I thought it was about time that I started a blog on our website to give a more personal touch to it. Please bear with me!
It has been an eventful year for me as Treasurer for the club and I’ve only now got everything nailed down and in order. Paula did a great job for many years but with her main role being Club Secretary (i.e., the person who does everything for the club!) it was looking like it was just one thing too much. So, at the 2012 AGM I volunteered to help out and that was that.
With Paula now on the Barking & Havering District League committee and with Corinthians looking to get an online league table site up and running for the new season, it is a busy time ahead!
Our finances are in good shape and the outlook is healthy for the club. We have a great core of members and we implemented some changes this year which seemed to have been a success. For example, we tried getting membership fees by standing order each month and match fees up front at the start of the season. These have helped to simplify my job and make it much easier to get on top of things and it has been embraced by the club members.
With the addition of our website (this one!), Facebook page, Facebook Group and Twitter account, we are starting our next phase of the club in the 21st century. The website was put together with the aim of publicising the club to a wider audience and it has evolved into a site which has more than just the address of the club. It now shows the league tables of our teams, some news as well as a calendar of events (matches, social events, special events, etc). It’s still evolving and hopefully more of the members will get involved and have more ideas about the direction it should take.
The Facebook page shows the same information as the website and the Twitter account is designed to give quick updates to members in case of last minute hall closures, etc. Our Facebook Group is where the banter takes place and is helping to create a more social element to the club by bringing the members together outside of the badminton courts. Our photos from social events, general information and more specific member only information is posted there and there is already a small core group of members who actively participate.
So, while things are quiet in the close season, there is plenty to look forward to. Our AGM has just taken place and it was good to see a big turnout of members. Everyone got involved, spoke up and expressed a genuine want to get involved in the club’s decision making process. This was great news as it shows that the members care about the club, want to get involved in the club and genuinely love being a part of the club. It was sad to see our Chairperson, Tony, stepping down in his retirement (see the news page) but it was great to see Noel stepping up to take on the role. There was no uncomfortable silence or shifting in chairs, there was just a good response which is great. The other roles (team captains, match secretary, club secretary and treasurer) all stayed with the same people who were happy to continue in their respective role.
So, now that we have had our AGM and the agenda for the next season is set, we just have a couple of months to get prepared for the new season. Plenty of time for more social events, good club nights and more laughs!
– Ross
