Annual report 2014 by Barry Amor

THE UKPA ANNUAL REPORT 2014

CONTENTS 02

AGM Agenda, Open Forum Items

Chairman’s Report

Treasurer’s Report and Financial Statements

CEO’s Report

Coaching Development Report

University Liaison Officer’s Report

Executive International Officer’s Report

Executive Member Representative’s Report

Membership Report

Minutes of the 2013 AGM

Summary of Resolutions 2014

Nationals Sponsors 2014

AGENDA Item 1 2 3 4 5 6

Subject Apologies Approval of the Minutes of the 2013 AGM Matters Arising Annual Reports Resolutions Election of Officers Chairman CEO (tbc) Secretary Any Other Business Date of Next meeting

7 8

OPEN FORUM The AGM will be followed by the Open Forum at the same venue. The following points have been submitted for discussion (submitter shown in brackets); 



  

 

Grading system (Executive) o Should the system be brought in to alignment with the majority of the other polocrosse nations such that gradings number from 0 to 10 Mixed Polocrosse in 2015 (Executive) o Feedback is requested on mixed polocrosse and whether it should be extended to other divisions Green horse card system (Executive) o 2014 saw this system used on a number of occasions, feedback is sought on its effectiveness and whether it should be continued. Feedback on the modified Junior divisions played out in 2014 (Executive) Field marshalling at tournaments (Jason Webb) o Should field marshalling at club tournaments be the responsibility of the hosting club The role of the Exec Membership Representative (Jason Webb) o The member rep should have clear and transparent lines of communications and he/she should vote in alignment with the majority feeling of the membership IPC clarification of playing rules with differing interpretations (Jason Webb) Tying up of hair during play (Emily Gilfillan)

If there is time other items may be discussed as AoB

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Once again the year has seen a number of significant changes to the way polocrosse works in the UK including alterations to the Junior and Primary Junior Division layouts and the disbanding of the regions. We have seen an increase in the numbers of juniors playing in their divisions which I believe is a great improvement and it is hoped that this will help bring in more players at this level. The drop in membership numbers is disappointing and the Executive and the clubs will need to work hard in 2015 to reverse this trend. There are many reasons why members do not return, some within our power to remedy, but some not so we all need to work to encourage new members to join and play the sport. The new Executive layout, post removal of the regions, has been running for a year now and appears to be working well with more focus on the areas allocated to the new roles. It has been a busy year for all the squads again and preparations for the World Cup in South Africa in 2015 are now well underway with the Open squad players named, congratulations to all those selected. There are a number of younger members in this year’s squad who show great potential as international players and it will be very interesting to see how this new blood changes the dynamics. We say goodbye to Anna Tarbuck as the UKPA secretary and we give her a big thank you for all her hard work in that demanding role, her multitude of skills will be difficult to replace. However, we have two volunteers put their names forward for the post and I look forward to working with whoever the membership picks to take up the role. There are discussions on going with Barry Amor as the present CEO to see how this role can be developed which may lead to exciting changes to the way the UKPA runs. A big thank you must also go to all the Appointed Officers who do so much work for the UKPA, often unheralded. They are key members of the management team and the UKPA relies on them to develop and control many areas of polocrosse in the UK.

Eric Jenkinson – Chairman

TREASURER’S REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 has been a busy year for your governing body with many activities undertaken to strengthen the sport. Despite this continuing investment the reserves have increased a little which further underpins the financial health of the UKPA. However, subscription income has dropped alarmingly. Subscription rates have remained the same for the last two years so the fall off, which amounts to £3k or 10.7%, can only be explained by a reduction in the membership numbers which must be a cause for serious concern. With regards Sport England funding, as I forewarned last year, there has been a further reduction this year, albeit less of a reduction than anticipated. Next year I expect to see a significantly larger reduction in our Sport England funding as the BEF has less money allocated to it by central government, through Sport England. The surplus generated from the two tournaments organised by the UKPA has also fallen this year. This was principally due to cancellation costs associated with postponing the Early Season Tournament and Nationals reverting to a three day event and therefore incurring another day’s worth of variable costs. The association’s administrative expenses continue to remain under tight control with the exception of insurance which has risen significantly. This increase, which I indicated in my report last year would happen, comes about for three reasons; there is no rebate for bad weather this year, the timing of capitation adjustments and the transfer of the Combined Liability Master Policy from the NFU to Windsor Equine. This last change brings to an end the process of consolidating the UKPA insurance cover for Personal Accident, Overseas Travel and Combined Liability risks under one roof with three interlinked policies written specifically for the UKPA. With the exception of player to player mounted third party cover, which is not available to the UKPA, I am confident the UKPA and its members are well and comprehensively covered. However, to avoid confusion may I point out that individual members’ horses are not covered against injury or loss. Turning to training, there has been a 40% increase in expenditure on UKCC activities which have grown significantly. This focus on coaching will position the Association well for developing the playing skills of new and existing members in 2015 and beyond. The subscription rates for 2014 remained unchanged, but with the addition of a card payment option and an instalment option for some categories; the card option in particular has proved popular with members. Subscription rates for 2015 will again be held at current levels. A surplus of £7.7k for the year leaves the UKPA with good cash reserves and well positioned to fund key activities, such as training programmes, UKCC coaching instruction and membership growth. During 2015 it seems apparent a well focused drive to recruit new playing members to polocrosse and the UKPA is essential if the sport is to survive and prosper. Quintin Cornforth - UKPA Treasurer

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 30TH SEPTEMBER 2014 Income

2014

2013

Subscriptions and Club Registrations

24,996 1,280 4,200 308 30,784

27,936 3,746 4,900 462 37,044

1,388 85 1,303

3,294 3,270 422 398

Sponsorship/ Marketing Income from Sport England Funding Other income Interest Tournaments and Other Activities Nationals and Early Season Tournament International Events

UKPA Ball

Less Expenditure Mandatory

Insurance Printing, postage and stationery Meeting Costs Meeting Costs-IPC Subscriptions

13,272 975 645 568 1,440 16,900

5,621 1,349 585 407 1,440 9,402

120 120

4,681 4,681

5,922 977 200 7,099

4,229 4,229

270 270 24,389

615 548 1,163 19,475

7,699

17,171

Balance Brought Forward

48,247

31,076

Total Reserves

55,946

48,247

IPC BEF

Publicity

Magazine Website Demonstrations Marketing & PR Sports Development UKCC Costs, Coaching & Training Grants Umpiring Event funding Other

Executive Expenses Depreciation Other Total expenses Profit/ (loss) for year

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30TH SEPTEMEBER 2014 2014 Fixed Assets Shields; Cups and Trophies

2013

1,293 1,293

31,293 0 31,294

41,367 0 41,367

1,000 1,000

300 300

Loan to World Cup Polocrosse (2011) Ltd

23,238

Total assets

56,825

66,198

Sticks and Balls Pop up Stand

Bank Accounts

Current Deposit

Amounts receivable within 1 year Prepayments and other debtors

Amounts receivable after 1 year

Liabilities Accruals Other creditors Amounts owed to Horse Fund investors

879 -

879

- 17,952

Net assets

55,946

48,247

Balance Brought forwards

Profit/ (Loss) for the year

48,247 7,699

31,076 17,171

Reserves

55,946

48,247

8,793 525 8,634

CEO’S REPORT The new layout of the Executive after the removal of the regional officers has had its first year and is settling in well. The Member rep (Iain Heaton) has been in regular touch with the clubs prior to Exec meetings to gather any points for the Executive to discuss. Gill James as Sport Development Officer brought in the changes to the Junior and Primary Junior divisions and while there has been some opposition to these changes the general feedback has been positive and there have definitely been more players in the Junior divisions this year. It is hoped that in 2015 we will see a continuation of this growth and in the PJs particularly as the younger players see a more equitable environment in which to join the sport. Steve Whitehouse as International Officer has added to his role as Open Squad manager and has been involved in the U21 and Junior squads. He is keen to develop the role of the squads with a desire to see the whole of the UKPA benefit more from them; watch this space. The drop in membership numbers is of great concern and we will need to find ways to reverse this. The drop in PJ numbers was to be expected after the change in the rulings. Thirteen PJs did not rejoin in 2014, but of those only four had actually played at a tournament in 2013. The sad loss of Vale Impi, Solent and Coltshire clubs contributed to this dip, though many of their members did transfer over to other clubs. There was the welcome addition of two new clubs; Chiltern and Bucks Broncos, and it is hoped they will go from strength to strength. There have also been two Pony Club branches playing at tournaments; Rockwood Harriers and Llangeinor, which bodes well for the future. The Early Season Tournament (EST) was postponed due to bad weather, but actually ended up in a better time slot and attracted a lot more players than previous years. It is being scheduled back to early May for 2015 to kick off the season. Despite the lower membership numbers for 2014 the attendance at nationals was almost exactly the same as 2013. The weather was kind to us again, back at the August bank holiday weekend. We had a number of sponsors kindly support the event and I encourage you to use their services where available. This event has the power to attract more media coverage and spectators and it is hoped that this will be achieved for 2015. Congratulations to Kent Target for taking the ‘A’ division cup (amongst others!) and for winning the overall Nationals Trophy. Thank you to all those members who helped in the running of the tournament. In umpiring we had the first practical training day, held at the end of Midland camp. This was enjoyed by a number of potential, new and more experienced umpires and it is intended to develop this style of training next season. Thirty one new umpires were qualified this year. There were a number of new Appointed Officer posts set up for 2014 and a thank you to the members who kindly filled these roles;, Kate Henning as Chief Gradings Officer, Emily Gilfillan as the University Liaison Officer and Chris Edwards as the Arbitration Committee Chairman. I must add my thanks to those of the Chairman to all the members who so willingly give of their time to help run the sport of polocrosse in the UKPA; Jan Jenkinson (Membership), Sarah Tufnell (Chief Child Welfare Officer), Tom Simkin (Chief Coach), Ursula Scott (Coaching Development Officer) Sarah Simkin (Health and Safety), Wayne Henning (Chief Selector).There are number of posts which

need filling for 2015 and beyond and you are encouraged to consider whether you can bring something to the sport in any of those posts. Iain Heaton (Membership Representative) has also taken up a high level role in the Pony club and it is hoped that his presence, along with Tom Simkin a number of other eager UKPA members active in the Pony Club, will result in increased attendance at UKPA tournaments of Pony Club branches to the benefit of both organisations. Thank you, too, to the sponsors who provided much needed finances and support to the UKPA. Our main sponsors this year have been the NFU, Widdop Bingham & Co and Polocrosse Extreme. See the back pages for the Nationals Sponsors for 2014. 2015 should see a consolidation of many of the changes brought in over the past few years with a greater emphasis on developing the sport and the UKPA as an organisation within the equine world. Here’s to an exciting 2015 and good luck to the UK Squad at the World Cup in July. Barry Amor – Chief Executive Officer

COACHING DEVELOPMENT REPORT The first CPD day for the UKPA existing coaches was held in February 2014 and was very successful. We were lucky to secure Barbara Daniels, ex-England cricket player and coach educator, who led an interesting session on coaching ‘teams’ and provided plenty of food for thought. Tom Simkin (UKPA Chief Coach) led a session on coaching ‘C’ grade players who aspire to become ‘B’ grade players and understanding the differences between the needs of the individual riders. In the afternoon Shane Borland led a session coaching Debbie Harris on a new discipline – Western riding! It was interesting to see a skilled rider in a different environment and links could be made to beginners and their approach to learning the new skill of polocrosse. Six candidates have passed their practical coaching sessions at both Level 1 and Level 2. Thank you to all our ‘guinea pigs’ that came along with their ponies – without you these important assessments could not take place. Several more candidates are working on their Level 1 and 2 portfolios, have attended workshops with practical assessments taking place in the New Year. Workshops for existing and new candidates in 2015 will be posted on the website shortly. The bank of skilled UKCC polocrosse coaches is growing and this was the first year that all the coaches at Midland Camp were UKCC qualified or on the coaching pathway. These coaches hold Safeguarding and First Aid qualifications and if you are unsure if you are using a polocrosse UKCC coach for your training please contact us to check – details on the coaching section of UKPA website. Ursula Scott - Coaching Development Officer

UNIVERSITY LIAISON OFFICER’S REPORT Throughout the course of this year, I have been in touch with a number of people from Universities such as Edinburgh, Southampton and Nottingham. The Edinburgh lot were extremely keen, and with my support, looked into setting themselves up as a registered UKPA club. Unfortunately, due to lack of members and lack of people willing to uphold positions, they set up as a university society instead. They were in regular touch with Over Dalkeith stables who kindly let them use their facilities. This was a great help as the staff there and the horses had polocrosse knowledge! Southampton University also recently contacted me about starting up polocrosse. At the moment we are busy locating a coach who would be willing to assist with this as it is at the other end of the country to myself! A few weeks ago a lady from Nottingham Uni also contacted me after playing polocrosse out in Australia during a gap year. She had competed in proper carnivals and was keen to get going again in the UK. After chatting it through, she was decided to get in touch with Rugby Polo club – whom she is still in talks with at the moment as far as I am aware. After speaking with Alex Richardson he also kindly offered his assistance in coaching as he is quite close to their Uni. This has been a massive help, and could help them get their plans rolling for 2015. As a final year Uni student myself, it has been difficult to offer my ‘services’ (e.g. travelling to the Universities to assist in setting up clubs/delivering coaching sessions). It is definitely a role that has some potential, however, I feel it could do with having ‘area reps’, the aim of which would be to have a local point of call who knows where coaches are based and can research and develop connections with local facilities thus increasing the chances of finding somewhere to hold sessions and develop competitive rates for hire of horses/facilities/equipment etc. Emily Gilfillan – University Liaison Officer

EXECUTIVE INTERNATIONAL OFFICER’S REPORT Since the last AGM we have been very active with three of our national teams having played test matches. The Juniors played two tests against Ireland at the Celyn tournament and won both and playing very well indeed. The Under 21s had an amazing tour to Zimbabwe as one of the first UK national sporting sides to compete there for a very long time. Both the UK government Dept of Culture, Media and Sport and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were happy for us to go. The tests were hard and though we didn’t win the team and management learnt a great deal and are looking forward to the return matches. The Open played 2 test series; against Ireland at Celyn where we played the full squad and won both matches and Jason (Open Squad Coach) used it to select the team to then go and play the USA at the end of season tournament at Rugby. The UK won both tests and played some stunning Polocrosse. I am delighted with the reactions to our touring teams, everyone has been very complimentary and they have been a great credit to us. As we look towards 2015 the open team has now been announced for the World Cup in July 2015. The juniors and under 21s should have competitions in 2015 but it is too early to confirm. I hope to get discussions started about under 19s and under 25s as it seems more nations are now playing these age groups, but I think we will have to consider these options quite carefully. Also, there are a number of very interesting discussions to have over the next year about the selection process, the national teams and how they can be used to help to develop our sport. I would like to thank all our umpires, horse walkers and goal judges and of course Celyn and Rugby Clubs for hosting us, it is very much appreciated. A World Cup year is always exciting and I hope you will all follow the team on Facebook and support them as much as you can. Steve Whitehouse – Executive International Officer

EXECUTIVE MEMBER REPRESENTATIVE’S REPORT As members’ representative I hope that throughout the year I have been approachable and contactable by the membership if they have needed to talk to me. I have also sought to contact the clubs before Executive meetings and take any points that the clubs or their members send to me to the Executive for discussion and then passed the answers back to the relevant club or member. One such example of this is the resulting resolution we have today regarding possible associate membership. Obviously my role is primarily a reactive one, I have to respond to what I hear from the membership and elsewhere and then take appropriate action. However, that said I would say that in the next year I would like to find a way to directly communicate to the whole membership more and find ways to make members better aware of what my role is and how they can come to me with problems and questions. This year has been busy, we have had a lot of different things going on and it has not always been smooth sailing. However, that is all behind us and I think we need to all look forwards and work together to move our sport forwards. If I look back over the eight years I have spent on the Executive I have to say that I believe that we have never, as an organisation, been so professionally organised and prepared as we are today. That is mainly due to the hard work of Barry Amor and Anna Tarbuck in the last two years but also the rest of the Executive have played their parts in helping to make us both look and actually be more professional. This stands us in good stead for the future. However, there are areas that concern me and one of those is the loss of Anna and the potential loss of Barry. They have dedicated a huge amount of time to our sport and would be hard to replace, particularly on areas such as yearbook and rule book revisions, the website, communication with the membership via tools such as the mailchimp and Facebook and, of course, the early season tournament and the National Championships. I also have particular concerns about the fact that our membership has shrunk by quite such a large number in the last year. I have to admit I found this confusing as I feel we have actually become a much more visible sport in the last few years and I feel that we, as an overall community and some clubs in particular, have brought in lots of new players and so we should be growing! However, the simple answer is that we aren’t and we need to now really focus ourselves as a community on that problem and work together to bring in lots of new players and also ensure we retain existing ones! The other main areas that continue to worry me, if we are to move forwards as a sport and be truly professional and appealing to new players, are the overall standard of umpiring and knowledge of the rules, which I think needs continuing focus in 2015, and the current grading system, which I think has a number of problems and inconsistencies and needs to be looked at in detail. Obviously, none of these areas are directly mine to solve but I believe as your members’ representative I should use my own thoughts at this time to highlight potential problems to the membership and then help wherever I can to solve them and that is what I will aim to do in 2015. Iain Heaton - Executive Member Representative

MEMBERSHIP REPORT This year has seen our member numbers drop to their lowest level since 2002. The main areas where numbers have dropped are at opposite ends of the spectrum, namely Senior and PJ players. Overseas players returning home, gap year, exams, lack of horse, career and financial concerns are some of the reasons cited. Three clubs have closed down, Coltshire, Solent and Vale Impi. The majority of their players have found new clubs to play for, many with the newly formed clubs, Bucks Broncos and Chiltern, who are proving to be very successful. Temporary membership has again proved a success as the majority of those who took out 28 day membership upgraded to full. The two day membership has enabled those who are unable to commit to a full or 28 day to enjoy a weekend’s play. Our initiative with the Pony Club has also proved a success with eight players from Rockwood Harrier playing regularly at tournaments. Many players have taken the option of paying by BACS. Please remember to send in a membership form to that effect as ‘mind reading’ is not in my job description! Jan Jenkinson -Membership Officer

79 80

6 3 5

1 12

3 3

4 2 69 63

4 1 26 44

3 3 8 3 4

44 49

321 365

2 1

1 1 6

1 3 1 1 3 2 2 6 4

Temporary 28 day Temporary 2 day

Pony Club

25 NA 43 NA 33 55 18 10 29 26 38 36 3 4 NA 2

New Members

32 9 42 22 32 59 21 14 24 16 36 43 3 4 8 4 369 414

Overseas

26 8 37 20 29 56 18 14 24 13 33 35 0 0 8

2013

1 151 178

6 1 5 2 3 3 3

TOTAL

6 4 8 6 3 9 1 3 10

Playing Members

9 1 12 3 7 8 5 2 4 9 7 12

Non Player

11 3 16 11 19 33 9 9 5 4 22 8

Junior

ARDEN BUCKS BRONCOS CELYN CHILTERN COTSWOLD KENT TARGET LEDBURY LIMEMERE SPARKS NORTHERN LIONS PENNINE RUGBY WELSH DRAGONS NO CLUB HONORARY ROCKWOOD PC TBA Totals Totals for 2013

U21

CLUB

Senior

Membership Breakdown for 2014

2 2 1 1 1 1

3 5

1 2

8 2 41 67

2 1

6 12 NA

Membership Comparison 2003-2014

250

500

450

200

400

150

300

250

100

200

TOTAL MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS

INDIVIDUAL MEMBER CATEGORIES

350

150

100

0 2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

YEAR

Senior Players

Juniors

U21

PJs

Non-Players

Total Membership

Playing

MINUTES OF THE 2013 AGM ATTENDEES Eric Jenkinson (EJ) Chairman, Anna Tarbuck (AT) Secretary, Quintin Cornforth (QC) Treasurer, Barry Amor (BA) CEO, Iain Heaton (IH) Co-Opted, Steve Whitehouse (SW) RD North Jan Jenkinson (JJ) Membership Sec, Wayne Henning (WH) Chief Umpire, Laura Scott (LS) UKCC, Ursula Scott (US) UKCC, Tom Simkin (TS) Chief Coach Barbara Rowland, Wendy Smith, Annemieke Mitchell, Pennie Drummond, Amy Galvin, Sarah Simkin, Chris Illingworth, Faye Scott, Andy Garrow, Charlie Wright-Roberts, Caroline Kelly, Lou Whitehouse, Jane Wright-Roberts, Gail King, Debbie Harris, Emily Newbrook, Lewis Parr, Mandy Williams, Gill James, Tim James, Hannah Oliver-Byrne, Phil Baker, Oliver Gardner, Kelly Farr, Coral Henshaw, Liz Johnson, George Wilson-Fitzgerald, Emily-Kate Gilfillan, Joel Sics, Sophie Harding, Anna Kish, Gwyn Parry, Jan Whitehead, Harry Chrisp, Guy Gilfillan, Jane Gilfillan, Robin Winder, Sharon Winder, Hazel Heaton, Karen Purnell, Brona Zawoda, Katie Newbrook, Tanis Loutsiou APOLOGIES: J Webb, P Webb, J Mitchell, S Shearing, P Meeking, S Paynter, C Milburn, L Swift, S Cornforth, L Cornforth, S Gillander, L Causer

SUBJECT

COMMENTS

ACTIONS/NOTES

Mins of last AGM

Approved - proposed by Guy Gilfillan and seconded by Lou Whitehouse

Mins of last AGM passed

Election of Officers

Treasurer – Quintin Cornforth, proposed by Penny Webb, seconded by Ursula Scott.

Election of officers carried.

CEO - Barry Amor, proposed by John Marsland, seconded by Chris Illingworth.

Chairman’s The Chairman noted that 2013 has been a good season, with excellent weather and a successful Nationals. As we approach Report

the 2014 season we now need to focus on gaining more players and sponsorship, which the potential change in the Exec aims to help with. Coaching continues to improve – the first Level 3 UKCC has run successfully, and there has been a growth in candidates for Levels 1 & 2. Internationally our squads have been very active, travelling to South Africa, Zambia and Ireland. The Chairman thanked Paul Rowden and Mandy Williams for their hard work in this area. Thanks were also given to Wayne Henning and Faye Scott, who have stepped down from their positions as Chief Umpire and Child Welfare Officer respectively. The Exec are now ready to take requests for tournament dates.

Treasurer’s Grant funding has fallen this year and will most probably continue to fall next year as Sport England / BEF have changed Report the way that funds are allocated. Insurance – We now have a good comprehensive policy in place, but insurance costs will be higher next year due to the way they are accounted for. Membership fees – these will not change in 2014. There will also be the option of card payment, along with a trialling of paying in instalments for some membership categories. IH proposed a vote of thanks to QC for his hard work over the last four years in the Treasurer’s role, and noted that he has made a huge difference in the role. Points raised from the floor:  Website costs – QC noted that the UKPA decided to cover the full cost this year, so next year this won’t show again.  Will next year be more challenging due to the funding cuts and rising insurance costs? – QC stated that if we focus funds via the business plan there should be no waste of money. It was also noted that a number of Exec members have helped with this by not charging any expenses.  Where are we up to with the World Cup Horse Fund? – QC stated that this is now closed and a final report has been completed. Some of the proceeds were gifted to the UKPA by investors, while other investors have received back around 73% of their money. NB, QC and IH to hold UKPA Ltd for potential future events.  Installation payment of UKPA membership fees – this is on a TRIAL basis for 2014, and all fees must be paid by 31st May. There will also be a surcharge on payment via this method.  The issue of UKPA taking charitable status was raised, which has been looked at in the past. IH pointed out that the issue of charitable status has never been raised when looking to secure sponsorship. Ej noted that there are concerns that taking on charitable status may add more work on to volunteers, but we will keep the idea under review. It may not be an advantage at the moment but this could change.  It was asked whether financially we have ticked all the boxes with the BEF funding. QC responded to say that yes, this money has been used to fund our UKCC training.

CEO’s Report

2013 has been a good ‘recovery’ year after 2012. Membership is growing slowly, and in 2014 the focus will be on sports development. Points raised from the floor:  What is happening with Squads in 2014? – It was noted that squads need a timeframe to operate so that they know what to expect for next season (i.e. keeping 2 horses going etc). BA replied that squad details will be formalised at the beginning of 2014, and that squads will be on the agenda at the next Exec meeting. EJ noted that there were no volunteers to take over the role of Chief Selector when Paul Rowden stepped down.  What is happening with the World Cup 2015? – SW stated that there most probably will not be an Open squad tour in 2014, but potentially a training camp and the proposed Home Nations (was Tri-Nations) at the end of July which will be in Wales. So far we know that the World Cup will be at a ground we know, Mooi River. The team will be selected in 2014. NATIONALS – Noted that clubs MUST make sure that their members have taken the umpire test if required, and also that their membership is up to date and was renewed in time, otherwise the usual rules apply with regards to Nationals entries. UMPIRING – It was asked what to do about ‘bad’ umpiring. A note needs to be written on the score sheets which will go to the Chief Umpire, or you can speak to an Exec Umpire. POSTS STILL TO BE FILLED – There are several non-Exec posts that still need filling for next year. All were encouraged to consider whether they could take on any of the roles:  Chief Umpire  Marketing & Sponsorship Officer  University Liaison Officer  CCWO  Chief Selector  Arbitration Committee Chairman UKCC – It costs us £40 for each ‘no show’ that signs up but never completes the course. Therefore the Exec will ask for a deposit from future candidates, to be refunded on completion. UKPA will also fund other aspects of the UKCC such as first aid, but only for those who are actively coaching! MARKETING & SPONSORSHIP – 2013 has been a year of putting things in place, and we are still picking up bits of publicity from the Nationals press releases. Everyone needs to be doing as much as possible at local level. We do have TV contacts who will take footage, but we need to film it and pay for the filming ourselves. MEMBERSHIP – JJ stated that the 2-day membership was very successful in 2014. 67 people did not rejoin from the previous year, but quite a lot of these were non-players. TS noted that as IH is now the head of Pony Club Polocrosse and he is also on the committee they will be available to help bring in new members through this route.

Resolution 1

Resolution 1 – Proposed by the UKPA Executive That the Constitution be amended to (in summary):     

Carried unanimously.

Reflect current practise Clarify confusing wording Clarify the relationship between the UK Polocrosse Association and UKPA Ltd. To allow secret ballots at AGMs and EGMs Separate the Umpire Gradings and Player Gradings Committees

Resolution 2

Resolution 2 – Proposed by the UKPA Executive

Resolution 3

Resolution 3 – Proposed by the UKPA Executive

Carried unanimously.

That the number of members needed to call for, and form a quorum at an EGM be amended to twenty from ten in paragraph 11.5.1 of the constitution.

That the UKPA Regional system aspects be removed from the constitution, and the regional reps be replaced on the Exec by elected Executive Officers with specific roles. The regions themselves can still exist, there is nothing to stop clubs working ‘regionally’, but without constitutional restraints and rules. This will give all Exec posts a function and make the Executive more effective. Points raised:  How will regional money be allocated? – Proposed by QC that regional money could stay in the regional accounts with appropriate trustees for each one, or be held by the Exec on behalf of the region’s clubs. Further details would be issued on this matter later in the new year.  Concern was expressed about the size of the Exec and what a lack of ‘regional representation’ would mean. Will members still have a voice without their regional rep? – IH noted that a Membership Rep will be present on the restructured Exec, and will be a direct point of contact for all members. As the sport is currently so small, there should be no problem with just one Membership Rep. It was also pointed out that members tend to approach the Exec directly anyway in most cases, as email makes it easy to do so, and initiatives such as the Mailchimp system makes it easy for the Exec to communicate directly with the membership without the middle layer of the regions.  WH noted that new ideas such as the Exec Umpires instead of Regional Umpires have been a success.  EJ stated that the resolution has two main points to consider: equality of representation for the members, and the running of a successful Association. Removing the regions cuts out the ‘middle man’ so that clubs communicate directly with the Exec, which most of them are doing already.  It was asked for more direct communication to the members, not just to club chairs and secretaries. The Exec will endeavour to send out more information via

Carried.

 

Mailchimp, but members must ensure that their email addresses are up to date It was stated that while some regions are not functioning, others are working well. Could we not create a more effective regional structure rather than removing it completely? – EJ replied that with a membership of around 400, the Exec is not remote, and that regions could continue to operate, just without the constitutional requirements.

It was pointed out that all those on the Executive are elected to the role by the members, and that the membership does have a voice in choosing who they elect to govern the sport. IH noted that there have been no challenges for Exec positions for several years. Following this, the new Executive Officers were elected: Membership Rep – Iain Heaton Sports Development – Gill James International Liaison – Steve Whitehouse

Resolution 4

Resolution 4 – Proposed by Jane Wright-Roberts, UKPA Member To amend paragraph 18.1 of the constitution to read: At its discretion, or if three Club Chairmen and ten ordinary members of the Association so request in writing showing reasonable cause, the Executive Committee… … book of accounts. The results of any such review shall be included in the Treasurer’s report at the UKPA AGM.

AOB

WH thanked all those who have assisted him during his time as Chief Umpire.

Date of next AGM

15 November 2014 – at UKPA Ball

Carried.

SUMMARY OF RESOLUTIONS 2014 Resolution 1 Proposed by Robin Winder of Chiltern Polocrosse Club The Constitution be amended to include the additional membership category of Associate Member. ASSOCIATE MEMBER: A non-playing member able to hold office within the UKPA (but not the UKPA Executive Committee) and attend UKPA meetings and functions with the same voting rights as full members. The optional amendment to this resolution to disallow normal voting rights for associate members will be discussed at the AGM. Resolution 2 Proposed by Jason Webb of Kent Target Polocrosse Club Any change of Playing Rules has to be voted in at an AGM to take effect the following season.

NATIONALS SPONSORS 2014

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