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Lancashire County RFU. The New Way Forward Club Consultation Feedback Presented to Lancashire clubs in May 2013 . The Background. At the end of 2011/12, Lancashire recognised that some major issues needed to be resolved:
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Lancashire County RFU The New Way Forward Club Consultation Feedback Presented to Lancashire clubs in May 2013
The Background At the end of 2011/12, Lancashire recognised that some major issues needed to be resolved: • What do our constituent clubs consider to be Lancashire’s ‘core purpose’? • How can the County connect more closely with our Clubs? • How can our Clubs connect more closely with the County? • How can the current structure be adapted to better suit the intended ‘core purpose’?
The August Review The initial review consisted of: • Officers & Directors from the Management Board • the Chairs and members of County sub-committees • delegates from a wide cross-section of Clubs • representatives from the University of Salford League • representatives from the North West Colts League • representatives from the County Schools Union • members of the RFU’s Rugby Delivery Team in Lancashire “To improve and promote Clubs and Rugby at all Levels” Clif Barker
The Consultation Four President’s Meetings in November and December • held at Preston Grasshoppers, Liverpool St Helens, Burnley and Broughton Park All Clubs were invited to send representatives to the most suitable location for those involved • 54% of Clubs sent some attendance • 90% of Mini & Junior Sections were represented • A broad cross-section of members from those Clubs contributed to the discussions
Key Questions 1) What is the role of Lancashire Rugby? 2) How well do we communicate together? 3) How well do we consult? 4) How true is “Lancashire does nothing for us?”
Key Drivers The RFU has adopted six ‘key drivers’ as a framework for planning and funding to help Clubs to: • retain and develop existing players; • recruit new players; • retain and develop high quality coaches, referees and volunteers; • develop effective and efficient facilities; • ensure effective and efficient management and governance; • become an integral part of their local community. Lancashire’s consultation process relates to number five in the list of ‘key drivers’.
Key Feedback - Communication County and Club communications need improvement and upgrading. The County Website, provided free of charge, now over ten years old and based on the RFU’s webpage module on the RugbyFirst platform • should be de-cluttered, • become more user-friendly and • become more resource based. Equally, Clubs must undertake to maintain on a timely basis their ‘Golden Roles’ on RugbyFirst to allow effective communication • Club Officers, CVC, CCC, Safeguarding etc, etc..
Key Feedback - General Meetings Fewer large ‘General Committee’ style meetings of record and more smaller, focused meetings dealing with issues relevant to Clubs around Lancashire • Any ‘General Committee’ style meetings need to be more representative of the game • Clubs to have input towards the meeting agendas and their format • Clubs to ensure that they appoint representatives who reflect the aims, objectives and work of the County and its Officers and volunteers back to their Club An RFU staff member to attend all General Meetings and to report to Clubs on RFU based activity
The New Way Forward - Communication In the absence of any information from Twickenham about the future of the RugbyFirst webpage module, together with the expressed view from the consultation feedback, the existing (award-winning) website is now to be abandoned in favour of a new replacement currently being developed. • The present County Webmaster is standing down from the role • A new Webmaster is required to coordinate the items of news, squad announcements, minutes etc., of: • Lancashire’s nine representative playing squads, • the nine District Squads and other player development arrangements, • the dozen or more County committees, • the web-based management of our county-wide, age-grade and adult competitions, general news and regulatory requirements and • other events, courses and information Review the use of social media, eg Twitter & Facebook
The New Way Forward - Meetings Lancashire must hold three General Meetings under both its constitution and also RFU Regulations: • the Company’s AGM in June, to include elections • later in the year, a Financial AGM to review the accounts • a meeting in mid-March, required to elect the County’s two RFU Council Members. The Management Board is proposing to introduce meetings of ‘Cluster’ groups of Clubs to be arranged around the County based on approximately 20/22 Clubs from each area to meet three times a year, in • North Lancashire • Merseyside, and • Greater Manchester
The New Way Forward - Clusters For each area, about 20 Clubs are to be invited to send up to four members to join a standard group of personnel to service each ‘Cluster’: • a Cluster Chairman • a Cluster Secretary • a Cluster Safeguarding Manager • a Cluster Rugby Development Officer • a County Vice President appointed to each Cluster • a County Director to attend the Cluster meetings on a rota Three ‘Cluster’ meetings are to be held in each area: • Option (1) i.e. same night, in September, January and April, or • Option (2) i.e. separately, at three monthly intervals.
The New Way Forward - Cluster Nights All meetings to be held on a Wednesday, the first Wednesday of the month, starting at 7.00pm on: Either Option (1) • Wednesday 4th September, 2013 – the first for all three Clusters or Option (2) NB. OPTION (2) WAS CHOSEN BY CLUBS • Wednesday 7th August, 2013 for North Lancashire • Wednesday 4th September, 2013 for Merseyside • Wednesday 2nd October, 2013 for Manchester depending on which meeting pattern option is chosen Each agenda is to be arranged to include both common themes across the County and also area-specific topics. Each venue for these nights is yet to be determined. Minutes to be taken and published.
The New Way Forward - Cluster Ideas The intention of the Cluster meetings is to be both informative and also to be a platform for new ideas and to manage the progress of initiatives in each area. • The Minutes of each meeting will be considered by the Management Board • Discussions will take place between the Chairman and members of the Board and the Cluster Chairmen • Indicative voting, when appropriate and with the necessary quorum present, will be on a ‘one-vote-per-club’ basis • Items to be voted upon should be based on an Agenda item, published in advance.
The New Way Forward - Cluster Personnel In addition to the lead group shown on the next slides, it is anticipated that Clubs would include within their four representatives the appropriate individuals to offer informed and constructive comment. By way of example: • the Club’s County Representative, i.e. the elected or nominated Club Member who attends and, where appropriate, votes on behalf of the Club at General Meetings • the Chair of the Mini & Junior Section • the Director of Rugby • the Chair of Women’s Rugby • the Fixture Secretary, Coaching, Referees or Volunteer Coordinators, etc.
The New Way Forward - Merseyside Cluster Chairman • Tommy Hughes Cluster Secretary • Mark Downs County Vice President • Dave Matthews Rugby Development Officer • Mark Sutcliffe Deputy Safeguarding Manager • Angie Pender Director / Management Board • as per rota, to be agreed to meet with the following Clubs and others....
The New Way Forward - Gtr. Manchester Cluster Chairman • Tom Fitzgerald Cluster Secretary • Brian Stott County Vice President • Robert Grant Rugby Development Officer • Andrew Soutar Deputy Safeguarding Manager • Christine Spivey Director / Management Board • as per rota, to be agreed to meet with the following Clubs and others....
The New Way Forward - North Lancs. Cluster Chairman • John Greenwood Cluster Secretary • Peter Elliott County Vice President • Tim Stirk Rugby Development Officer • Stuart Urquhart Deputy Safeguarding Manager • Jane Lyth Director / Management Board • as per rota, to be agreed to meet with the following Clubs and others....
The New Way Forward - Questions ? This presentation was given to Clubs at meetings at: For North Lancashire clubs at Preston Grasshoppers (1st May), Merseyside clubs at West Park (8th May) and for Manchester clubs at Broughton Park (22nd May)
Thank You For Attending The next Financial AGM is on Wednesday 27th November 2013, at Tyldesley RUFC The 19th Annual Lancashire Awards Dinner is on Friday 13th June 2014, at Preston Grasshoppers RFC The 2014 Annual General Meeting is on Wednesday 25th June 2014, at Tyldesley RUFC We hope to see you all at one of the forthcoming Area Cluster meetings • The venues for the first three meetings remain to be confirmed. www.lancashirerugby.com