HUB CLUB UPDATE
An update on the new Pavilion and Pitch. Sorry it is a bit long, but there is a lot to report.
Just like all of you who have been down to the Club in the last weeks, it is fantastic to see the building actually taking shape. As far as I am aware, our Contractor and the Design team are actually ahead of target and we all look forward to Autumn when it is completed and we can enjoy all that it will then offer us.
But please do not think that this means we have nothing more to do. There is still a funding gap, we still have a complex lease agreement to conclude with the Wilton Estate, we still have the pitch contract to negotiate and appoint and we have a huge amount of on-going work managing the contract and selecting internal fittings.
Here are a few simple updates on these points, but the underlying theme is that we must continue to fund raise through 2011 and well beyond this if we are to have a thriving and successful club.
Funding gap
We entered into the contract with a funding gap of £106,000 . We have an outstanding application into Wiltshire Council for some of their Performance Reward Grant and this has proven to be a complex application process, but the good news is that we have re-submitted some required details and it is our belief that we should receive a substantial grant from this source.
Our own fund raising has been absolutely fantastic by any standards and one of the key elements in impressing all other funders. We as a Club are putting up over £200,000 of our own funds and this is rare. It shows that we have never asked for “something for nothing” and believe in this overall Project ourselves. The efforts continue and we hope that during 2011 our various events will raise £5,000 to maybe £15,000 depending on a few key events.
My own view is that as long as we can spread the loan in organisational terms and as long as we can involve a good number of non-members of the club (so that we are not forever taking money off the same members) and if the events we deliver are enjoyable, then why not keep going ? The funds that we are raising now are for the new Pavilion, but once we have it, both the Sports Club and the Member Sections should look to on-going events that raise money jointly to meet any funding gap we still have, or to contribute to the Sports club or split so that both it and the Member Section benefits.
This whole process has brought Member Sections closer together, so why not keep going with all this. The fact is that if Member Sections AND the Sports club are financially healthy through fund raising or sponsorship then it allows al concerned to deliver more in terms of the sports we offer.
If, after all fund raising this year and all our applications are done, we are left with a funding gap, then this will be easily met by taking up the Loans pledged by Members. The good news for all those who did this is that when applied in a proportionate way, the amounts from individuals will be a lot less than was pledged.
New lease
This is soon to be concluded, but for those who do not know, our existing leases cover about 19 acres which includes the old clubhouse, the grounds AND the Golf Driving Range. We will relinquish the old clubhouse and the drive down to it which the Estate will develop as 5 small houses. After a lot of debate and very considerable negotiation, the Club is also relinquishing the Golf Driving Range so that it becomes fully controlled by the Estate. We are thus giving up this income but in effect we are selling this lease back to the Estate and getting what we think is a fair price for it.
One vital point is that we have negotiated the new boundary so that , if and when the Club requires, there is sufficient room to the west of the existing artificial pitch to lay down a second full size artificial pitch. This is our long planned Phase 3 where we would look to funding from Soccer and Rugby to lay a dedicated, full size pitch for use by these sports.
We hope to conclude this new lease in the coming weeks. Suffice to say that we have thought long and hard about the future of the Sports Club and concluded that what we have arrived at is good and proper.
Synthetic pitch – carpet replacement
This is not as easy as it might appear. We want a new surface and far better one for playing hockey are available, BUT these can be affected by too much intense soccer use in key areas. We have progressed this through our consultant through the tendering stage to contractor selection stage and this is very much on-going. The plan remains to get this done over the summer and be ready for the start of the 2011/12 hockey season.
New Kitchen, Bar, fittings etc.
We have a lot of work to do on this and welcome input from anyone with professional catering experience for the kitchen equipment and fitting . We may well have to appeal to members or get a volunteer willing to send polite begging letters out to various catering establishments in Salisbury asking for the donation of old pots, pans, trays etc. since all this kit is very expensive as new. We are also negotiating with Breweries for the kitting out and supply of the new bar.
Sports Development Officer
Don’t forget that our funding from Sport England includes specific money to employ a full time SDO for 3 years. I don’t think any of our have yet realised just how great this will be for the Club and its Member Sections. We will have on site a person NOT to run the facility but to encourage and develop greater sporting use of the facilities, greater levels of participation and play for each associated sport. We need to start thinking now how this person can be incorporated in the existing development plans of the Club and how to best take this opportunity to really boost participation and standards of play.
How to support the Club
Apart from subscriptions and rental income from the synthetic pitch, the largest source of income to the Sports Club is what goes over the bar. The current bar takings are not great and way down on what they have been 5 and 10 years ago, but we can and must raise these. We have projected that if all members just stayed on for one more drink (non-alcoholic if so required) then bar income would probably double. Given a new facility that is well furnished and in a superb setting then we hope members will want to stay on a bit longer, to encourage our opposition to stay on a bit longer and even to use the building more frequently in general.
The onus will also be on member sections to use it more – for meetings and events. The Sports Club will be looking to have more external participation but we will never lose sight of the fact that we are a Club with the sole purpose of providing sporting opportunities to all. We will welcome corporate activities – why not suggest to your work that they could have a bit of a sports day combined with a social event for the staff. We want Member Sections to run events where profit raised goes to the Section, but bar income is for the Club.
Grand Opening
We will of course have a formal opening of the new facilities and will plan events around this day, but the request is put to member sections to start planning now how to best promote this to the benefit of those sections. Perhaps in the form off some special matches against invited opposition, but let’s not just do this for the First team – let’s look down the whole club ; men’s and ladies , junior boys and girls , veterans and past members. As many teams as possible should be involved in sharing in this success, using the facilities and showing it off to others. We want to have the increased usage, we want more people seeing the facility who may in time decide to join a Salisbury based club. Please can Member Sections start planning for this now.
Web Site
The sports club has a web site where we want to post al this information and have a god record of events and successes. If you run any event, take a few photos and mail these with a report to your Committee so that they can go on both the Section’s and the Sports Club web sites.
Stop Press
The Committee is delighted to report that we have secured a date – Friday October 7th 2011 – for a Dinner with Michael Parkinson (ex SWCC player) as the special guest. Details have now been sent out. This is a significant event in Salisbury and a chance for us to raise a significant amount of money at the same time.
We know that we are going to achieve this Project, we still have a lot of work to do, but now is the time to start thinking what it will mean to our respective sports, how can we plan to capitalise on all this and how important it is that we keep going (and hopefully keep enjoying) with fund raising activities and events.
We have recent run a lot of such events ( St Patricks Day Party, a Race Night, Sportsmans Dinner, the Market Stall and a Fun Run). All of these events made money and we a few more planned , the next being a Golf Day on 17th May. All these events were really well run, were most enjoyable and made money; the recent Fun Run was excellent and probably made over £3000 but the turn out was very small. We will arrange another one for 2012 and hopefully give lots of notice and look to get at least 100 junior runners and 100 senior runners out there !
The building is of course progressing, but there is still a lot of work to be done and all of us must keep up the efforts to raise money so that we can afford the best fittings, can plan for special events to mark the opening but must also think ahead as to how we can really make the Club the success we all want it to be.
Peter Curtis