Board Meeting Minutes | 17 October 2009

Written by Administrator Sunday, 15 November 2009 23:00

PUBLIC RELEASE

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY SUPPORTERS SOCIETY LTD

MINUTES OF THE SOCIETY BOARD

Meeting held in The 2nd Floor Meeting Room, SWFC, Hillsborough, Sheffield on 17 October 2009 at 5pm      

PRESENT: 
JOHN GATH (JG) (Chairman)  
PETER SHAW (PS) (Senior VC)
RICHARD DAVIES (RD) (Deputy VC)
PAUL HOLMES (PH) (Finance Director)
JEFF WILLIAMS (JW) (Services Director)
DAVE BARLOW (DAB) (Community Director)
JIM BAINBRIDGE (JB) (Director)  
IRMA KENNEDY (IK) (Director)
DIANE COCKAYNE (DC) (Director)

DAVID BLUNKETT (DBL)  (Honorary President)


1. APOLOGIES

Apologies were received from Darryl Keys

2. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 September had been circulated prior to this meeting. They were approved after the voting figures were corrected.

3. COMMUNICATIONS & CORRESPONDENCE

Email from CA (SWFC) - called a meeting which was held on 7 October about Ticket Prices and Structures (covered later in the agenda) and one upcoming meeting about Member benefits. JG asked to be informed of any issues or concerns so that they could be raised at the meeting.
 
SD sent us details of a FSF campaign about the policing of football fans which included a guidance card on fans rights. Could be distributed to our fans on away coaches.

4. DIRECTOR RESIGNATIONS

Lee Keys and Jessica Derrick have both tendered their resignations. Jessica had concerns about communication and it was accepted that this was a valid issue and was being addressed and no doubt discussed further at a planned members meeting to be held at the end of October.

The vote to accept their resignations was carried unanimously.

5. UPDATES / REPORTS

Smile Tickets - DC in communication with SCS about posters and publicity at the hospital.  All of the tickets for the Saturday match had been allocated and there were recipients for the next match. DC asked for support to spread the news and seek nominations. JB offered to advertise this through his business contacts in the Sheffield area. DB suggested involving Owls fan groups outside Sheffield such as the London Owls. DBL said he would publicise it at a fund raising lunch for the SCS at the House of Commons in February. Smile Tickets will be featured in our page in an upcoming Match programme (QPR).

Away Coach - Large coach running to Bristol with a stop in Portbury for lunch.

Car Park - ran well recently with a new volunteer. May need more volunteers for the Newcastle match on Boxing Day. JB volunteered to do this.

Lounge - Good session today - use of a football card and admissions for non-members should cover most of the cost. Question about away fans

6. SWFC SEASON TICKET WORKSHOP

PS reported on the meeting with CA about the ticket prices and stuctures. PS and JB were expecting more of a consultation and discussion but were impressed with the presentation which was given. JB reported on the details which he said had been well thought out with reductions and restructuring of children's prices, (free under 8's in the South Stand) tickets to be on sale from November, interest free loans for a Direct Debit payment scheme over 12 months.

Both PS and JB thought the prices and structure were good but were concerned that there was still a need for a designated family area which wasn't in the presentation.  JG added that this was a point which had been put to the club several times over the past months as had the need to upgrade the provisions and stewarding in the North Stand. This had been promised when this issue was discussed during the summer. The serious problem with the smoking area on the access ramps was also raised. The designation of the access ramp to the upper concourse in the North Stand was not a good solution and an alternative needs to be found.

It was agreed that both of these issues need to be raised at the up-coming meeting with CA and pressed further beyond that. It was also agreed to ask if  fans who had been moved from the South to the North could be offered the opportunity to move back to the Grandstand for the rest of the season.

7. EVENTS

Coast To Coast: PS gave a summary about the C2C and the Home-coming Event. At the moment we have raised about £5000 so far and it is still on-going.

Members Meeting on 29 October. Now being publicised on the web site and message boards. The agenda will include a presentation on the accounts.

DAB asked for members communication meetings should be held quarterly - it should be free and open to non-members. The next one should be in January.

8. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

JG circulated a document with the match day staffing requirements.

DAB commented on the numbers of junior members in some other Supporters Trusts and this is an area we should be working harder on. The Lounge has the potential to make provision for younger members but we need to look at what general provision we could make. We need to co-ordinate any developments in this area with what is happening in the club.

JG raised the need for support in what we are trying to do. We can only take up as much as we have the numbers to staff. DAB stressed the need to identify the roles which are required and then advertise these roles and ask for volunteers for these areas. We have a need for new directors but we need to be aware of what specific roles they would need to fill.

In addition to the need for people to lead Junior Memberships, we have a serious gap with communication, including web site management.  This needs a communication team to be developed.  RD offered to lead on this.

9. MEMBERSHIP SURVEY

PH is developing this with the intention of issuing the survey in November. If anyone has not yet contributed to the questions pleas do so asap.

10. ANY OTHER URGENT BUSINESS

DAB reported on an approach from the Supporters Club who had asked LS to be involved and were asked to contact us. We will welcome a meeting with them. Rita Nettleship will be contacting us.

11. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

28th November 2009 following the West Brom match.

There being no other business, the meeting concluded at 19.02pm

Note that if any headed section includes ‘(abridged)’ then that section of the Minutes differs from the official Society version of the Minutes in order to protect confidentiality or sensitive information, where considered to be in the Society’s interests at this point in time.