AGM 2005/6
Contents
Agenda
minutes from previous season
chairman’s report
Treasurer’s report
Agenda
Minutes (previous year’s AGM)
Chairman’s report
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT – Kieron Cotter – AGM – WSYL – 13th June 2005
May I welcome you all to the West Surrey Youths League AGM for the end of the 2005 season. This has been my sixth year as your Chairman and I would like to thank the Clubs and our Management Committee for their continued support.
For the coming season the league continues to grow, we have attracted 445 teams which will give us a playing membership of nearly 7000.
Looking back to the year 2000 the league had 260 teams and 3900 players, so you can see how we have grown.
The commitment shown by your Management Committee remains faultless and I am delighted to report that the team for next year remains virtually unchanged. To be able to maintain our excellence the Management Committee now has over 30 members.
Because of their commitment to running of this league they give up a tremendous amount of a very valuable commodity and that’s time. Many if not all have other commitments both in the work place and at home yet every week they all find time to make sure that you have fixtures to play.
I would like to add my own heart felt thanks for their commitment and support and it has been an absolute pleasure to work with you all.
I am sure you will agree with me that your Management Team deserves generous recognition and a big thank you.
Whilst I am on the subject of the Management Committee a plea please from our Registration Secretary. Please do not send your registrations by recorded post as his wife works shift work and gets woken up to sign for your mail. A Post Office receipt will be proof of posting.
To promote youth football can I remind all the clubs here today that for the under 7’s and under 8’s there is no joining fee nor is there any registration fees, to join the league in those age groups is completely free.
This year we organised a ‘Fun day’ with various competitions for the under 7’s at AFC Wimbledon. The event was attended by over 170 under 7’s and was a total success, as such we will be repeating the event next season.
Presentation day on Saturday last was extremely successful and well supported. For all those who attended in setting up the trophies and organising the teams, namely, Dave and Gail Workman, Debbie Birch, Pam and Roy Lomax, Ian Brockman and his son Wayne, Sarah Street and Neil Excell a huge thank you. When you think that they were there at 9am until 6pm, we presented over 1100 trophies and medals to 73 teams. For the first time this year we recognised the hard work of the teams Managers and awarded them each with a medal. We estimated the day was attended by about 3,500 people. As you can imagine we were all shattered at the end. But the day went like clockwork.
However on one particular age group (the under 14’s) four teams turned up with just 4 or 6 players. This is not acceptable and when we refused to let there managers take the surplus trophies away we were subject to a torrent of abuse. No one deserves being treated in this manner after all the effort was made to make the day a day to remember. It is not acceptable for clubs /teams to arrange to enter tournaments on a presentation day. Apart from that incident it was a real pleasure for us to receive much praise from others.
Earlier this year we sent out letters to a number of clubs, highlighting their poor sportsmanship marks. Those clubs were warned that unless there was a marked improvement they would be required to attend a disciplinary hearing where it would be decided if they were to be allowed to reapply for membership for the coming season. Those of you who have visited our web site will have seen the decisions we came to.
This season again saw tremendous successes in the County Cups. We were winners in the Surrey County Cup for under 11,12,13,14, and 15. Plus in the under 15’s we also won the Hampshire County Cup and we were Champions in the Middlesex County Cup at under 13’s, 14’s and under 15 finalists.
We were Inter-league Champions at under 10, 13, 14 and 15 and were Inter-league runners up at under 11 and 12,
I just wonder if anyone anywhere in the UK can say what I have just said. It is a remarkable achievement and these kinds of results can only be achieved with all your dedication in promoting football amongst our youth. In light of those results I would like to give my heartfelt thanks for all your efforts, extremely well done and thank you.
I am delighted to inform you that we continue to receive the support from our sponsor for the coming season. Our sponsor is “Instant Portfolio” a property development company. We thank you for your support, which assists the league in so many ways.
Next year we will have reached a landmark in the West Surrey Youth League, the league was started in 1966 and we will have been in existence for forty years. I have put in motion and have had a positive response in asking the Premiership Football League Clubs for signed memorabilia. We will enter every club in a free draw and those names that are drawn out will receive the memorablier so that they can either raffle or auction the item to raise funds for their respective clubs.
May I thank you for your continued support and I continue to be extremely proud to be able to represent the WSYL. May I wish you all a well earned rest this summer and my very best wishes to you, your families and to all your teams, and the very best of luck for the coming season.
…………………………………………….
Kieron Cotter
13//06/2005
Treasurer’s report
West Surrey Youth League – Key points for the Financial year Mar 04 to Feb 05
Because of the need to present audited figures to the AGM these results do not follow a “traditional” football season, Thus some figures such as cup finals will relate to the previous season (2003/4).
If you have any detailed questions please submit to dlomax@wsyl.org.uk and these will be answered at the AGM.
Expenditure
Trophies: Again this season we have increased our trophies budget, This is due to the fact that this season we have again increased the number of divisions, which has meant that we needed to purchase more trophies, although again this season we have been able to maintain the quality level of the trophies.
Registration System: There was a slight increase in the yearly “on going” cost to £2005, however because of our increased cash flow this year, from sponsorship money we have purchased ID cards for the next 3 years and thus taken advance of bulk prices which will save the league just under £1k over 3 years. The on going costs of running the registration system is approximately £5,700 although we received £2,200 from registration services offered to the SCGL.
Officers Expenses: Expenses still continues to be a major expense, Although last year expenses were high, this season we have more committee members and more teams yet expenses has been reduced by over £1,100, this is almost entirely down to the use of the web site and email. This has dramatically reduced the cost of stamps and telephone calls.
Payment to General Secretary: This season this figure was the same as last year although with the extra workload from new teams this will increase for next season. The principle of a payment was approved by the membership 4 years ago.
Payment to Registration Secretary: Again this year the production of ID cards was contracted out at 50p per ID card.
Cup Finals: This figure relates to Cup Finals in season 2003/4, but semi finals for this season. Following on from the first time last season we aimed again to play semi finals on neutral grounds. For the finals we took a discussion to hire “Senior” grounds such as AFC Wimbledon / Imber Court / Cobham and Egham with a “quality” program, This obviously was a more expensive option than previous years but we wanted to try and make the day as “special” as possible for the teams that had battled through to the finals.
Inter-league: This year the WSYL had another successful year in Inter-league competitions, The cost only showed a very small increase over last season.
Stationery: The cost of stationery is in line with the previous season.
Rules Books: Again this season Gary Downs won the contract for production of the rule books, Even though this season the book is bigger and we required more copies, we were able to save money on previous seasons, this was due to the fact that “art work” was reduced as clubs submitted details via the web site.
Purchase of Equipment: Although this is showing as a cost this season it will be covered by a grant from the FA.
Applications returned: This is application fees for teams withdrawing before the AGM, This is down on previous seasons.
Hall Hire: This is the direct costs of hiring Imber Court for Committee meetings, AGM and Presentation day. The reason this figure is reduced from last season is that we are still waiting for invoices to be received.
Web Site: This is the direct cost of running the web site.
Income
Applications/Registration Due to the number of extra teams this season this figure has increased by 5%
Because of the revised financing structure for forth coming season this figure will be reduced next season.
Fines: There was a 43% increase in fines this season, making fines the second biggest generator of revenue. However it is revenue that we would rather not have although it is effectively subsiding every team by £15.
Players Registrations: The percentage increase this year is in line with the additional teams that we had.
Sponsorship: This was the first season for some time that we have received any sponsorship money.
Payments from SCGL: The increase is as a direct result of the increase in the size of the SCGL, We expect this figure to increase next season as well. This figure is not all profit as cost of production of ID cards needs to be deducted.
Telephone Result service: Even though we have more teams this season the revenue has decreased, This is due to less people using it for updated results with people preferring to wait for the web site, We expected this drop in
revenue.
Cup Finals: This is essentially the revenue generated from program sales. This was the first season for some time that we made the purchase of programs a requirement of entry to the cup finals. This was to cover the extra cost of hiring “senior” grounds.
Donations: This was an unexpected bonus generously donated by out going Registration Secretary Alan Watson on behalf of Overground Express couriers, we used some of this money to purchase additional cups and shields for new divisions that had been created this season.
Web Site: The website continues to be self funding.
Bank Interest: There was an increase in this figure this year due to general interest rate rises and changes in our account T&Cs
Written off Cheques: All cheques relating to the previous season had been cashed so there were no cheques to write off this year.
Conclusion/Summary
This year we have an excess of income over expenditure “Profit” of just over £2,500, However this season we have received £4,000 for which we did not budget (£3,000 sponsorship money from Instant Portfolio and £1,000 from Alan Watson/Overground Express Couriers). We have also managed to save teams £30 per year with the withdrawal of the Goal Magazine which has become redundant with the greater use of the web site. And with the ability to submit result cards via the web this has saved teams on average £6 a season on stamps. Unless there is a dramatic decrease in the number of fines we receive (something that sadly is not predicted) we do not envisage having to raise application fees or registration fees for the next 2 years at least
David Lomax W.S.Y.L. League Treasurer
Dlomax@wsyl.org.uk
