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Date: Thursday 6th June 2002
Venue: Boardroom, Worthing Football Club, Woodside Road

Present: Paul Allison (PA) - Chair Helen Bowater (HB) - Minutes Steve Barrett (SB) Mike Way (MW) Steve Storey (SS) Emma Storey (ES) Roger Johnson (RJ) Belinda Jones (BJ) Pauline Dunn (PD)
Apologies: Pete McGinn (PM)
Absent: Peter Shaugnessy (PS)

1 Introduction & Apologies

1.1 Meeting opened by Paul Allison, who expressed his appreciation to the club for the use of the boardroom on behalf of the committee.

1.2 PA introduced BJ and PD, and advised that they had approached him regarding involvement with the Committee. PA suggested that they were co-opted, pending ratification at the forthcoming AGM. All agreed.

1.3 PA advised that PM is on holiday and he has submitted a letter containing several ideas. PS had been contacted and advised of the meeting date.

2 Minutes of previous meeting

2.1 PA advised that the AGM could be on a matchday Saturday after the game, or possibly a weeknight in the main bar. If the AGM takes place on a Saturday, it may have to be held in the main stand. It was agreed to set a date at the next Committee Meeting.

2.2 PA suggested that copies of all minutes (including committee meeting minutes) should be made available for publication on the Worthing FC website. Hard copies will be available to be sent out on request at a cost of 50p to cover postage and printing. It was suggested that minutes are also on show in the new WFCSA matchday office (the old North Bank snack-shack) for viewing, possibly with a notice board outside.· SB to investigate a suitable board/cover to advertise minutes etc· PD to investigate possibility of a viewing case that can be used. SBPD

2.3 PA suggested that the matchday office would need to be staffed by the committee members on a rota basis - no objections were raised.

3 Clarification of Committee Roles

3.1 PA explained for the benefit of the other Committee members that, after the inaugural meeting, it was decided unanimously by the Officers that Peter Shaughnessy and Helen Bowater would swap roles, since PS's suggestions were more suited to the role of social convenor and HB's skills more suited to the role of secretary. No objections were raised.

3.2 With regard to the committee members and the fact that the role of social convenor is very large, HB suggested a vice secretary for the position of social convenor. RJ volunteered for the role. All were in agreement.

4 Constitution

4.1 As agreed at the inaugural meeting, the constitution is to be rewritten to a more accessible, easier to read document. PA requested a volunteer to take the constitution away to rewrite ahead of the next meeting and the AGM. SS volunteered.· AP PA to email the current constitution to SS· AP SS to rewrite constitution, reflecting the amendments suggested below PASS

4.2 It was suggested that directors of the football club should be able to be members of WFCSA, however they should not be able to hold office nor serve on the committee. It was unanimously agreed to remove clause 2a and include a new clause to allow directors to join.

4.3 It was suggested that WFCSA should not be described as independent since this gives the impression that WFCSA may be entirely separate from the Football Club. ES proposed to describe WFCSA as being run independently of the club instead. It was unanimously agreed to amend clause 2a to this effect.

4.4 PA invited comment on the abbreviation of WFCSA. It was unanimously agreed that this will remain as the abbreviation.

4.5 With regard to authorised signatories of the bank account, it was suggested that there should be a third signatory in case of emergency. PA advised current signatories are PA & MW, and proposed SB as vice chairman for the third position. This was unanimously agreed.· AP MW to investigate whether this change can be accommodated by the bank without having to reprint all stationery. MW

4.6 With regard to paragraph 2c of the constitution, it was suggested that the clause regarding the donation of money is removed. In addition to this it was suggested that the wording regarding authorisation of payments be altered to make it clearer that such payments must be authorised by a majority of the committee, since the current wording is ambiguous. Both proposals were unanimously agreed.

4.7 It was agreed that WFCSA shall provide membership cards to all members.

4.8 With regard to Annual General Meetings (AGM), it was agreed that notice of the initial AGM and copy of the revised constitution will be sent out to members in the post, as there is no other viable option at this time. In future, such notices will be published on the WFCSA noticeboard in good time, and leaflets stating date and time will be available to take away.

4.9 With regard to Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM), it was unanimously agreed that clause 6a of the constitution would be amended so that an EGM may be called by not less than six members.

4.10 It was suggested that candidates for election of Officers of the Committee need not have been a member of WFCSA for 12 months. It was unanimously agreed that the qualifying period in clause 9a would be removed.

4.11 With regard to clause 10e, it was unanimously agreed that this is to be amended to make it clearer that a majority of the committee must vote to co-opt club members onto sub-committees.

4.12 With regard to clause 11a, it was unanimously agreed that the wording be amended to clearly state that a majority of the committee must approve all withdrawals.

4.13 PA proposed that the current constitution be posted on the internet along with the minutes of the inaugural meeting and all further committee meetings (see 2.2 above). No objections were raised.

5 Upcoming Events

5.1 PA advised that there are DIY days coming up where everyone is invited to spend the day at Woodside Road to help with general DIY tasks around the ground. PA expressed that it would be good to have as many WFCSA committee members in attendance as possible. The dates are 8th June 10.30am-5pm and 23rd June 10.30am-4pm.

5.2 There will be a kit launch night on Friday 12th July starting at 7.30pm, to view the new kit for next season. Entry to this event will be £1 for adults and 50p for children. All proceeds to be donated to WFCSA. It is hoped that the shirts will be available for sale.· AP PA to liaise with Jools Chaffer about the night and sale of the kit. PA

5.3 On the day following the kit launch (Saturday 13th July) it has been suggested by Jools Chaffer that he intends to promote Worthing FC in the town centre, and WFCSA help would be appreciated. RJ volunteered to co-ordinate this event.· AP PA to speak with Morty Hollis and Jools Chaffer to see if we will be able to sell tickets for the Brighton & Hove Albion game on this day.· AP RJ to convene attendance PARJ

5.4 PA advised that he has set up an email address set up for WFCSA (wfcsa@hotmail.com). This can be used for members wishing to email the committee and will be promoted on the Worthing FC website and in the programme.· AP PA to speak to Steve Wyatt regarding getting this on the website.· AP HB to co-ordinate a list for the committee of everyone's address, telephone numbers and email addresses where appropriate to be circulated round next meeting. · AP All to email the above details to wfcsa@hotmail.com ahead of the next meeting. PAHBAll

6 Membership fees for 02/03 Season

6.1 PM has suggested in absentia that the WFCSA Membership fees for next season be set at £5 for adults and £2 for under 16's. All agreed that this was a sensible figure, and that no further concessions were necessary.AP PA to speak to Steve Wyatt to publicise this. PA

6.2 It was suggested that the reduced membership subscription for under 16's would not entitle Junior members to any voting rights, although they could speak at meetings. The motion was carried 7-1 in favour.

6.3 PA advised that he hopes to be able to offer a discount for WFCSA merchandise (when margins are known), and that there would be no discount on official club merchandise as this would be taking money away from the club (on the basis that most WFCSA members will already be customers of the Club Shop). Other discounts could be offered, such as reduced admission to WFCSA social events etc.

6.4 A proposal in absentia by PM to offer reduced match admission fees was rejected on the grounds that the majority of WFCSA members will be regular attendees anyway. SB suggested that we could approach the club regarding the possibility of reduced coach travel.AP PA to speak to Morty Hollis regarding reduced coach travel to away games. PA

6.5 Membership will run from July 1 till June 30 the following season. All were in favour of amending the constitution on this basis.AP SS to include this in the amendments to the constitution as agreed in Section 4 above SS

6.6 With regard to membership cards, it was decided that HB will look into the cost of different styles of cards, from credit card style, to laminated cards, to just card like at present.AP HB to investigate different costs for printing membership cards. HB

7 Merchandise

7.1 PA suggested various ideas for merchandise, and advised that due to cashflow issues, he was prepared to cover the initial outlay to begin with until the WFCSA bank account is able to reimburse this cost. No objections were raised.AP PA to cover the initial costs PA

7.2 PA suggested Keyring bottle openers with a Rebels/WFCSA logo (draft artwork shown to those present). It was unanimously agreed that there would be an initial order of the minimum quantity of 100.AP PA to contact UK Plastics to place the order PA

7.3 PA also suggested T-shirts with a front and back print (draft artwork shown to those present), in two colours of red and navy, and it was unanimously agreed that there would be an initial order of 35 red and 15 navy, in various sizes if possible.AP PA to get quote for these. It was also agreed that, subject to the cost being reasonable, then Paul would be free to order these, since they will need to be ready by the start of the season and this is such a short space of time. PA

7.4 PA also recommended ordering metal pin badges, various designs were looked at and 2 agreed on. It was unanimously agreed that the initial order for these will be 150 in red and 50 in blue.AP PA to contact Black Dragon Badges to place an order PA

8 Fundraising

8.1 PM provided quotes for various blackout cards and raffle tickets. PA advised that he has received a cheaper quote on the internet. It was agreed that the association purchase 200 blackout cards at a cost of approx £22.AP PA to order 200 blackout cards PA

8.2 Due to time constraints, PA suggested that this is a matter that will be carried forward to next meeting.AP Helen Bowater to add to agenda for next meeting. HB

9 Sponsorship

9.1 PA suggested that WFCSA sponsor an award for the WFCSA player of the month, and this might be awarded on a two monthly basis, ie Aug/Sep, Oct/Nov etc. Votes would be sold at 50p a time in the form of a raffle, so that the people who voted for the winner go into a raffle and the winner might present the award on the pitch. A trophy would be awarded to the player, possibly with a bottle of wine. All agreed.AP BJ to look into a trophy provider, with the option of giving them a mention on the WFCSA page of the programme (thanks to the help and support of...) PA

9.2 PA also suggested that WFCSA should sponsor a player for the season, and it was agreed that this would be Andrew Beech, since he was the first player to re-sign.AP MW to speak to the club regarding this. MW

9.3 The final sponsorship issue raised was to sponsor a matchball (around £60 last season), and use the free tickets and boardroom hospitality as prizes in a raffle to raise funds. It was agreed to carry this forward to a future meeting.AP HB to add to next agenda. HB

10 Other ideas

10.1 With regard to the new matchday office, it was agreed that we look at the possibility of selling tea, at a slightly higher cost than the snackshack, but larger cups of tea from a teapot (to offer a different product so as not to be in direct competition). This should hopefully allow more people to get to the snackshack who want to buy food. This is subject to getting electricity to the hut. It was agreed to carry forward the issue of catering supplies to the next meeting, when we should have a clearer idea of the electricity situation. SB advised it may be possible to secure the loan of some catering equipment to cover the Brighton friendly.AP PA to speak to the club re electricity - hopefully to have it for the Brighton friendly?AP SB to investigate the loan of a tea urn for the Brighton friendly, with WFCSA taking small amount of any profit.AP SB to look into getting a cash & carry card to procure future catering supplies for WFCSA. PASBSB

10.2 It was suggested that WFCSA operate a meet and greet system of welcoming fans into the ground and handing out small flyers saying welcome to Woodside Road. It was agreed for the time being that this may lead to litter, however we could look to do something to welcome away fans. To be carried forward to next meeting.AP HB to add to next agenda.AP Everyone to think about promoting WFCSA and the Football Club. HBAll

10.3 ES suggested it might be possible to advertise Worthing games and other matters on the Intranet site at her workplace, all agreed this would be a good idea.AP ES to look into the intranet site. ES

11 Financial Report

11.1 MW advised the bank account has now been opened, with a balance of £200.47. £45 of this will be used to sponsor Andy Beech.

12 Any Other Business

12.1 Next Meeting will be July 4 2002 at 7.30pm in the Tavern for an 8pm start.

12.2 AGM possibly August 3rd 2002, pending fixtures etc. Will be confirmed at the next meeting.

12.3 PA suggested that it was too early to say how frequently the committee will need to meet, so all agreed that this will be decided on a ongoing basis.