1. Present:
- Laurence Mellor (Chairman)
- Philippa Carter (Treasurer and Secretary)
- Rob Morgan (Chairman, Ascott-under-Wychwood Parish Council)
- Mike Ody (Wychwood Foresters FC)
- Rob Schofield (Wychwood FC Youth)
2. Apologies – None received
3. AGM Minutes 2010 – Accepted
4. Matters Arising – None
5. Chairman’s Report
May I first of all thank Philippa Carter for her continued hard work and professionalism as our Secretary and Treasurer. During the year Philippa has examined ways of reducing our expenditure, rationalised our administration and ensured that our accounts are in order.
Thank you also to Mary Barnes who, as you all know, does much more than simply clean and we are grateful to her for all her hard work. It was especially pleasing to receive positive comments from a recent visitor to the pavilion regarding the high standard of cleanliness and hygiene she had encountered, something which was not always the case at other venues she had visited.
During the year the Sports Club had played host to three major events. These were the Village Jubilee Celebrations, Football Tournament and Village Fun Run. Sadly, despite wide spread publicity we are still without a cricket team and this and other factors has put a strain on our finances which I know Philippa will mention in her Treasurer’s Report.
Finally, a sincere thank you to you all for your attendance this evening and continued support.
6. Treasurer’s Report
The Balance Sheet as at 30 June 2012 shows a surplus of £677.45. However, there were some late payments of fees, in particular £500 from the outgoing football team which will not be repeated.
Utility bills have stabilised after the sharp increase of last year. The Sports Club has benefited from a Council Tax holiday in the past two years but this will not continue indefinitely. Maintenance bills were reduced this year but compliance with fire safety regulations within the pavilion cost £192.
New football goalposts and nets were purchased with donations from Ascott Village Charity, Ascott Parish Council, Wychwood FC and Ascott Sports Club. Wychwood Foresters installed the posts. Thanks were expressed to all for their contributions.
Ways of increasing income were discussed and both football managers offered to increase their subscription contributions. This was accepted with thanks from the chairman and treasurer. Wychwood Foresters plan to hold their end-of-season football tournament again and will contribute a higher fee. There were discussions about ways of hiring out the pavilion and field more often and the secretary will advertise this in the Ascott-u-Wychwood Grapevine.
7. Secretary’s Report
Philippa Carter holds the bookings diary
8. Club Reports
Wychwood Foresters FC – Mike Ody, Manager, reported that last season had been successful and that this season had started very well with the team in 5th position out of 14 in their league. There is a lot of interest and they are hoping to play a reserve team next season. Mike stated that they would be prepared to increase their subscription (paid in advance) from £300 to £450 for the 1st team next season and also to make a donation towards utility bills. Subscriptions for the reserve team will be negotiated when/if the team does start. Mike was very complimentary about the facilities at Ascott, both ground and changing rooms. He would like to store their temporary outdoor lights off the ground and also to help rationalise the garage so that access is much easier for all users. Laurence and he will liaise.
Wychwood FC – Rob Schofield, Manager, reported that last season was not very successful but that this season had started very well and that there is currently great enthusiasm to continue next season. Rob offered to increase their subscription (paid in arrears) from £15 per game to £20. The girls’ team only played one match last season. Rob was also very complimentary about the Ascott pitch and pavilion. He stated that the club did not have many teams coming through in the middle age-group but that there were a lot of young players coming up and he would always recommend Ascott pitch for use by Wychwood FC.
9 Fees and Subscriptions (2012/13)
Wychwood Foresters FC £300 increasing to £450 in 2013/14
Wychwood FC (Youth) £20 per session
Windrush Valley School £25 per session
Ascott Pre-School Toddler Group £8.50 per session
Private Hire £25 per session
Private Club Meetings £10 per meeting
10 Pavilion Maintenance
- Compliance to current Fire Regulations has been upgraded and this includes heat detectors and a concrete ramp (built by Laurence) outside the kitchen door.
- A board for kicking mud off football boots will be fixed to the outside wall near the entrance to the changing rooms.
- Brackets will be fixed to the outside wall to store the outdoor lights for football training.
- The garage will be better organised and in particular the village marquee will be lifted, unused kit stored elsewhere and an extension lead purchased to make electricity more accessible at the front of the garage.
- Mike Ody stated that he swept the excess mud out of the dressing rooms after each game and Philippa asked both managers if it was possible to sweep mud off the patio stones as wet muddy stones are a slip hazard, particularly for users of the Toddler Group.
11. Ground Maintenance
- Moles are an ongoing problem. A pest controller has already attended once this season but it is too expensive to call him back every time moles return. The clubs were asked to use their judgement and inform the management when mole activity becomes a real risk to players’ safety.
- Wildlife droppings have been reported by most users. These are usually fox droppings and the only way to deal with them is to remove them just before using the ground.
- Bad Drainage can be a problem in the upper half of the football pitch when weather is particularly wet. Ways of improving this situation were discussed and Mike Ody agreed to obtain a quotation for the Parish Council to consider.
12. AOB – None