DHS Greenhouse Progress Table Tennis Club News Article

Date: May 13 2009 8:44PM Club Plans - Changes For The Coming 2009/10 Season This 2008/09 season has all but ended and I think now is a good time to share with you some of our plans for next season. For us to make our plans work we need to change a few fundamentals. 1-Club Access - We need to improve access to club by controlling access to the centre. This is necessary so that the centre can count numbers and provide visitor statistics to the centre to the local governing bodies. Therefore from the start of the coming season members will be issued a membership card by the centre which they must supply on demand to gain access to the centre and therefore the club. 2-Membership Payments - We need to improve the way we handle our membership payments. Additionally we need to reduce to process of asking for, chasing cash and collecting cash. Therefore from the start of the next season we will provide you, our members, with more payment options and so you will be encouraged to pay in a number of ways i.e. per session, monthly in advance, quarterly and annually. We may also introduce a way of paying electronically and directly to the clubs account. Cash payments will still be permitted for visitors and casual players (will have to pay at reception and receive receipt) but regular members will be expected and encouraged to pay in advance. 3-Child Safety - Our world has become more safety conscious and we need to comply with the ETTA recommendations in this regard. Therefore from the start of next season younger members will be asked to obtain written permission from their parents or guardians for various activities like having photos taken solely for use on the website, travel to and from matches and to and from the club. Additionally, from next season team captains and coaches will need to obtain CRB checks. 4-Sunday Morning League - Now that we are one year on under new leadership we are conscious of the bias towards younger children and away from maturity. We intend to redress this balance by introducing a Sunday morning league, initially for the summer. The dates are yet to be finalised but are expected to start in late June/Early July until late August. We hope to do this yearly and will be open to all members of the club. Members of other clubs can participate by paying an entrance fee (as do regular members). The format is expected to be 2 players per team with a maximum of 4 players registered per squad. Each sessions will comprise of 2 games each player plus 1 doubles match. 5-Membership Structure - Our membership structure has to be altered to help us better cover our costs. This is partly due to the fact that our 3 year funding arrangement for our community coaching has ended. We are conscious that many of you, our members, may be unaware of the hidden costs of running the club and of what happens to your fees. They cover elite coaching, community coaching, Transport, accommodation, national league fees for several leagues, divisions and teams and the same for local leagues. Therefore, from next season, fees for British and National leagues will be additional to club membership fees. Local league fees will remain part of the standard membership fees. 6-Merchandise - From next season there will be additional merchandise (T-Shirts and other equipment) available for purchase and details will be published for this as soon as details have been finalised and prices agreed. 7-Club Structure - Our operational club structure remains the same with Jason as Club Manager and Andries Pienaar as Deputy Manager. 8-Volunteering - To achieve more of our goals we need volunteers. Volunteers are the lifeblood of almost every club of this kind in the country. We need you even if you have just a little time. If you want your club to succeed and to continue to exist please volunteer. If you want your club to remain open over the summer we urge you to volunteer. There are many ways you can help. Opening up until some arrives, closing if another volunteer has to depart early and other emergencies when we have to take the children to tournaments. Our other plans will be communicated as soon as they too have been agreed and finalised. Anthony Small Club Chairman Sourced by: Tony Small