Chair’s Report 2025-26
In summary the overall health of the club is looking really positive, when I been at Juniors, Womens and Open sessions I see we have great players with a positive attitude towards development and supporting each other. Coaches tell me there is amazing atmosphere when we are matches – even when the results may not go our way. The financials could always be better but we are looking to make sure we have a sound financial base for years ahead, we have exceptional active volunteers with a really good mix of experience and viewpoints and more volunteers are always welcome.
Leadership & Transition
My first year has been a successful period of transition learning and understanding. It’s important to acknowledge that Phil Heads has continued to handle a significant amount of the administrative "heavy lifting." To ensure the club’s long-term sustainability, this needs to change for the 2026/27 season. While the current committee is happy to serve for another year, we must start succession planning for the 2027/28 season now. Relying on the same small group indefinitely isn't healthy for the club in the long run. We are looking to "set" the team by recruiting volunteers for specific roles, including Publicity & Fundraising, Social Events, Junior Fixtures Coordination and Website Management.
We’ve all heard that "many hands make light work"—or in our case, many hands make for a better block! Please consider taking on even a small element of a role. Fresh faces bring fresh ideas, and even a minor contribution helps the whole team score.
Membership
An increase in fees for 2026/2027 is anticipated to cover increased court costs, equipment and other club operating costs. Fees have remained static for the last 5 years and reserved funds have subsidised our playing for the last few years. See Treasurer’s Report for the details.
Equipment & Venue
The situation at Lime Kiln remains a top priority. We are currently working with Wiltshire Council on a Business Plan that proposes a reduction in our court fees to offset the cost of replacing the aging posts, padding and floor fittings . Fingers crossed, we hope to have this resolved for the 2026/2027 season. On a positive note, we have avoided any major equipment failures this year, allowing for a much more consistent training schedule than last season.
Coaching and Refereeing
The club welcomed James and Gary who lead on taking the Women’s sessions, which has been a great success and Macy & Josh have successful undertaken there 1st coaching course which will help expand our coach capability and capacity.
We have struggled this year with referring and scoring duties when we undertake Wiltshire League and been over reliant on a few. Players and parents are reminded that if you play in the Wiltshire League for one of the Open teams you are also expected to come and undertake officiation duties for the other team. If transport is an issue just let your Team organiser know.
The club supports you taking coaching and refereeing courses and will pay half the course fee.
Club Projects & Progress
A huge thank you to Tiffany Kwok, who has stepped forward to tackle our out-of-date website. Even though Tiffany is heading off to University next year, her willingness to help modernise our digital presence is a massive boost for the club.
Macy Stephens also deserves a big thank-you for accepting the challenge of Junior Competition Coordinator. Please support Macy when requests for availability are requested, Macy will need to know numbers so we can get our entries in.
We are still looking for a Social Secretary and Publicity & Fundraising Officer to help further promote one club identify and brand, could even include initiating an Annual RWB VC Outdoor Club Tournament!
For details on our flourishing Junior section, Adult league performances, and the progress of the Wiltshire Women’s collective team, please refer to the Club Coach’s Report, which highlights what has been an exceptionally busy and productive year on the court.
Changing Faces & Special Thanks
The "vibe" of the club remains its greatest asset, built entirely on the energy of our volunteers.
- Special Thanks: I want to express my sincere gratitude to Phil Heads for his tireless efforts this year. As Lissa begins to ramp up her involvement and Phil starts to wind down his administrative duties, I ask that you all offer Lissa your full support during this transition.
- Our Volunteer Team: A massive thank you to our "off-court" heroes: Julie (Welfare), Macy, Kat, Josh, Helen, Marketa and Donna for their help running the Junior sessions; Jimmy for coaching our Open sessions; and James and Gary for their dedication to Women’s coaching. Must mention that we would not make it to the matches without Sven, Helen, Jimmy, Kat and Donna as Team contacts. We also our youth volunteering, Shreyash, Tiffany, Amy and Anna for helping with Teams and parents Mora and Tamsyn for keeping the scores at JuToVo.
- Moving On: This autumn, we say a fond farewell to Julia, Sunita, Luciana, Tiffany, Hugo and Dipesh who are all heading off to University (these are one’s I know about!). We also wish the best to those relocating and look forward to seeing our returning members soon. You are all part of the RWB VC family—please come back and see us during the holidays!
Our club relies on you to keep the rally going. If you can help in even a small way next season, please do get in touch.
Andrew Rowe, Club Chair 2025/2026