WEST HOCKEY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD ON 12 JUNE 2014 AT TAUNTON VALE HOCKEY CLUB, COMMENCING 7.30 PM 1 PRESENT: Terry Cook, President/Hereford HC; Phil Morrish, Hon Treasurer/Bridgwater; Peter Lovell, West Umpire Secretary; Val Shipsey, Honorary Secretary; Alison Cook; Herefordshire; Julie Morrish, Bridgwater/Ladies League; Carolyn Rolleston, Glos Hockey; Mike Tucker, Devon; Angie Pearce, Glos Hockey Assoc and Cheltenham HC; Sandra Wickham, Somerset/TVSC; Barbara Reynolds, EH/Cornwall/Penzance HC; Angie Atherton, Glos Hockey Assoc; Ann Dacombe, Dorset rep; Jean Walker, Dorset School Girls/Disciplinary; Brian Christian, Salisbury HC; Gill Cork, Dorset President; Katherine Jones, Keynsham (formerly Frys); Keith Dingle; Gabby Richardson/Jodie Honour, Winscombe Ladies; Sam Tallowin, Dart; Richard Williamson, Gillingham; Martin Jenkins, West Masters and Isca; Todd Dudley, Exeter Uni; Mike Sheppard, Lansdown; Eileen Denley, Minehead Ladies. Lynne Nash, Minute Taker. APOLOGIES: Imperial; Hazel Bound; Jan Wilson, President Avon; Patrick Collings (Cornwall); Devizes; Westberries; Joan Davies; Swindon; Caroline Maddocks, Wilts; Pucklechurch; Badminton Ladies; Bristol Bluebirds; Mendip; Yeovil and Sherborne; Chuck Baker; Jan Baker; Team Bath Buccs; Tim Horsfield; Truro; Swindon; Swanage and Wareham; Liz Powell; Bodmin; Andy Blackmoor, EH; Jenny Mitchell, EH/Exe; Joan Davies; Wick Ladies; Yate. INTRODUCTION Meeting commenced at 7.30 pm. Terry Cook, President, welcomed all to this year's AGM. 2 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING HELD ON 27 JUNE 2013 These had been circulated and were taken as read. There were no amendments and it was agreed the minutes be signed by the President as an accurate record. 3 MATTERS ARISING There were no matters arising. 4 HON SECRETARY'S REPORT Val Shipsey thanked Lynne Nash for minute-taking. She also thanked all those in the West for their support in organising events during the last year. 5 HON TREASURER'S REPORT Phil Morrish presented the annual report. The result for the year is a deficit of 13356 and this compares to a profit of 3707 last year. Income decreased by 20719 whilst expenditure decreased by 3656. Phil corrected Para 7 which should read "Our reserve basis decreased by 10056..." 1
The 2012 AGM had agreed that WHA should investigate ways of 'distributing' a fairly large funds balance. This had promoted a healthy debate, culminating in the suggestion that a grant system be put in place. Phil emphasised that WHA already offers considerable support through both affiliations and competitions fees. Clubs and Youth have benefitted from WHA absorbing some costs rather than persuing breakeven for competitions. Phil suggested that affiliation fees remain the same for the forthcoming year and that competition entry fees could be kept as low as possible this year. It is anticipated that the budget will be for a similar loss this forthcoming year as last year. There will still be the possibility of grant funding available, but this requires Council meetings deciding how much money is available at any given point. Phil then invited questions. Grants: A question arose as to the current situation around grants. Phil explained that the original suggestion had been that the high level of reserves be utilised by looking at means of spending this to support hockey in the West - this could include the possibility of specific grants. As already discussed, support had already been provided through help with affiliations and competition fees. This has meant that such support inevitably results in a decrease of reserves and that there are longer-term financial implications to this. This did not mean that the more formal grant making suggestion could not be pursued again at a future date. There was some feeling that whilst clubs understood there to be discussion, there was a feeling that little concrete had come of this. Phil emphasised that there have been many suggestions, including drafting procedures, but West Council had also taken the opportunity to look responsibly at the on-going financial implications. At the recent financial meeting, West Council had recognised a need to engage in on-going budgetting strategies in order to help identify problem areas more speedily. Kit Replacement: There is a recognised reserve for kit replacement. The question arose as to whether there is a need to keep back as much as at present. Phil explained that Performance creates a surplus and this surplus is used for funding. Expenditure would eventually plateau and then expenditure would occur as and when. 6 SETTING OF AFFILIATION FEES Phil Morrish, Hon Treasurer, recommended that based on 2013-2014, WHA affiliation fees and mileage rates remain the same for 2014-2015. He suggested there is likely to be a 13000 loss in the next financial year, reflecting the current level of affiliation fees. There is an anticipated profit from Performance. 2
AGREED ACTION: That WHA affiliation fees and mileage rates for the 2014-2015 season should be as follows:- 10 per adult team 5 per occasional team 0 per school 15 penalty per adult team if not received before 31 October 2014 0 penalty per school team if not received before 31 October 2014 Mileage to remain at 30p per mile Proposed: Sam Tallowin Seconded: Peter Lovell Carried. 1 abstention 7 APPROVAL OF ACCOUNTS Approval of the accounts was agreed as follows:- Proposed: Julie Morrish Seconded: Val Shipsey Carried Unanimously 8 REPORTS FROM OFFICERS 8.1 Regional Discipline Report There seemed to be an increase in MMOs in the 2013-2014 season, which promoted some discussion. At the moment there is no come back on clubs. Peter Lovell, West Umpiring Secretary, commented that every club should have a disciplinary officer in place. Some clubs do engage in disciplinary practices, which makes it easier to deal if there is a problem. The Ladies League supply figures at the end of each season. However, it appears that not all yellow cards are entered on the match reports. It would be left to individual clubs to administer any discipline. The AGM would like West Council to discuss these disciplinary problems and to provide some guidance to clubs. Special mention was made of a practice of invoking suspensions for red cards over the Christmas period, when it had least impact. There had been some discussion around splitting the '16 days', but this has since been rejected. Sandra Wickham felt there was a particular problem with under-18s swearing, and that action needed to be taken to stem this habit. Umpires should not have to suffer appalling language, nor being shouted at. The quickest way to resolve this practice would be to send the offending player off, which is the umpires responsibility. It is really about a tolerance policy. There is a discrepancy in practice by different levels of umpires. However, dealing with such behaviour should also be the responsibility of individual clubs, not that of the umpire alone. 3
AGREED ACTION: To note recognition that clubs should be actively reminded of their responsibility around incidences of abusive behaviour, and that umpires should not accept this behaviour. 8.2 Regional Manager Report Barbara Reynolds emphasised the following points. There had been a large increase in interest across the West following the Olympics which has been sustained (keeping new players in clubs). Six-months ago EH had failed to meet one of their targets - around 16-25-year-olds. There has been an increase in Ladies Sport England statistics, but an anticipated drop in the summer. It may be that the end of October is the wrong time to collect information. EH will now collect information at the beginning of the season and again in January. Reference was made to various strategies currently in hand: Back to Hockey, Rush Hockey, Club School Links and School Games. Single System review now completed and proposed changes will be implemented over next 12-24 months. There are considerable efforts to 'Increase Our Visibility' through Hockey Nation Activities, Maxinutrition Hockey 5s, World Cup 2014, Commonwealth Games Glasgow and hosting future International events. Efforts are being made to 'Enhance Our Infrastructure' through Club Strategy, ClubsFirst and coaching. There had been a very good response to a recent club survey, 500 out of 850, providing data and massive insight to inform future strategies. It had been recognised that many Saturday League players prefer not to undertake formal training. Some would rather play in the evenings and cannot necessarily commit to longer games. Reports arising from the survey should be available by the beginning of July. ClubsFirst has been re-launched and reduced, especially where there was duplication with EH. Also now open to younger clubs, not simply Juniors. Coaching is currently under review. As from September there will be no Level 1 or 2 courses running for the season until next March because of undergoing a complete rewrite. CPD workshops will run instead, hopefully with some in each County. In terms of facilities, many County and District Councils are writing up strategies covering sports. It is vital that hockey provides the right information at the right time to support a pitch building strategy, eg, working alongside new builds, implementing workshops across the West. Hockey Nation will be running a series of events, culminating in a club weekend on 7th/8th September - follow links on the EH website to register. The AGM recognised that should be an emphasis on coaching qualifications, but wondered how this sat with demands for how many people should have the qualification, especially if there are people who cannot get through. CPD courses are in place, but hopefully when re-written, will be more fit-for-purpose, possibly on a modular basis. 4
8.3 West Performance Report 8.4 Competitions Report Liz Powell had requested counties send entries in as soon as possible for her to work on. Alison Cook referred to Indoor competition on 13th/14th December, there being a clash with League fixtures. The Mens League had asked her whether the Mens Indoor could be held on a Saturday so as not to compromise League matches and umpiring appointments. AGREED ACTION: Peter Lovell to raise the issue of Indoor competition clash on 13th/14th December with Liz Powell. Provisional dates will be provided as soon as firmed up and school information is available. There are a number of influencing factors, including county tournaments. It is better for clubs and schools if dates remain fixed and not changed. Better to avoid Easter holidays when many families go away. Key thing is to keep a centralised calendar. AGREED ACTION: Peter Lovell to speak with Liz Powell regarding maintaining fixed dates. 8.4 Umpires Secretary Report Peter Lovell made special mention of Ben Garrod from Avon, aged 16 years, who was awarded the National Young Umpire of the year award and also gained his Level 2 umpire qualification this year. There are 11-year-olds attaining Level 1, but there are problems with retention given the limitation of games they can umpire. EH advice is to keep age appropriate and at least to ensure that there is an appropriate person available should there be difficulties. A new Level 1 umpire award was introduced in February, which involved a full-day course with practical coaching. There is an issue is that much of the funding is going to EH to the detriment of County Umpire Association funds. Any club can organise a Level 1 course with a training tutor, but there must be a minimum of 15 people. It would also be helpful if clubs could help out by providing players for the practical side at courses. 5
A revamped Young Umpires Course will be out at the beginning of the season - to be named 'Introduction to Umpiring Course', which will be County based. Some suggestion EH might supply equipment free-of-charge. Hospitality Cups: Mens Award went to Westbury & United Banks. Womens Award went to Lydney. Pete Lovell mentioned the intention to commence a 'Kickstart' initiative to increase the number of L1 umpires, perhaps offering clubs free places. Phil Morrish reflected that umpires are self-funding in the same way as masters, but this did not preclude applications to WHA for financial assistance from time-to-time. 8.6 Masters Report Martin Jenkins, for Jon Marshall, emphasised the following points. There were problems with clashes of dates for trials and practice matches. Mens tournament results were very impressive. During the next 18-24 months the intention is to concentrate on engaging with players between 35-40 years to keep them informed and involved. Some players have gone on to International representation. Master is mostly self-funding, but there is an allocation for kit. Do have to self-fund travel and hotel costs. EH had tried to rationalise funding - 200 per team per tournament, which then had to be collected from regions/players. Some funding returned to EH. Not really practical, and somewhat convoluted. Trying to continue getting all posts filled, eg, county representatives and to have a manager selector for each age group. Jon Marshall has spent a lot of time submitting reports, proposals and criticism to EH regarding the way Masters Hockey is organised. There is a need for some sort of process or structure as dissatisfaction remained amongst all the Regions. Masters hockey would benefit from some sort of representative Regional committee, engaging in discussion with EH. The President noted that the number of England players from West is excellent. 8.7 Women's League Report Report had been previously circulated and was taken as read, which included regulation/rule changes for 2014-2015. Julie Morrish mentioned that there had been a discussion at the recent AGM regarding match report books and whether they should be electronic instead of hard copy. Such a system would reduce costs for printing, but could potentially involve more work for club secretaries in printing match report sheets. Clubs will be asked their views and there will be further discussion at the next AGM. 6
Congratulations to Cheltenham on their promotion. Of 284 fixtures - only 18 unfulfilled. 8.8 Men's League Report The intention is to not have a printed handbook next year because the information changes so rapidly. In future information will be downloaded electronically from the website 9 ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND OFFICIALS Officers and Officials were duly elected as follows:- President: Terry Cook Carried unanimously Vice Presidents: Keith Dingle/Jan Baker Carried unanimously Hon Secretary: Val Shipsey Proposed Peter Lovell Seconded Julie Morrish Carried unanimously Hon Treasurer: Phil Morrish Proposed: Val Shipsey Seconded: Alison Cook Carried unanimously The following nominations were taken en bloc:- Hon Secretary - Competitions Committee: Hon Secretary - Umpiring Committee: Hon Secretary - Performance Committee: Hon Secretary - Masters Committee: Liz Powell Peter Lovell Jan Baker Jon Marshall Proposed: (Val Shipsey) Seconded: (Alison Cook) Carried unanimously A question arose as to whether job descriptions exist to describe the various roles, so that future prospective nominees can be aware of what tasks involve. AGREED ACTION: WHA to give consideration during the next 12 months to creating job descriptions. 10 CONSTITUTION CHANGES Consideration has been given to some changes to the WHA Constitution, and a draft constitution circulated, following a review in December 2013. Some notes had also been provided regarding some specific amendments. There had been a major re-write relating to Umpires Committee, to reflect the wish that it becomes more representative of the Umpiring sections within the regions. 7
Amendment to 9.3: Quorum to be reduced from twelve to ten, which must include two county representatives. AGREED ACTION: Constitution changes agreed as discussed. Carried with 3 abstentions 11 FORMATION OF LIMITED COMPANY There was a proposal that WHA formed a Limited Company. This had been the subject of considerable discussion by Council. Phil Morrish, Hon Treasurer, had provided a rationale for West Hockey Association becoming a Ltd Company by Guarantee, which had been circulated. This provided both the pros and cons of such a proposal. This AGM meeting needs to consider whether WHA wishes to proceed with Incorporation. This discussion is within the interests of the WHA, West Council and individual members. Our current constitution would form part of the Memorandum and Articles of the Company. There would be a preliminary legal cost of approximately 200-250, and then on-going annual accounting costs. HMRC are clamping down on misuses at the top levels in sports and could behave very stringently to even minor infringements, ie, these could result in in-depth investigations of an organisation In the event of HMRC having been unaware of employment, the penalty could be heavy, especially if this has to be back-dated by several years. HMRC have also commenced a system of Real Time information. This is a new PAYE system and failure to provide the proper information can incur consequences for the organisation involved, which could include HMRC investigation. If WHA were to adopt a PAYE system in relation to coaches, the cost is likely to increase and would also probably require the services of a full-time treasurer. Formation of a Limited Company offers protection to Committee officials. EH have met with Counties to share information in order to assist them in reaching a decision. Cornwall said they were under the impression sub-committee accounts would then form part of the main accounts. At the moment each sub-committee is required to provide copies of accounts to WHA. It may be that it will be necessary to incorporate each sub-committees figure within the West accounts. It is complicated by a lack of consistency in financial end of year dates. EH had referred to a letter from HMRC offering help. HMRC can, if it chooses, look closely at Regions, then to Counties, then to asset owning clubs. HMRC are certainly likely to look closely at asset owning clubs and the larger national league clubs. Alison Cook recognised that it is in the future interests of WHA to form a Limited Company in order to properly protect individuals and to avoid private individuals being exposed to unacceptable personal financial risk. 8
Terry Cook emphasised that the Council are seeking support to work towards becoming a Limited Company. This will necessitate the dissolving of one organisation and the setting-up of another. Agreement at this AGM would allow West Council to progress to the next stage. It may be necessary to hold an EGM in due course. AGREED ACTION: WHA supports the principle of working towards WHA becoming a Limited Company by Guarantee. Proposed: Keith Dingle Seconded: Sam Tallowin Carried with 1 abstention 12 ANY OTHER BUSINESS There was no other business. 13 DATE OF AGM 2015 To be advised. The meeting was closed at 9.15pm. LCN/190614 9