PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2004

The year began well, with the ladies collecting a further hockey trophy at end of season, and with the award to the Northern as Sefton's Sports Club of the Year.

On the cricket pitch, our 2nd.XI were trophy winners, victorious in their premier division knock out. The 1^st.XI reached the last 16 of the National KO for the first time, and finished 8^th in the league to maintain our premiership status. Junior cricket and coaching thrives, and in the coming season we have entered an additional Saturday team into the 3^rd.XI league, providing further opportunity for young players to progress into the adult game. We also have a ladies team entered into league cricket for the first time.

The cricket section has opted to end our association with New South Wales, which has provided our overseas player for a number of years. Instead we await the arrival of James Marshall from New Zealand as our contracted overseas player. James has played a number of years in the Liverpool Competition, and should also greatly enhance the coaching side.

Anthony Coyne has continued to contribute a vast amount of time and effort to the section, particularly in fundraising through sponsorship and social functions.

The role of paid players and coaches is one that evokes a diversity of opinion. My own view is that it is valid

• If it allows the club to maintain a playing status that our own players can aspire to
• If it can contribute to the development and retention of our own home-grown players
• Provided it is affordable to the section.

Last season ended in tempestuous manner off the field, with a ground-swell of opinion feeling that the 1^st.XI was moving too far away from our club roots, with the importing of players from elsewhere. As a consequence, we have a new club captain this year in Jack Woosey, and I wish him the best of fortune and support for the coming season.

Turning to bowls, I can’t help but feel that the overall ambience of the club on a pleasant summer’s afternoon is diminished since the bowling greens were fortified, and our bowling colleagues disappeared out of sight. Nevertheless behind those high fences, there lurks a thriving bowls section. This year the men will be fielding an extra OAP's team, bringing their total to 8 league teams, plus two for the ladies.

The respective chairs, Russel Dove and Ann Laycock are keen to attract new recruits from other sections. Indeed on Saturday 17th April they are running an Open Day, aimed at anyone interested from either inside or outside the club.

The Northern Classic was once again a great success, remaining a premier event in the national calendar, and there is already a waiting list for this year's entry.

Unfortunately, the new bowling green is suffering recurring problems of drainage, and its opening has been delayed. Some years ago we commissioned an independent report into the cause, after which remedial work took place. This year we have commissioned another report from a second source, which has arrived at a similar conclusion. It seems that the problem stems from the mix of soils used when the green was originally constructed by external contractors during the 1990 developments, and further remedial work is required.

In my recent newsletter I mentioned the idiotic structure of our ladies hockey league, and our vital fixture at Formby. Had we lost or possibly even drawn that fixture we would have finished 4^th and faced relegation to the Lancashire League that we won last year. I am delighted to report that, despite appalling weather conditions, our ladies performed with the skill and determination that has characterised their season. Against a very good Formby side, we secured a 2-1 win, and with it 3^rd place in the league. Indeed we now play off with our North-Eastern counterparts for the prize of promotion to the division higher.

The former giant of local ladies hockey, Hightown, now survives in name only, as the team have relocated to deepest Cheshire. This season Northern have overtaken both Formby and Southport of our local rivals. We can be immensely proud that our ladies have now risen to the top, to become the Number One ladies hockey team in the area.

Our men’s team too have finished 3^rd in the North West Hockey League. Although narrowly missing out on promotion again, after going up last season, it is a worthy performance, and a solid platform for the future. I am delighted to see that the men's section too is thriving, after it's problems during the 1990's.

The turn-around in our fortunes is due in no small part to our junior hockey development program, and particularly to the long hours of junior coaching provided on Sunday mornings by Ian Douglas, Alex Anderson and other volunteers over several seasons. We are hopefully also on the verge of becoming a Centre of Excellence for hockey, bringing with it a substantial grant through England Hockey from Sport England. It is ironic for our incoming President, who has put an enormous amount of time and effort into this project, that a key element is a major revamp of our male changing facilities.

I think it is fair to say that squash is not the boom sport that it was a few years ago. It is disappointing that both the men and ladies have dropped a league team this season, with the men now running 6 teams and the ladies just 2. On balance the teams that remain have maintained their overall league standings.

One area where squash is booming is on Sunday afternoons at junior coaching, where dozens of enthusiastic youngsters of all ages and abilities flock throughout the year. And from a parent's point of view, it is certainly preferable to the cold, wet, windswept touchline of a junior football league. Alan Hendry, Heather Tweedle and Val Delamare do a superb job in bringing youngsters into the game, and in many cases to a standard to succeed against the best on Merseyside and beyond.

The format of adult league squash presents particular difficulties in integrating developing youngsters into the adult game, taking place as it does on a midweek evening and often involving significant travel and a late finish. Despite this, it is good to see some fresh young faces appearing on Thursday evenings amongst the grey heads of hair.

It is a challenge that all the sections must continue to address. Yes, we must coach and encourage our juniors. But we must then continue to provide a sporting outlet for them, integrate them into the adult game, and ultimately into the broader life of the club.

Away from the sport, our caterers resigned at end of summer and left us at new year. I did not wish it for my year! We did not rush into a quick-fix like-for-like replacement. Instead we invited the views of all members, and listened to a range of opinion. Two main points emerged

• The hours when catering is available should be made clearer and longer.
• The club should be generating income from our catering facilities.

The aims of our new partnership with Northern Catering are 3-fold, to

• Make better use of the kitchen facility by running an external catering operation in parallel
• Benefit the club with a substantial income from rent
• Make club catering more viable by incorporating other food preparation around off-peak club periods.

It has rough edges that need smoothing. Your suggestions and constructive criticism will be appreciated, addressed please to the House Chairman. The legend of K&N grows daily in some quarters, but that era is now behind us. I ask you to give our new partnership with Northern Catering your support.

Our 3 traditional income streams are shrinking, namely Bar, Subscriptions and Fruit Machines.

Our new partnership with Northern Catering is all the more important, aiming to provide a 5-figure income per year. In the short term, the social side has suffered during the change-over this winter. We must ensure that this is reversed, with catering again a key factor.

We also intend to install a 'big screen' in time for Euro 2004 this summer. This will double as a conferencing facility in line with Northern Catering's wish to use the club's business potential during the day.

Anthony Coyne’s work should raise our awareness of the club’s potential in a second area, that of sponsorship. A large number of sponsors are happy to associate their businesses with the club, and are willing to contribute a 5-figure total in so doing.

A third area of income potential that appears to be on the increase is through grants. We have secured one grant of £5000, to supplement the generous donations received towards provision of disabled access. We hope to learn imminently of a further grant of £2000, after which work on a disabled ramp will commence. This is in addition to the substantial Sport England hockey grant application mentioned earlier.

In 1993 the club commissioned a financial health check of the club, via Peter Lever's company, Club Design, which resulted in savings and efficiencies of several thousand £s per year. Given a decline in the balance sheet over recent years, we considered it prudent to repeat the check. The brewery terms, where greatest gains were made last time, were found to be currently in good order. A major contribution of the review was in orientating our approach to the catering vacancy, resulting in the excellent terms that we have agreed with our chosen partner. Peter Lever has also made a number of recommendations relating to control and monitoring of expenditure, which we will look to implement in the new term.

The suggestion of a paid executive club manager has again been put forward. So this was also included in Peter Lever's terms of reference. Lever concurred with the view that when the steward elects to retire, and I stress that he remains an excellent steward and under no pressure whatsoever to do so, then the role of steward may be reviewed to include a different mix of executive responsibilities. But Lever was unable to put a cost effect case for a paid executive as such.

For my own part, I believe in the club as a members' club. Its strength is in the participation of members in its running. By introducing a paid executive manager, members would opt to participate progressively less, and would subsequently relinquish accountability for the management of the club. The managed relationship would degenerate into that of a service provider and customer.

I believe in our future as a members' club and as a sports club. But not as we existed 30, 20 or even 10 years ago. Changes outside have determined that, such as increased competition from bars and restaurants, emergence of fitness centres and alternative sporting outlets, and diversification of entertainment in home and elsewhere. It falls upon my generation and above to encourage those now growing up through our sport to participate in the running of the club, empower them to move the club forward and to shape its future, and support them in doing so.

In conclusion, my thanks to all the members of Council and House Committee for their work during the year, to Peter Allan who contributes many hours in splendid isolation behind the scenes as Membership Secretary, and to all others who have helped on a casual unelected basis. I would encourage anyone to do whatever you can. There is no need to be on committee to organise a social function, to write a press report, or to help in some other way. Equally, it is important also that we spread the committee load. We must not repeat the mistakes of recent years, with too few people doing too big a job, to the point where they appear irreplaceable.

Special thanks to Neil Scott as House Chairman. Despite the additional upheaval of the catering change, Neil has shown that the role of chairing and co-ordinating the House function can still be undertaken in a calm, efficient and constructive manner, and without giving up the day job. My thanks to Neil, whose support has been invaluable.

And finally, last year I described Wendy as a workaholic, commenting that I could not wish for a better Vice President. If I've got nothing else right this year at least I got that right. As Vice President she has worked tirelessly, driving the grant applications for Disabled Access and Hockey, working towards Clubmark accreditation, and much more. When the Ground Chairman position became vacant in May, she filled it. And when I have needed support or a helping hand she has provided it in abundance. Best wishes and good luck to Wendy, and to Mike Bishop as incoming VP.

Thank you for having me. It has been a pleasure and a privilege.

Your now-Past President.