Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club

2025-26 Chair's Report

RichardHowells — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:56:00 GMT

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

2025-26 Planning for 2026-27

RichardHowells — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:46:00 GMT

Planning for 2026-27 We’d like to hear your views on the following plans… Summer 2026 (May to August) Weekly outdoor play for fun at Lydiard Park Events Field: Mondays 6:45pm or 7pm as daylight lengthens. Start mid-May. For members age 15+ plus invited guests and prospective members. No provision for ages 9-14 (our junior coaches need a break!). No formal training or coach supervision (our coaches need a break) so play at own risk. Volunteer Andrew to judge weather and safety each week, and communicate go/no-go with players. Outdoor competitions: Members self-organise to participate, eg Wilts; Whitefield (Bristol); Salisbury; others. Women (Year 11+) Train: Thursdays 8:15pm – 10pm. Whole hall, 2 courts, max capacity 25-30 players, requires 2+ coaches. Plus one Friday per month dedicated for SWL squad – subject to Gary Burton’s new commitments. Enter competitions, depending on player availability: SW League; Wilts Ladies & Junior League; SW Youth; Volleyball England Junior Grand Prix. Plan to enter TWO SWL teams to develop and retain our large cohort of promising young players (teens and twenties). The extra SWL team will require: manager and DBS-checked/registered game-coach (Kat and Marketa have volunteered); hall hire costs for home games; others to support our Sunday junior club. Open (Year 11+) Train: Sundays 6:15-8pm. One court (end of hall not available), ideally 2 coaches. Maximum capacity 20 players: minimum 17 men, maximum 3 women. Enter competitions, depending on player availability: Wilts Open League (2 teams); Dave Kinder Cup (2 teams); SW Youth and Volleyball England Junior events. All league players are responsible for taking their turn to officiate at home league games. Warriors play home games on Thursdays, Barbarians on Sundays. Juniors U12-U15 Train: Sundays 4:30-6:00pm. Whole hall, long net, max capacity c32 players, requires 4 coaches per session. Enter competitions, depending on player availability: South West JuVoTo (3v3) U12, U13, U14, U15 (Saturdays). Play 6v6 when ready (usually U14 or U15): SW Youth; Volleyball England junior; Wilts Ladies & Juniors. Host national and regional junior age-group events when possible (requires post-padding). Capacity management Club Coach consult team coaches about standards, team needs and capacities: Existing members have priority, including Year 10 juniors graduating to adult (Year 11+) groups. Fill any vacancies by inviting returning and new players from waiting lists. Women and Junior already full! Maintain waiting lists as necessary.

2025-26 Welfare Officer Report

RichardHowells — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:39:00 GMT

My role as Club Welfare Officer is to ensure that our club is committed to create and maintain a safe, inclusive and positive environment to all our club members and volunteers and to implement and promote Volleyball England Safeguarding Policy within our club. Our members are to feel valued and to be treated with respect. The club’s Safeguarding Policy is reviewed and approved at the beginning of each season, in line with the Volleyball England Guidance. Safeguarding Training is also completed by Welfare Officer and coaches. Any Safeguarding concerns raised from any club member/parents of junior members will be listened to and actioned accordingly and treated in strict confidence. I have a duty of care to follow up on any concerns. I try to attend most Junior and Open section trainings and have attended Women’s training on occasions. I can be contacted by phone or email (see club information pack) at any time if you have any concerns. Welfare questions pop up from time-to-time, however I note that there have been no severe welfare issues this season. Julie-Anne Daniell RWBVC Welfare Officer - 2025/26 season

2025-26 Club Coach Report

RichardHowells — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:36:00 GMT

Club Performance Report 2025-26 Membership and training We provide a continuous development pathway through the club for players from age 9 to adult, with separate dedicated training and coaching for women, men and juniors (U15). Demand remained high and we have waiting lists for all sections. Membership and attendance often exceeded full capacity for our Junior Section (33 players) and Women’s section (30 players) though we experienced more mid-season turnover and new members in our Open section (21 players: 18 men and 3 women). Due to exceptional quality and volume of our U14/U15 Girls cohort this season we provided them with additional advanced training and competition – see outcomes below! Individual Talent Development We were pleased to support at least 9 of our young players (that I’m aware of) taking opportunities to develop towards higher levels through Volleyball England Talent Pathway events (ages U13-U15), South West Junior squad training (U15, U17), and Wiltshire Mavericks NVL and SWL squads (age 16+). We congratulate a record number of RWB players selected for South West Junior Squads: Michael Okereke (U17); Amy McLaughlin (U15); Anna Sojkowska (U15); Robyn Cuthbert (U15); plus Aleksandra Gubareva (SW U15 reserve; Wales?). Team performances We provide opportunities for players of all age groups to participate and compete at appropriate levels. Team/Age Group Competition Rank Notes RWB Women South West League – Premier Div 5th /8 12 players (U17+). Best win ratio for 3 years. Sunita Chand 2nd MVP in Premier Division Bassett Hounds Bassett Allsorts Wilts Ladies & Junior League (9 rounds) 2nd /7 6th /7 Hounds = RWB best ever. Also 2nd in Xmas Cup. Allsorts played only 4 rounds. Total 29 players (21 U14-U18) RWB Warriors RWB Barbarians Wilts Open League – Premier Div Wilts Open League – Division 1 5th /7 7th /7 Drama in league! D K Plate final to be played. Good development progress. DK Plate SF. U18 Women U18 Men SW Youth Tournaments N/A N/A 11 players (U14-U17) – played 4/5 rounds 7 players (U15-U18) – played 2/3 rounds U15 Girls Volleyball England Junior Grand Prix 6v6 Tier 1 (3 rounds) 2nd 24th/30 2nd in Bronze Group and 24th nationally 9 players (U14-U15) U15 Boys U15 Girls U14 Girls U13 Girls U13 Boys SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 (5 rounds) 6th /10 1st /8 1st /11 =1st /4 1st /4 3 players (U14-U15) – played 2 rounds 8 players (U13-U15) – played 4 rounds 7 players (U13-U14) – played 4 rounds 3 players (U13) – played 1 round 5 players (U10-U13) – played 4 rounds Thank You to our volunteers who make all this possible! On behalf of our club I thank all our dedicated volunteers who organise, coach, assist and officiate our games – without them we couldn’t offer all these playing and development opportunities for our members. Group Coaches Assistants / Helpers / Organisers Women James Morten-Scott, Gary Burton, Andrew, Phil Helen, Kat, Donna, Lissa Men James Daniell, Andrew, Phil Sven, Lissa, Donna, Macy, Julie, Charlotte Juniors (U15) Andrew, Marketa, Donna, Kat, Phil Julie, Helen, Josh, Macy, Aleksandra, Amy, Tamsyn, Mora, Anna, Ed, Shreyash, Tiffany Lots of kudos to members training for Coach qualifications: Macy, Josh, James Morten-Scott. 😊 Phil Heads, Club Coach, April 2026

2025-26 Financial Report and Accounts

RichardHowells — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:24:00 GMT

Expenditure 2025-26 Income 2025-26 Lime Kiln LC hall hire 8,836.78 Member subscriptions (annual) 940.00 Club affiliation and coach registration - VE 132.85 Member playing fees (monthly) 9,812.03 Competition entries and player registrations - VE 624.18 Event hosting fees (JGP) 0 Competition entries and player registrations - SWVA 265.00 Fundraising – events Note 2 299.50 Competition entries and player registrations – WVA Note 1 1,532.50 Fundraising - sponsorship 0 Equipment and consumables 944.87 Fundraising - grants 0 Prizes and awards 207.72 Bank interest 0 Website server rental (Richard Howells) 0 Bank fees and charges 52.59 Coach Course fees and expenses 224.06 12,820.55 11,051.53 Excess of income over expenditure -1,769.02 Note 1: WVA includes late invoices from previous seasons Note 2: Funds raised by members (cake sales) towards post padding Summary BANK BALANCE brought forward from 2024-25 7,929.18 Increase / decrease in funds from 2025-26 -1769.02 BANK BALANCE carried forward to 2026-27 6,160.16 I confirm that, from the information available to me and to the best of my knowledge, these accounts accurately reflect the financial position of Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club. Club Treasurer | Donna Cunningham | Signature | April 2026 I have reviewed the accounts of Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club as laid out above and I confirm that the financial records of the club are in accordance with these accounts. Independent Verifier | Name | Signature | Date Financial prospects for 2026/27 We aim to make volleyball accessible and affordable by keeping our prices as low as possible in the face of cost-of-living pressures. At the same time we must be financially sustainable to cover our annual operating costs whilst maintaining a reserve for emergencies and to invest in new or replacement equipment. We have held membership prices at the same level for 6 years. In that time income has increased x2 due to rising member numbers, whilst costs have increased x2.5 due to inflation. For the last two years we have made an operating loss which is projected to grow to around £4.2k in 2026/27 due to further rises in hall hire and competition costs (including up to £1.2k for an additional SWL team). We also need c£1k to buy padding for posts and referee stand: this is now a mandatory insurance requirement to host Volleyball England competitions and may become mandatory for regional, county and club activity. In 2026/27 our financial reserves will be used to invest in equipment (such as replacing old posts) and to keep a modest amount for emergencies. However our reserves are not sufficient to sustain ongoing operating losses that increase each year so we must unfortunately increase our member prices. At the same time we propose to simplify our price structure (and reduce the number of financial transactions) so that all costs, including the previous annual club membership fee, are included in a single monthly payment. WE are also separating prices for our junior and youth sections to reflect actual cost differences. With ongoing high demand and waiting lists to join our club we expect member numbers to remain at full capacity. RWB VC Member Prices 2026/27 proposed Section Mini and Junior Up to Year 10; not playing with adults Youth Year 11-13; and student in full-time education Adult Age 18+ Non-Playing Monthly price (Sep-Apr) £24 £28 £38 No charge Expected members 30 30 20 5 Notes Monthly price includes winter indoor season Sept to April/May inclusive; plus the following summer season May to August. Non-payment negates membership and benefits including eligibility to play for the club in competitions and insurance. Non-playing members approved by the Committee include appointed volunteers (eg coaches; club welfare officer) and life members. Discounts available by agreement: please speak with the club Treasurer Free first session (taster): 25% off first monthly payment. Family with more than one child in Mini/Junior/Youth sections: £10 per month off for the 2nd child onwards. Playing coaches approved / appointed by the Committee: £5 per month off. We are sensitive to genuine financial hardship and can make individual exceptions in confidence when justified. Breakdown of price increases 2026/27 Club Section Monthly Price Increase 2026/27 Catching up with 7 years of inflation: how your monthly price increase will contribute to club costs Membership subscription (was annual) Hall hire Competition entries, player registrations Equipment, awards, courses Mini & Junior £9 - £5 £2 £2 Youth £13 £2.50 £5 £3.50 £2 Adult £13 £5 £5 £1 £2

2025-26 AGM Agenda

RichardHowells — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:10:00 GMT

42nd Annual General Meeting [club founded May 1984] Monday 27th April 2026 | 7:30pm | by videoconference https://meet.google.com/wgf-crfg-oay AGENDA See meeting papers posted on the club website: www.woottonbassettvbc.co.uk Welcome / attendees / apologies for absence Confirm minutes of 2025 AGM Review of season 2025-26 Chair’s Report Financial Report and Accounts (Treasure), covering Fundraising Performance Report (Club Coach) Welfare Report (Welfare Officer) Plan for season 2026-27 Governance & Elections Elect committee for 2026-27 (see below) Volunteer Roles Any other business Womens Volleyball Shirts (Joma Dinamo II) Announcements and celebrate Club Award winners 2025-26 & Phils Sweep Stake (Phil) Elected Committee – roles elected annually at the AGM Role 2025/2026 Season 2026/2027 Season Chair Andrew Rowe re-election would be considered Treasurer Donna Cunningham re-election would be considered Secretary Lissa Pitts re-election would be considered Welfare Officer Julie Daniell re-election would be considered Club Coach Phil Heads re-election would be considered Volunteer Appointments – roles appointed by the committee Current (2025-26) appointees Coach (Women) James Morten assisted by Gary Burton, Andrew & Phil, Coach (Open/Men) James Daniell assisted by Phil + senior players Coach (Junior) Phil, Kat, Andrew, Donna, Marketa, Helen, Macy, Josh Team Contact : Women SW League Helen Morten Team Contact : Wilts Ladies & Junior Phil Heads + Donna Cunningham Team Contact : Open/Men Wilts League Sven Kalinda (RWB Warriors) Team Contact : Open/Men Wilts League James Daniell (RWB Barbarians) Team Contact : U16-U18 Phil Heads Team Contact : U12-U15 Phil Heads + Kat Grote WVA Meetings James Daniell (WVA Chair) + RWB Chair Social Organiser(s) Vacant Website developer Vacant, nomination Tiffany Kowk for 26/27 Publicity Officer New vacant Junior Competition Coordinator New vacant, nomination Macy Stephens for 26/27 Web Administrator Richard Howells (we contribute to his server rental)

2024-25 AGM Notes

RichardHowells — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:53:00 GMT

Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club Annual General Meeting Notes Date: April 28th 2025 Prepared by: Lissa Pitts 2025 AGM (via Video Conference) 7:15pm - 8:35pm Attendees: Male Players: Dan Stevens, Brynn Meredith, Monty Rose, Josh Ducie, Cedrick Tuazon, James Daniel, Hayden Daniel, Andrew Rowe Female Players: Zuzana Pritchard, Maisie Daniel, Lissa Pitts, Donna Cunningham, Katie Keen, Debbie Hanna, Katharina Grote, Helen Morten, Sunita Chand Junior Players & Parents: Jax Rowe; Jo Baker (mother of Rico); Ini Ekanem (mother of Michael); Shreyash Balooni and Pankaj Balooni Non-Playing Members: Phil Heads (Chair & Head Coach), Cliff Ball (Ladies Coach), Julie Daniel (CWO) Other Notes: No apologies for absence were recorded. Minutes from the 2024 AGM were accepted as a true record. 1. Chair's Report & Club Health - Juniors: High participation, enjoyment, and strong performance. - Adults: Faced disruption due to leisure centre equipment failure but rebounded by season's end. - Ongoing Issues: • Need to replace volleyball posts. • Outdated club website. • Minor concerns regarding reformation of Wiltshire Mavericks women's team. - Thanks: Special acknowledgment to all volunteers, particularly Cliff for longstanding coaching support. 2. Finance Report & Financial Outlook - 2024 Financials: • Expenditure exceeded income by approx. £1,300 (planned use of reserves). • Current reserves: £7,900—deemed healthy for emergencies. - Membership Fees: • No change for the 2025-26 season. • Potential increase considered for 2026-27. - Action: Committee to monitor rising costs and prepare for equipment-related expenses. 3. Club Coach's Performance Report - Player Pathway: Strong junior-to-adult transition and broad playing opportunities. - Team Highlights: • Women’s SW League team placed 4th in Premier Division. • Men’s teams avoided relegation and finished mid-table. - Junior Success: Multiple Southwest championships and high engagement. • Special recognition: Michael Okoreki selected for regional team. 4. Summer 2025 Outdoor & Junior Sessions - Outdoor Play: Lydiard Park sessions to resume Mondays from 12th May (weather permitting). - Volunteer Need: For weather monitoring and equipment logistics – Andrew Rowe - Junior Sessions: Monthly sessions considered, contingent on coach availability. - Encouragement: Members urged to join local summer tournaments. 5. Planning for Next Indoor Season - Women's Section: • Training continues Thursdays. • Recruitment of new coaches necessary due to personnel changes – Cliff Ball stepped down as women’s coach - League Plans: • Intent to enter: Southwest League, Wiltshire Ladies & Juniors. • Maintain strong junior pipeline. - Men’s/Open Teams: • Sunday training. • Enter Wiltshire League and Dave Kinder Cup. • Maintain junior regional participation. 6. Committee Elections & Volunteer Roles - Elected Committee: • Chair: Andrew • Treasurer: Donna • Secretary: Lissa • Welfare Officer: Julie • Club Coach: Phil - Volunteer Roles: • To be confirmed/appointed (e.g., web admin, junior support). • Ongoing need for coaches and volunteers, especially in junior section. 7. Club Awards & Closing Remarks - Kevan Hobbis Award for Exceptional Contribution to the Club: Donna Cunningham - Player of the Season (Best or Most Improved): • U12 Boys: Charlie Blackman & Eli Benham (shared) • U12 Girls: Layla Adams • U13 Girls: Maja Druzynska • U14 Girls: Beth Humphrey • U15 Boys: Rico Bamford • U18 Women: Kiyana Pachabhaiya • U18 Open: Leo Coogan • Wiltshire Ladies & Junior League: Sunita Chand • Wiltshire Open League Barbarians: Josh Blackman • Wiltshire Open League Warriors: CJ Notman • Southwest League Women: Julia Moroz - Equipment Discussion: Ongoing issues with volleyball posts and nets; committee to pursue cost-sharing and replacement in collaboration with the leisure centre and council. - Meeting Closure: Thanks extended to outgoing Chair (Phil) and all club volunteers for their continued commitment and support. 8. Action Items Person/Group Task Unassigned Recruit volunteer with web skills to update/maintain club website Andrew (Chair) Lead cost-sharing discussions for equipment with leisure centre and Wiltshire Council Donna (Treasurer) Monitor finances; plan for potential fee increases (2026–27) Andrew Organize summer outdoor sessions; weather checks & equipment logistics Donna + others Arrange occasional junior outdoor sessions if coaching capacity allows Helen + Committee Confirm Southwest League women’s team entry by the June/July deadline Committee (led by Chair) Appoint/confirm all volunteer roles for the season

2024-25 - 41st AGM Agenda

RichardHowells — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:08:00 GMT

Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club 41st Annual General Meeting [club founded May 1984] Monday 28th April 2024 | 7:15pm | by videoconference AGENDA See meeting papers posted on the club website: www.woottonbassettvbc.co.uk Welcome / attendees / apologies for absence Confirm minutes of 2024 AGM Review of season 2024-25 Chair’s Report Financial Report and Accounts (Treasurer) Performance Report (Club Coach) Plan for season 2025-26 Elect committee for 2025-26 (see below) And note the process for appointing volunteer roles Any other business Announce and celebrate Club Award winners 2024-25 Elected Committee – roles elected annually at the AGM Chair Phil Heads standing down Andrew Rowe willing to serve 2025/26 Treasurer Donna Cunningham Willing to serve 2025/26 Secretary Dawn Davis stood down Lissa Pitts willing to serve 2025/26 Welfare Officer Julie Daniell Willing to serve 2025/26 Club Coach Phil Heads Willing to serve 2025/26 We can elect or co-opt additional committee members if we have willing volunteers. - Volunteer Appointments – roles appointed by the committee Current (2024-25) appointees Coach (Women) Cliff Ball assisted by Andrew, Phil, Madison + senior players Coach (Open/Men) James Daniell assisted by Phil + senior players Coach (Junior) Phil, Kat, Andrew, Donna + team of helpers Team Contact : Women SW League Helen Morten + Zuzana Pritchard Team Contact : Wilts Ladies & Junior Phil Heads + Donna Cunningham Team Contact : Open/Men Wilts League Sven Kalinda (RWB Warriors) Team Contact : Open/Men Wilts League James Daniell (RWB Barbarians) Team Contact : U16-U18 Phil Heads Team Contact : U12-U15 Phil Heads + Kat Grote WVA Meetings James Daniell (WVA Vice-Chair) + RWB Chair Social Organiser(s) Vacant Website developer Vacant Web Administrator Richard Howells (we contribute to his server rental)

2024-25 Chair's Report

RichardHowells — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:05:00 GMT

Chair’s Report 2024-25 Health of the club Our junior section is thriving. This season we saw high attendance, great enthusiasm and exceptional performance in regional and nationally organised competitions (see Club Coach’s report). Our junior development pathway is producing very able players who are being selected for SW region squads (congratulations this season to Michael Okereke) and progressing rapidly into our adult teams. Plus we see and hear great feedback about the benefits of volleyball for the personal development and confidence of young people. For all this we thank our amazing team of junior coaches and helpers (including a number of older teenagers) together with all those parents who supported and transported young players around the south of England. Our adult teams suffered from the leisure centre equipment failure that disrupted their training and matches between October and December, together with higher than usual absence and turnover of players during the season (for a variety of reasons). These factors clearly impacted negatively on our enjoyment and performances, however our women and men bounced back strongly towards the end of the season to improve their league positions and avoid automatic relegation. With an influx of young players from our junior section plus new adults from our waiting list we can look forward to next season with confidence. Huge thanks to our various team coaches and helpers, who invested so much time, effort and skill into developing our players and teams – the improvement is clearly visible. And lastly a very special thanks to Cliff, our esteemed founder and life member, who is taking a break after his latest stint of eight seasons coaching our SW League women’s squad – yet another magnificent contribution to this club! Next challenges for the club The main volleyball posts and floor fittings provided by the leisure centre are at end of life, with risk of further failure, however Wiltshire Council financial constraints are preventing their replacement in the near future. As a club we may have to consider some kind of cost-sharing with the Council to get them replaced. In the face of these challenges we thank the leisure centre staff for their support and for going the extra mile for us this season. In recent years we planned to redevelop our out-of-date and neglected club website to make it more usable and informative for current and potential members and supporters. Several volunteers with web skills got involved for a while, however all have now moved on so this remains a challenge. Wiltshire Volleyball may establish a collective women’s team to bring together top players from Wiltshire clubs to compete at higher levels. This could change the landscape for recruiting, developing and retaining female players to represent our club in the SW League. We’ll discuss this later in today’s AGM agenda (planning for season 2025-26). Changing faces I’m standing down as Chair after 6 years, plus 2 years in an earlier stint. During this time we’ve survived and thrived despite the Covid pandemic and equipment failures and we’ve invested in new equipment to expand our junior provision. I’m especially proud that our wonderful team of volunteers have created and sustained a continuous player development pathway: from age 9 to adult; from beginner to local league to regional league and beyond. No other club in Wiltshire can match the range of ages and development opportunities our club offers. I carried a heavy administrative load off court, at least 4 hours per week, which will now be shared by a new Chair and a new Secretary. The Chair’s role is to provide vision and leadership so the club keeps moving forward; to make sure all sections of the club are healthy and connected; to make sure we have good governance and management in place; and to represent the club externally. The Secretary’s role is to administer, coordinate and support much of our club’s activity, and enable good communications internally and externally. I wish them both an enjoyable and successful stint, and like everyone else in the club I’ll do my best to support them. A number of our young players are planning to go to university this autumn, so we wish you many happy adventures with your academic and life journeys: Ada, Alicja, Faye, Kaiden, Bryn, Ced and Monty. Our busy and active club relies entirely on unpaid volunteers to make it all happen, and we thank you all. Now we really do need additional (and younger!) people to help run and coach our club. A parent has recently volunteered to help next season and it would be great if more people, whether players or family, could step forward. Please talk with us about how you can help, even in small ways. Phil Heads, April 2025

2024-25 Club Performance Report

RichardHowells — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:04:00 GMT

Club Performance Report 2024-25 Membership and training We provide a continuous development pathway through the club for players from age 9 to adult, with separate dedicated training and coaching for women, men and juniors (U15). Our established coaches are becoming thinly stretched so we would welcome new volunteers to coach or assist. Membership was close to full capacity for much of the season in all our groups, though adult training attendance was lower than usual. Absences and turnover were mainly due to illness, injury, exams, university visits, moving jobs and travelling. This meant we were able to welcome new members to all our groups. Nr of training sessions and Attendance: Average (low-high) Women Yr11+ Open (mostly men) Yr11+ Juniors up to Yr10 Sessions (1.75 hr) Attendance (2 courts, capacity 26) Sessions (1.75 hr) Attendance (1 court, capacity 20) Sessions (1.5 hr) Attendance (4 courts, max 30) 2024-25 season 30 16 (10-21) 25 12 (8-17) 32 22 (16-27) 2023-24 season 29 19 (13-24) 22 13 (7-20) 31 19 (12-24) 2022-23 season 31 17 (13-21) 29 14 (9-19) 32 25 (15-32) Competition We provide opportunities for players of all age groups to participate and compete at appropriate levels. Age Group Competition Team Rank Notes Women 16+ South West League – Premier Div RWB Women W5/15 4th /6 12 players (2x U17-U18) Women & Juniors Wilts Ladies & Junior League Bassett Hounds (9 days) Bassett Allsorts (2 days) 3rd /8 6th /8 Total 26 players (18 juniors U13-U18) Open 16+ Wilts Open League – Premier Div Wilts Open League – Division 1 RWB Warriors W1/10 RWB Barbarians W3/10 6th /7 4th /6 13 players (4x U16-U18) 13 players (2x U16-U18) Total 19 men, 3 women U18 Women Bristol Junior events 6v6 RWB U18 Girls (3 days) R1? R2? R3 2nd/8 11 players (U13-U18) +1 adult in emergency U18 Men Bristol Junior events 6v6 RWB U18 Boys (1 day) 2nd /4 8 players (U14-U18) U15 Boys Volleyball Engl Jnr Grand Prix 4v4 RWB U15 Boys (2 days) R1 1st/4 R2 2nd/6 4 players (U14-U15) SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 RWB Peregrines (4 days) RWB Eagles (2 days) 2nd /9 3rd /9 7 players (U13-U15) U14 Girls Volleyball Engl Jnr Grand Prix 4v4 RWB U14 Girls (2 days) R1 1st/6 R2 1st/5 5 players (U12-U14) SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 RWB Buzzards (5 days) RWB Kestrels (1 day) 1st /5 4th /5 6 players (U12-U14) U13 Girls SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 RWB Hawks (2 days) 2nd /6 4 players (U12-U13) U12 Girls SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 RWB Owls (3 days) 1st /2 4 players (U11-U12) U12 Boys SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 RWB Harriers (6 days) 1st /3 7 players (U8-U12) Individual Talent Development We were pleased to support around 6 of our young players taking opportunities to develop towards higher levels through Volleyball England Talent Pathway events (ages U13-U15), South West Junior squad training (U15, U17), and Wiltshire Mavericks NVL and SWL squads (age 16+). We are delighted to congratulate Michael Okereke on his selection for the South West U15 squad. Phil Heads, Club Coach, April 2025 The Club Coach is elected by members at the AGM: (1) to plan our training and competition programme for the whole season, and (2) to recruit, coordinate and support our team of volunteer coaches so that all our players and teams can develop and progress.

2025-26 Planning

RichardHowells — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:01:00 GMT

Planning for 2025-26 We’d like to hear your views on the following plans and options… Summer 2025 (May to August) Weekly outdoor play for fun at Lydiard Park Events Field: Mondays 6:45pm or 7pm as daylight lengthens. Starting mid-May? For members age 15+ (our junior coaches need a break!). Invite potential new players from our waiting lists? We need a volunteer to judge weather and safety each week, and communicate go/no-go with players. Monthly play for fun for juniors age 9-15 at Lydiard Park? There is demand, but we’ll need supervisors/coaches. Outdoor competitions: members self-organise to participate, eg Wilts; Whitefield (Bristol); Salisbury; others. Indoor taster session(s) for new players on our waiting lists? Indoor Season 2025/26 (September to April) Women (Year 11+) Train: Thursdays 8:15pm – 10pm. Whole hall, 2 courts, max capacity c25 players, requires 2+ coaches. Enter competitions, depending on player availability: SW League; Wilts Ladies & Junior League; Bristol junior events; Volleyball England Junior Grand Prix. Possible Wiltshire Mavericks women’s team to bring together top players from Wilts clubs to play SW League? May affect our club’s ability to recruit, develop and retain players for SW League? Open/Men (Year 11+) Train: Sundays 6:15-8pm. One court (end of hall not available): max capacity 20 players, ideally 2 coaches. Enter competitions, depending on player availability: Wilts Open League (2 teams); Dave Kinder Cup (2 teams); Bristol and Volleyball England Junior events. All league players are responsible for taking their turn to officiate at games. A-team play home games on Thursdays, B-team on Sundays. Juniors U12-U15 Train Sundays 4:30-6:00pm. Whole hall, long net, max capacity c32 players, requires 4 coaches per session. Enter competitions, depending on player availability: South West JuVoTo (3v3) competition: U12, U13, U14, U15 (Saturdays). Possibly Volleyball England U14 (4v4). Play 6v6 when ready (usually U15s): Bristol and Volleyball England junior events; Wilts Ladies & Juniors. Host national and regional junior age-group events when possible. Capacity management Club Coach will consult team coaches about standards, team needs and capacities: Existing members have priority: invite them first to sign up for next season, including Year 10 graduating to adult sessions, so we know how many leavers and vacancies we have. Fill any remaining vacancies by inviting players from waiting lists. Maintain waiting lists as necessary. Perhaps explore option of running an additional adult casual volleyball session for non-competitive players and those on waiting lists, subject to availability of hall (Friday evenings?) and volunteer supervisors?

2024-25 Financial Report and Accounts - V2

RichardHowells — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 16:58:00 GMT

Expenditure 2024-25 Income 2024-25 Lime Kiln LC hall hire 8,233.44 Member subscriptions (annual) 1,265.00 Club affiliation and coach registration - VE 139.81 Member playing fees (monthly) 8,424.75 Competition entries and player registrations - VE 434.12 Event hosting fees (JGP) 125.00 Competition entries and player registrations - SWVA 205.00 Open Day 50.00 Competition entries and player registrations - WVA 485.00 Fundraising - sponsorship 0 Equipment and consumables (includes new junior posts) 1,393.17 Fundraising - grants 0 Prizes and awards 253.69 Bank interest 0 Website server rental (Richard Howells) 50.00 Bank fees and charges 4.25 11,198.48 9,864.75 Excess of expenditure over income 1,333.73 Summary BANK BALANCE brought forward from 2023-24 9,262.91 Increase / decrease in funds from 2023-24 1,333.73 BANK BALANCE carried forward to 2025-26 7,929.18 Notes to accounts 2024/25 Our member income (annual subscription plus playing fees) in 2023-24 was under-reported by nearly £2,000 at the 2024 AGM, so we started the 2024/25 financial year with a healthier bank balance (reserve) than previously reported. Member income in this 2024/25 financial year includes overdue payments from 2023/24, so is higher than we would normally expect. Spending this 2024/25 financial year was higher than usual because of: late invoicing for Lime Kiln hall hire and WVA fees from 2023/24; and extra hall hire costs for SW League matches due to the equipment failure at Lime Kiln. Some WVA costs remain outstanding and may be invoiced to us in future. We decided not to increase member fees for 2024/25 so, as predicted at the 2024 AGM, spending was higher than income this financial year. The loss of £1,333 was funded from our reserves. We aim hold a reasonable but not excessive balance in reserve for: Unexpected emergencies, costs and loss of income. Past examples have included: the Lime Kiln fire when we had to hire other facilities at higher cost; the covid pandemic; and the Lime Kiln equipment failure. Maintaining and replacing equipment. For example, we may soon need to contribute to the costs of replacing the main volleyball posts at Lime Kiln L.C. (see Chair’s report) and replace some ageing balls. I confirm that, from the information available to me and to the best of my knowledge, these accounts accurately reflect the financial position of Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club. Club Treasurer | Donna Cunningham | Signature | April 2025 I have reviewed the accounts of Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club as laid out above and I confirm that the financial records of the club are in accordance with these accounts. Independent Verifier | Name | Signature | Date Financial prospects for 2025/26 We expect membership to stay close to full capacity, so current levels of income should be secure. We expect costs to continue rising in line with wider economic and inflationary pressures. For example, Lime Kiln hall hire fees (our biggest cost) have not risen for two years and may rise in 2025/26. We aim to be financially responsible by balancing income and expenditure across all our club activities. At the same time we seek to make volleyball accessible and affordable by keeping our prices as low as possible while families continue to face inflationary and cost-of-living pressures. We are sensitive to genuine financial hardship and can make individual exceptions when justified. Our reserve currently stands around £7,900 so the club is financially healthy. During the financial year 2025/26 we anticipate further reduction of our reserve: < >To reduce the risk of further equipment failure at Lime Kiln LC by cost-sharing for the replacement of volleyball posts which are near end-of-life.To hold our membership prices at current levels (see table below), which is likely to lead to another year of loss (spend exceeding income). Item Period Adult prices Junior prices (U15, up to Yr 10) What it pays for Membership subscription To be paid in September or when you join. You must be a paid-up and registered member to play in competitions. Annual £40 Adult (age 18+) £20 Junior playing with adults (U16-U18, Year 11+) Half price if you join after Christmas £0 subscription included in playing fee (below) Governing body affiliation Club insurance Equipment Club expenses Adult competition entries Player registration fees Playing fee Indoor season: Sep to Apr Monthly (8 months) £25 Adult (age 18+) £15 students in full-time education FREE first taster session for new members! £15 FREE first taster session for new members! Sports hall hire for training and matches Junior competition entries

2023-24 Notes from the AGM

RichardHowells — Tue, 21 May 2024 20:11:00 GMT

Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club Notes of 40th Annual General Meeting : 29th April 2023 Present: (via video conference) Male players (Yr11+): Sven Kalinda, Josh Blackman, James Daniell, Evan Palmer, Ryan Shackleford, Monty Rose, Connor Craig, Ced Tuazon, Charlie Hawkins, Andrew Rowe. Female players (Yr 11+): Donna Cunningham, Kat Grote, Zuzana Pritchard, Lissa Pitts, Kaiden Kerrigan, Amelia Dulik, Marketa Sherwood. Junior players (up to Yr 10): Robyn Cuthbert, Nicola McLaughlin (parent of Amy). Non-playing members: Phil Heads (Chair, Head Coach), Cliff Ball (Ladies Coach), Julie Daniell (CWO), Dawn Davis (Secretary). Apologies were received from: Taylor Davis, Millie Cuthbert, Hannah Cuthbert, Debbie Hanna, Faye Hanna. Minutes of 2023 AGM Notes of the 2023 AGM were confirmed and accepted. Actions from the 2023 AGM were all completed and closed: Men’s indoor training now finishes at 7:45pm instead of 7:30pm. Tensioning of the adult indoor net was improved, and will be further improved when new equipment is provided by the Leisure Centre. Kat investigated potential minibus transport to junior events. Arrangements to use a Community Minibus would be logistically complicated and time-consuming, plus there may be heath & safety concerns with the state of Community Minibus. Nicola offered to support exploring further options. Review of season 2022/23 Chair’s Report: (see full report on club website) The Chair was pleased to report a healthy club this season, plus upcoming investment in new equipment and a proposed new constitution. Phil thanked everyone who volunteered and worked hard to make our club welcoming, safe and successful (see report for list). The report was accepted by members. Head Coach Report: (see full report on club website) The club provided a continuous pathway through the club for players from age 9 to adult. Membership was at full capacity for women and men, and training for all age groups was well attended. As part of our continuous pathway the Club provided opportunities for players of all age groups to compete at appropriate levels, often for the first time. We were pleased to support nine of our players taking opportunities to develop towards higher levels through Volleyball England Talent Pathway events (ages U13-U15), South West Junior squad training (U15, U17), and Wiltshire Mavericks NVL and SWL squads (age 16+). And we are delighted to congratulate Emily Tandy (U13) on being selected to join the National Team Talent Pathway Cliff (our women’s SW League coach) highlighted their achievement, with a lovely atmosphere, positive and supportive attitude across the squad. James (our men’s coach) said how proud he continues to be with both A & B teams and players behaving as a single supportive unit – a pleasure to be a part of. Lots of personal development this year for all club men players. Kat (junior’s coach) shared that the most satisfying part of the club for her was seeing players who have life challenges, start off being nervous/anxious, and really come out of themselves through the team-ship & sport of volleyball. Marketa echoed same sentiment. Phil highlighted exceptional performance of our junior teams, plus our Men’s A & B teams playing off in the Dave Kinder Plate final. The report was accepted by members. Treasurers Report: (see full report on club website) The 2023/24 financial report reflects that income to March 2024 was higher than outgoing expenses, however some expenses are accrued and yet to be paid (post AGM) which means our actual working balance is much lower than that shown for 31st March 2024. We continue to hold a reserve of c£3k, but expect to eat into this during next season, with less contingency for unexpected events. To encourage participation across a range of age groups and member types, we aim to continue to keep our prices as low as possible and to provide exceptional value for all our members. We plan to hold 2023/24 prices at the current level, being sensitive to the cost of living pressures. We are not yet clear if the outgoing costs will increase, and will monitor this going forward. ACTION: Committee to review budget position in December 2024 to assess if any changes are needed at that point. Phil thanked Donna for all her hard work as Treasurer – it takes a lot of time to keep track of multiple monthly transactions for 80 members. The report was accepted by members. Planning season 2024/25 (see planning paper on club website) Our outdoor summer season will commence on Monday 20th May. A dedicated WhatsApp Group will be set up for Outdoor Volleyball to keep everyone informed of ‘weather watch by Sven & Phil’ Our indoor winter season will commence on Sunday 3rd September, with similar arrangements to the 2023/24 season (subject to hall availability and confirmation). Some existing members will leave for college, work, etc, so we will invite new players from our waiting lists if there is spare capacity. Parent and player feedback on whether Volleyball training could continue through the summer period. Consensus from the attendees to maintain the current approach, with a break from formal training between end of Spring term and September. Marketa & Kat did offer that the Juniors/Minis could continue through into May, however this would require parental support & help as some of our regular coaches are not available in May. Club’s 40th Anniversary : everyone agreed that we should celebrate our club’s 40th anniversary during the year to summer 2024 (the club was first established in May 1984). Different options were considered, with agreement on a Sunday picnic & play. Date agreed for Sunday 23rd June from 12 noon onwards (or Sunday 30th June if weather is bad). Current and past members of all ages are invited, along with family. New Items Raised: Next season we hope to run a similar setup to our current successful format, however there is always room for improvement and we would like to address challenges such as: Adult Training (Women and Men/Open) – To encourage more coaches/helpers so we have a bigger coaching team and can give more support to individual players. We will support people to develop as coaches/helpers, and recognise that they don’t have to commit to every session (alternate training sessions was suggested). For example, Junior training benefits from a larger team of coaches plus a number of teenage helpers. Olympics 2024 will no doubt generate interest in Volleyball this summer – note that spaces are either at capacity, or limited, however we would ideally like to expand our capacity by providing recreational (eg pay-as-you-play) volleyball. Club Constitution Revision (see previous & new versions on club website) A revised Club Constitution has been developed by the Committee, to bring it up to date, to meet expectations of Volleyball England and funders, and to modernise our approach to financial control. The new constitution was accepted and agreed with one addition at clause 2.2 to define us as a Community Sports Club. Election of committee officers for 2023/24 Chair – Phil was re-elected. Treasurer – Donna was re-elected. Welfare Officer – Julie was re-elected. Head Coach – Phil was re-elected. Secretary – Dawn was re-elected. Volunteers to be appointed by the committee As shown on the agenda, a number of volunteer roles will be appointed and confirmed by the Committee. Club awards 2023/24 After a ballot of all members and coaches, with 140 votes cast for 48 recipients, the following club award winners were announced and congratulated (awards to be presented at club events): Kevan Hobbis Award for outstanding contribution to the club and its spirit, including coaching of juniors, plays in both Mens & Womens teams, and acts as Club Treasurer: Donna Cunningham Best/Most Improved Player Awards: U12 – Eva Rowe U13 – Amy McLaughlin U14 - Michael Okereke U15 – Livia Lioni U18 Women – Amelia Dulik U18 Men – CJ Notman Wilts/Ladies Juniors – Fianna Lanaza Womens SW League – Faye Hanna Men Mixed A Team – Monty Rose Men Mixed B Team – Jetto Aji Any Other Business Our club will be represented at the RWB Youth Festival is on 5th May 2024, with Marketa acting as lead adult, supported by others. An opportunity to come and try Volleyball. Meeting Closed at 20:32 hours

2023-24 Club Performance Report

RichardHowells — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 12:25:00 GMT

Club Performance Report 2023-24 Membership and training We provided a continuous pathway through the club for players from age 9 to adult. Membership was at full capacity for women and men, and training for all age groups was well attended. Nr of training sessions and Attendance: Average (low-high) Women Yr11+ Men/Mixed Yr11+ Juniors up to Yr10 Sessions (1.75 hr) Attendance (2 courts, capacity 26) Sessions (1.75 hr) Attendance (1 court, capacity 20) Sessions (1.5 hr) Attendance (4 courts, max 30) 2023-24 season 29 19 (13-24) 22 13 (7-20) 31 19 (12-24) 2022-23 season 31 17 (13-21) 29 14 (9-19) 32 25 (15-32) 2021-22 season 26 15 (9-19) 22 13 (5-19) 31 19 (13-23) Competition As part of our continuous pathway we provided opportunities for players of all age groups to compete at appropriate levels, often for the first time. RWB Team Competition Record Rank Notes RWB Women South West League – Premier Div Exeter Challenge & SW Champs Played 10, Won 3 To play April & May 5th /6 Injuries & new players, but close games, and Maddie top MVP in Div Bassett Hounds Wilts Ladies & Junior League Played 32, Won 8 5th /10 U18 team + odd adult. Bassett Allsorts Wilts Ladies & Junior League (RWB 24 WLJ players: 19 junior, 5 adult) Played 13, Won 5 9th / 10 Developers + adults RWB A Wilts Mixed League – Division 1 Wilts Dave Kinder Plate Played 11, Won 8 2nd /7 Winner New young squad Promotion play-off to play RWB B Wilts Mixed League – Division 1 Wilts Dave Kinder Plate Played 11, Won 4 5th /7 Rnr-Up Mostly young, improving, lots of close games U18 Men Volleyball England Jnr Grand Prix Played 12, W6, D2 N/A 8 players, ages 16-18, improved rapidly U18 Women Volleyball England Jnr Grand Prix Played 11, W4, D2 N/A 11 players, ages 16-18, improved rapidly U15 Girls Hawks SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 3/6 rounds 2nd /10 Mix of experience & new U14 Boys Eagles SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 4/6 rounds 1st /13 Mix of experience & new U14 B Merlins SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 1/6 rounds 8th/13 New players, rank 3rd at only event U13 G Buzzards SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 6/6 rounds 1st / 5 Mix of experience & new U13 G Kestrels SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 2/6 rounds 4th /5 New players, 1st + 2nd in 2 events U12 Harriers SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 6/6 rounds 1st / 2 Girls and Boys, ages 9-11 Individual Talent Development We were pleased to support nine of our players taking opportunities to develop towards higher levels through Volleyball England Talent Pathway events (ages U13-U15), South West Junior squad training (U15, U17), and Wiltshire Mavericks NVL and SWL squads (age 16+). And we are delighted to congratulate Emily Tandy (U13) on being selected to join the National Team Talent Pathway. Phil Heads, Club Coach, April 2024 The Club Coach is elected by members at the AGM: (1) to plan our training and competition programme for the whole season, and (2) to recruit, coordinate and support our team of volunteer coaches so that all our players and teams can develop and progress.

2023-24 Financial Report and Accounts

RichardHowells — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 12:23:00 GMT

Expenditure 2023-24 Income 2023-24 Lime Kiln LC hall hire * 3,807.69 Member subscriptions (annual) 940.00 Club affiliation and coach registration - VE 136.71 Member playing fees (monthly) 5,120.00 Competition entries and player registrations - VE 305.08 Event hosting fees (JGP) 315.00 Competition entries and player registrations - SWVA 330.00 Fundraising - events 0 Competition entries and player registrations – WVA * 0 Fundraising - sponsorship 0 Equipment and consumables 468.50 Fundraising – grants * 642.00 Prizes and awards 56.04 Bank interest 0 Website server rental (Richard Howells) 50.00 Bank fees and charges 0 5,154.02 7,017.00 Excess of income over expenditure 1,862.98 Summary BANK BALANCE brought forward from 2022-23 5,415.12 Increase in funds from 2023-24 1,862.98 BANK BALANCE carried forward to 2024-25 7,278.10 * See notes on next page Notes to accounts 2023/24 Our balance at 31st March 2024 does not reflect all expenses for financial year 2023/24: Estimated £3,086.86 in Lime Kiln LC hall hire fees (monthly expenses) have not yet been invoiced by Wiltshire Council or paid out. Estimated £652.50 in player registration fees have not yet been invoiced by WVA or paid out. In addition we received grant income of £642 from Wiltshire Council Area Board (in March) to be spent in the next financial year (summer 2024) alongside a matching amount of club funds on new posts and net equipment. Once these unavoidable delayed payments and exceptional items are taken into account we can see: Our full expenses for FY2023/24 (around £8,900) exceeded our regular member income (around £6,000) by approximately £2,900. In other words, we made an operating loss. Around £1,300 will be spent on new equipment in FY2024-25 (Wiltshire Council grant plus matching club funds). Hence our available working balance carried forward to FY2024/25 is closer to £3,000 than the £7,200 bank balance shown in the accounts at 31st March 2024. This represents around 4 months of club running costs held in reserve – see below. We aim hold a reasonable balance (reserve) for: Unexpected emergencies, costs and loss of income. Past examples have included: the Lime Kiln fire when we had to hire other facilities at higher cost; the covid pandemic; and equipment failure. Maintaining and replacing existing ‘small’ equipment; for example: nets, antennae, balls, whistles, etc. I confirm that, from the information available to me and to the best of my knowledge, these accounts accurately reflect the financial position of Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club. Club Treasurer | Donna Cunningham | Signature | April 2024 I have reviewed the accounts of Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club as laid out above and I confirm that the financial records of the club are in accordance with these accounts. Independent Verifier | Name | Signature | Date Financial prospects for 2024/25 With existing adult waiting lists, plus a likely boost in demand for volleyball from the 2024 Olympics, we expect membership to stay close to full capacity. So current levels of income should be secure. Lime Kiln LC hire and other costs are expected to rise in line with wider economic and inflationary pressures. We need to ensure all our club activities and sections cover their costs. At the same time we seek to make volleyball accessible and affordable by keeping our prices as low as possible. We are sensitive to genuine financial hardship and can make individual exceptions when well justified. With families continuing to face inflationary and cost-of-living pressures, we aim to hold our membership prices at current levels for 2024/25. However this means we expect to make a loss in FY2024/25, based on regular income and expenditure, thereby reducing our balance and emergency reserve. The club committee will monitor income and costs closely and may increase prices if necessary to maintain the financial health of our club. Item Period Price proposed for 2024/25 season What it pays for Membership subscription To be paid in September or when you join. You must be a paid-up member to play in competitions. Annual £40 Adult (age 18+) Half price if you join after Christmas £20 Junior playing with adults (U16-U18, Year 11+) £0 Mini & Junior (U15, up to Yr 10) subscription included in playing fee Governing body affiliation Club insurance Equipment Club expenses Competition entries Player registration fees Training and playing fee Indoor season: Sept to April (8 months) Monthly £25 Adult (age 18+) £15 Minis (U12), Juniors (U13-U18), students in full-time education FREE first session for new members! Sports hall hire for training and matches Junior competition entries

2023-24 Chair Report

RichardHowells — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 12:20:00 GMT

Chair’s Report 2023-24 Our club is very healthy Over the last two seasons we have created a continuous player development pathway: from age 9 to adult; from beginner to local league to regional league and beyond. No other club in Wiltshire can match the range of ages and development opportunities we now offer. Member numbers remained at or close to full capacity this season. We still have waiting lists for adult players and past experience tells us this summer’s Olympic Games will generate new demand. I noticed a strong feel-good factor this season as our players enjoyed their training sessions, our team performances improved rapidly through the season, and some our players participated in higher level development opportunities (see our Club Coach’s report for performance highlights). And this spring/summer we look forward to celebrating the 40th anniversary of our club (see Planning paper). New equipment Two years ago we invested in new net equipment to boost capacity and improve the quality of experience for young players aged 9-15. This summer we will invest around £1,300 in new posts to provide a robust second training court at the far end of the hall, primarily benefitting players aged 15-18. This will be funded partly by our club and partly by a grant of £642 from Wiltshire Council Area Board to support junior player development. In these challenging economic times this grant is very welcome as it will improve our provision whilst keeping our membership fees as low as possible to encourage participation. This season we experienced problems with the functionality and safety of the main volleyball posts as this old equipment reaches the end of its life, so the leisure centre is now planning to replace them. New constitution Whilst applying for Wiltshire Council grant funding it became apparent that our existing club constitution did not meet modern requirements (eg for financial management, safeguarding, environmental policy, and so on) nor did it meet latest Volleyball England expectations and guidance. Hence we have substantially updated it, and present it to our members for approval at this AGM (see agenda item 5). Leadership and representation From my perspective the Chairperson’s role is: to provide vision and leadership so the club keeps moving forward; to make sure all sections of the club are healthy and connected; and to make sure we have good governance and management in place. The role also includes external promotion and representation of our club, so this season I have met and liaised with: Volleyball England; South West Volleyball; Wiltshire Volleyball; Lime Kiln Leisure Centre managers; Wiltshire Council Area Board and Swindon Sports Forum. Thank you to our amazing volunteers Our busy and active club relies entirely on unpaid volunteers to make it all happen. Many of these amazing people are listed on our AGM agenda, and they’ve all made a huge contribution to our club this season (in addition to their contributions as players) – we say a big THANK YOU to all of you. In addition to our volunteer administrators, coaches and match officials, let’s not overlook Julie, our Club Welfare Officer. She quietly makes sure we safeguard junior and adult players, and she is always there for anyone who has any questions or concerns about our members’ welfare (see our Club Information Pack for Julie’s contact details). Remember we are always looking to welcome new coaches and helpers, of all ages, for our junior sessions and for our adult teams. We will support you at whatever level you wish, whether you prefer to simply turn up and assist occasionally or whether you aspire to develop your coaching skills to help players and teams achieve higher performance. Please see Phil to find out more! Phil Heads, April 2024

2024-25 - Planning

RichardHowells — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:57:00 GMT

Planning for 2024-25 We’d like to hear your views on the following plans and options… Summer 2024 (May – August) Weekly outdoor play for fun at Lydiard Park Events Field: Ages from Year 10+ (junior coaches need a break!): Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays? Start w/c 13th May? 6:45 or 7pm as daylight lengthens. Outdoor competitions: Wilts; Whitefield (Bristol); Salisbury; other tournaments. Celebrate our club 40th Anniversary: Outdoor picnic and play-for-fun at Lydiard Park or elsewhere (invite members current & past & families)? Indoor tournament at Lime Kiln (invite current and past members)? Saturday or Sunday? June? Avoid clashing with big public events at Lydiard Park. Indoor Season 2024/25 (September – April) Women (Year 11+) Train: Thursdays 8:15pm – 10pm, whole hall, 2 courts, max capacity c25 players, requires min 2 coaches. Enter competitions, depending on player availability: SW League & Champs; Wilts Ladies & Junior League; Volleyball England U16/U18 Junior Grand Prix. SWL and JGP games on Sundays; WLJ on Saturdays. Men (Year 11+) Train: Sundays 6:00-7:45pm. One court (end of hall not available): max capacity 20 players, prefer 2 coaches. Enter competitions, depending on player availability: Wilts Mixed League (2 teams); Dave Kinder Cup (2 teams); Volleyball England U16/U18 Junior Grand Prix. All league players are responsible for taking their turn to officiate at games. A-team play home games on Thursdays, B-team on Sundays; JGP and WLJ play Saturdays. Juniors U12-U15 Train Sundays 4:30-6:00pm. Whole hall, long net, max capacity c32 players, requires min 4 coaches per session. Enter competitions, depending on player availability: South West JuVoTo (3v3) competition: U12, U13, U14, U15 (Saturdays). U15s play Wilts ladies & Junior (6v6) when ready (Saturdays). Possibly Volleyball England U14 (4v4) and U15 (6v6)? Host national and regional junior age-group events when possible. Capacity management Keep existing capacity limits (see above) and maintain waiting lists as necessary (currently women and men). Club coach will consult team lead coaches about standards, team needs and capacities: Existing members have priority: invite them first to sign up for next season, including Year 10 graduating to adult sessions, so we know how many leavers and vacancies we have. Fill any remaining vacancies by inviting players from waiting lists (usually in chronological order). Explore option of running an additional adult casual volleyball session for non-competitive players and those on waiting lists, subject to availability of hall (Friday evenings?) and volunteer supervisors.

2024 Onwards - Club Constitution

RichardHowells — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:56:00 GMT

Club Constitution NEW VERSION FOR AGM 2024 Name The club will be called Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club. Aims and status The aims of the club are: To promote the sport of volleyball in our communities and provide opportunities for participation. To enable club members to play and develop safely and to achieve appropriate performance levels. The club is a not-for-profit organization. All funds, including any surpluses, will be used for the aims and benefit of the club in line with its values. Values We are a voluntary organization run by and for our members and local community. We are welcoming and inclusive for all ages, abilities and backgrounds: The club and its members respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person and will treat everyone respectfully within the context of the sport, regardless of age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexuality, or social/economic status. We recognize that everyone who participates in volleyball activities should do so in an environment where they feel safe and protected from harm. We respect and rely on unpaid volunteers for our activities. We consider how to achieve positive social and environmental outcomes from our club activities. We maintain fit-for-purpose standards of governance, administration, policies and safety. Affiliations and registrations The club will be affiliated to Volleyball England, the national governing body for volleyball. The club will participate in, and contribute responsibly to, activities organized by Volleyball England and its constituent associations South West Volleyball Association and Wiltshire Volleyball Association. Any competition licenses issued by Volleyball England to the club or its teams will belong to the club. The club will ensure that its players are correctly registered in all competitions. Membership and fees Membership of the Club will be open and not unreasonably restricted on the ground of sex, age, disability, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion or other beliefs. By becoming a member, a person agrees to abide by the constitution and policies of the club and rulings of the Club Executive Committee. Membership and other fees will be set by the Executive Committee and agreed at the AGM. Members may be active players or non-players who contribute to the club in other ways. Non-members will not play or represent the club unless: they are given day-member or guest status by an Executive Committee Officer or Lead Coach; their attendance is recorded; and the activity is responsibly and safely conducted and supervised. Membership of the club is defined by: Having submitted a completed membership form to the Club Secretary. And having paid the annual membership subscription, where required. And being up-to-date with monthly playing fees, where required. General Meetings General meetings of the club will be held in person or by video-conference. Members of the club will receive a minimum of 28 days notice of the date of the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM will be held after the end of each competitive season, prior to the next competitive season. Club Executive Committee Officers will be elected from and by members at the AGM for a period of 12 months, and will be eligible for re-election annually. Additions, deletions, and alterations to the Club Constitution will be made only at a General Meeting. Proposed changes will be submitted to the Secretary 14 days prior to a General Meeting. An Emergency General Meeting (EGM) may be called by the Committee when an urgent and important decision needs to be made. Decisions at an EGM require a minimum quorum of five non-related, non-cohabiting members. The Chairperson will hold the casting vote. A Special General Meeting (SGM) may be called by written request from 10 members to the Secretary. The SGM will be held within 30 days of receiving a request, and will only deal with the matter notified in the request. Executive Committee The Executive Committee will comprise a minimum of five elected officer roles: Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Club Welfare Officer and Club Coach to administer the club activities and interests. The Committee may co-opt officers to fill vacancies or to carry out additional roles. The Committee may appoint Sub-Committees and Working Groups, and decide their Terms of Reference, Membership and Authority. The Committee may appoint or withdraw honorary roles for example (not an exhaustive list): Honorary Life Member; Honorary President. Such roles will not be designated as committee members. The committee may appoint people to other roles necessary for the effective operation of club activities; for example (not an exhaustive list): team coaches; team organisers/fixture secretaries; press and marketing; club representatives for external committees and activities; social organisers. Committee meetings will be held, and decisions made, in person or by video-conference. The Committee may correspond electronically to share information and discuss issues that don’t require a decision. Committee business decisions require a minimum quorum of three non-related, non-cohabiting elected members. The Chairperson will hold the casting vote. Policies and procedures Unless the Executive Committee has good reason to decide otherwise, the club adopts the policies, procedures, codes of conduct and rules of Volleyball England and its constituent associations (SWVA and WVA) relating to, for example (not an exhaustive list): Safeguarding Children and Adults; Welfare; Equality and Diversity; Transgender; Anti-doping; Behaviour and Conduct; Discipline; Competitions. Unless the Committee has good reason to decide otherwise, the Club will follow relevant guidance issued by Government bodies including Sport England and public health agencies. The Committee will set other policies, procedures and codes of conduct as necessary. The club will comply with relevant legal obligations including the protection of personal data. Finances, insurance and assets All club monies will be managed through bank account(s) held in the name of the club. The Club Treasurer and at least one other elected committee officer will have access to club bank account(s) and take reasonable measures to ensure the security of club funds including prevention of theft and fraud. The Treasurer will keep up-to-date records of the club finances (usually monthly) and keep the committee informed of the financial position throughout the financial year. The financial year of the club will end on 31st March. At the end of each financial year the Treasurer will produce a financial report including income, expenditure and balance. This report will be reviewed and verified by an independent person not elected to the club committee, and presented to the Annual General Meeting. Any funds raised in the name of Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club will be used for the aims and benefit of the club. Any funds given to the club for a specific purpose will be spent on the specified purpose unless otherwise agreed with the donor. Any assets and equipment owned by the club will be used for the aims and benefit of the club and will be kept in safe condition. Insurance covering club activities and public liability is provided by Volleyball England as a benefit of affiliation. In the event that adequate insurance is not provided by Volleyball England, the club will arrange insurance to cover any member or guest whilst engaged in club activities, including: injury; loss; damage to property; and public liability. Discipline, complaints and appeals Players, captains, coaches, parents and spectators are responsible for their individual and team conduct in line with governing body and competition rules and codes of conduct adopted by the club. Club members are expected to exercise responsible use of electronic media and other communications to promote and safeguard the reputation of the club. In the first instance team captains, coaches, match officials and club officers should resolve issues and concerns in a fair and reasonable way. Where appropriate the club will invoke any disciplinary procedures required by competition rules and codes of conduct. Formal complaints should be submitted to the Club Secretary in writing. The Executive Committee will consider complaints within 21 days a complaint being received. The Committee has the power to take appropriate disciplinary action in response to disciplinary procedures and complaints, including the termination of membership. The outcome of a disciplinary hearing or complaint should be notified in writing to the person who lodged the complaint and the member against whom the complaint was made within 7 days of the hearing. Members have the right of appeal following the outcome and any disciplinary action being announced. The appeal panel should include Executive Committee officers and an independent person who has no involvement or conflict of interest in the issue under appeal. Closure of the club In the event of the club no longer operating, a period of six months will be allowed to lapse before any club assets or equipment can be disposed of. Any assets or equipment on loan from other organisations will be returned to them. Any remaining club assets, equipment or funds will be donated to Wiltshire Volleyball Association to be used and distributed through the volleyball community and clubs with similar objectives. Document version control Version number and Date Author Changes Committee approval AGM approval V0.1 17 Feb 2024 Phil Heads Chairperson Substantial revisions: To bring it up-to-date To learn from recent experience To align with latest VE expectations (template) Circulated for comment V0.2 28 Mar 2024 Phil Heads Chairperson Based on committee comment: Financial section clarified Other minor revisions, corrections Propose to members at AGM V1.0 29 Apr 2024 Phil Heads Chairperson Agreed and adopted by members at AGM

Pre-2024 Club Constitution

RichardHowells — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:52:00 GMT

CONSTITUTION – Old version to be updated 2024 Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club 1 Name The club will be called Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club and will be affiliated to Volleyball England 2 Aims and objectives The aims and objectives of the club will be: to offer coaching and competitive opportunities in Volleyball to promote Volleyball within the local community to ensure a duty of care to all members of the club to provide all its services in a way that is fair to everyone to ensure that all present and future members receive fair and equal treatment 3 Membership Membership should consist of officers and members of the club. All members will be subject to the regulations of the constitution and by joining the club will be deemed to accept these regulations and codes of conduct that the club has adopted. Members will be enrolled in one of the following categories: Full member Junior member 4 Membership fees Membership fees will be set annually and agreed by the Executive/Management Committee or determined at the Annual General Meeting. Fees will be paid: monthly/by cheque or standing order. 5 Officers of the club The officers of the club will be: Chair Vice Chair Secretary Treasurer Club coach Assistant coach/es (ie A Team, B Team, Ladies, Junior) WVA liaison Team fixture co-ordinator/s Publicity Officer Social Secretary WVA Emergency contact Child Protection Officer Officers will be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. All officers will retire each year but will be eligible for re-appointment. 6 Committee The club will be managed through the Management Committee consisting of: Chair/ Vice Chair /Secretary /Treasurer/Club Coach. Only these posts will have the right to vote at meetings of the Management Committee. The Management Committee will be convened by the Secretary of the club and held no less than one meeting per year. The quorum required for business to be agreed at Management Committee meetings will be: 3 The Management Committee will be responsible for adopting new policy, codes of conduct and rules that affect the organisation of the club. The Management Committee will have powers to appoint sub-committees as necessary and appoint advisers to the Management Committee as necessary to fulfil its business. The Management Committee will be responsible for disciplinary hearings of members who infringe the club rules/regulations/constitution. The Management Committee will be responsible for taking any action of suspension or discipline following such hearings. 7 Finance All club monies will be banked in an account held in the name of the club. The Club Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the club. The financial year of the club will end on: 31st May An statement of annual accounts will be presented by the Treasurer at the Annual General Meeting. Any cheques drawn against club funds should hold the signatures of the Treasurer plus up to two other officers. 8 Annual General Meetings Notice of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be given by the Club Secretary. Not less than 21 clear days’ notice to be given to all members. The AGM will receive a report from officers of the Management Committee and a statement of the audited accounts. Nominations for officers of the Management Committee will be sent to the Secretary prior to the AGM. Elections of officers are to take place at the AGM. All members have the right to vote at the AGM. The quorum for AGMs will be 25% of the members The Management Committee has the right to call Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs) outside the AGM. Procedures for EGMs will be the same as for the AGM. 9 Discipline and Appeals All complaints regarding the behaviour of members should be submitted in writing to the Secretary. The Management Committee will meet to hear complaints within 21 days of a complaint being lodged. The committee has the power to take appropriate disciplinary action including the termination of membership. The outcome of a disciplinary hearing should be notified in writing to the person who lodged the complaint and the member against whom the complaint was made within 7 days of the hearing. There will be the right of appeal to the Management Committee following disciplinary action being announced. The committee should consider the appeal within 14 days of the Secretary receiving the appeal. 10 Dissolution A resolution to dissolve the club can only be passed at an AGM or EGM through a majority vote of the membership. In the event of dissolution, any assets of the club that remain will become the property of Wiltshire Volleyball Association. 11 Amendments to the constitution The constitution will only be changed through agreement by majority vote at an AGM or EGM. 12 Declaration Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club hereby adopts and accepts this constitution as a current operating guide regulating the actions of members. Club Chair SIGNED: ....................................................... DATE: ........ Name: .................................................................................. Club Secretary SIGNED: ....................................................... DATE: ........ Name: ..................................................................................

2024 AGM Agenda

RichardHowells — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:50:00 GMT

Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club 40th Annual General Meeting [club founded May 1984] Monday 29th April 2024 | 7pm | by videoconference AGENDA * All meeting papers can be found on the club website: www.woottonbassettvbc.co.uk Welcome / attendees / apologies for absence Confirm minutes of 2023 AGM * Review of season 2023-24 Chair’s Report * Financial Report and Accounts (Treasurer) * Performance Report (Club Coach) * Plan season 2024-25, including 40th anniversary celebration * Agree and adopt an updated club constitution * Elect committee for 2024-25 (see below) Note the process for appointing volunteer roles for 2024-25 (see below) Any other business Announce and celebrate Club Award winners 2023-24 (all sections and age groups) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elected Committee – positions re-elected at the AGM Chair Phil Heads Willing to serve 2024/25 Treasurer Donna Cunningham Willing to serve 2024/25 Secretary Dawn Davis Willing to serve 2024/25 Welfare Officer Julie Daniell Willing to serve 2024/25 Club Coach Phil Heads Willing to serve 2024/25 We can elect or co-opt additional committee members if we have willing volunteers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volunteer Appointments – positions appointed by the committee, taking advice from members Current (2023-24) appointees Coach (Women) Cliff Ball assisted by Phil + senior players Coach (Men) James Daniell assisted by Phil + senior players Coach (Junior) Phil, Marketa, Kat, Andrew, Donna + team of helpers Team Contact : Women SW League Helen Morten + Zuzana Pritchard Team Contact : Wilts Ladies & Junior Phil Heads + Donna Cunningham Team Contact : Men/Mixed A Wilts League Hayden Daniell Team Contact : Men/Mixed B Wilts League Ed Benham Team Contact : U18/U16 Phil Heads Team Contact : JuVoTo Phil Heads + Kat Grote WVA Meeting Rep James Daniell, WVA Vice-Chair (Phil sometimes attends also) Social Organiser(s) Marketing and website advice Ed Benham + Jetto Aji has volunteered to help re-vamp our club website Web Administrator Richard Howells (we contribute to his server rental)

2023 AGM Notes - 24 April 2023

RichardHowells — Mon, 15 May 2023 19:40:00 GMT

Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club Notes of 39th Annual General Meeting : 24th April 2023 Present: (via video conference) Male players (Yr11+): Taylor Davis, Bradley Whitefield, Sven Kalinda, Josh Blackman, Josh Ducie, Jimmy Daniell, Hayden Daniell, Ed Benham, Ryan Shackleford, Monty Rose, Ollie Abbott. [11] Female players (Yr 11+): Donna Cunningham, Kat Grote, Zuzana Pritchard, Lissa Pitts, Kaiden Kerrigan, Ada Sojkowska. [6] Junior players (up to Yr 10): Robyn Cuthbert, CJ Notman, Darcey Bannon. [3] Others: Phil Heads (Chair, Head Coach), Cliff Ball (Ladies Coach), Julie Daniell (CWO), Claire Cummings (parent). [4] Apologies were received from: Debbie Hanna, Marketa Chrabatinova, Maddison Smart. Minutes of 2022 AGM Notes of the 2022 AGM were confirmed and accepted. Review of season 2022/23 Chair’s Report: (see full report on club website) This season we expanded our junior and women’s capacity, leading to a record number of members and players (c80). Phil thanked everyone who volunteered and worked hard to make our club welcoming, safe and successful (see report for list). The report was accepted by members. Head Coach Report: (see full report on club website) This season we provided more training for more players than ever, and fielded 14 competitive teams across adult and junior age groups. Strong performances were achieved by our women’s and junior teams, while our youthful and inexperienced men’s teams continue to develop well. Cliff (our women’s SW League coach) highlighted their achievement, with a lovely atmosphere and winning mentality despite the loss of some strong players since the previous season. James (our men’s coach) said how proud he was with the club and players as we develop our own players from youth, rather than importing star players from elsewhere. Phil highlighted exceptional performances of our junior U12-U15 teams playing 3v3 in the SW Region Junior Volleyball Tour. The report was accepted by members. Treasurers Report: (see full report on club website) Taking account of some expected expenses yet to be charged/incurred, we expect to break even in 2022/23 with income and expenditure balanced. We continue to hold a reserve of c£4k (representing around half our annual running costs) for emergencies and to invest in new equipment as needed. To encourage participation across a range of age groups and member types, we aim to keep our prices as low as possible and to provide exceptional value for all our members. We plan to hold 2023/24 prices at the current level, so long as hall hire and inflation don’t bite to hard. Phil thanked Donna for all her hard work as Treasurer – it takes a lot of time to keep track of multiple monthly transactions for 80 members. The report was accepted by members. Planning season 2023/24 (see planning paper on club website) Our outdoor summer season will commence on Tuesday 16th May. We may run one or two taster sessions for new (and existing) juniors over the summer, but we don’t have sufficient coaches willing/able to run weekly junior sessions during the summer. Our indoor winter season will commence on Sunday 3rd September, with similar arrangements to the 2022/23 season (subject to hall availability and confirmation). Some existing members will leave for college, work, etc, so we will invite new players from our waiting lists if there is spare capacity. Members made suggestions for improvements: Can men’s indoor training finish at 7:45pm instead of 7:30pm? Action Phil to investigate. Can we improve tensioning of the adult indoor net? Action Phil to investigate. Can we arrange minibus transport to junior events? Action Kat to investigate. Zuzana is a friend of the new manager at Lime Kiln LC, and will help facilitate introductions for Phil. Members agreed we should organise social and playing event(s) to celebrate our club’s 40th anniversary during the year to summer 2024 (the club was first established in May 1984). It was suggested we set up an organising group including representatives from all sections/teams in the club. Volunteers so far include Zuzana and Ed: Action Phil to seek more volunteers. Election of committee officers for 2023/24 Chair – Phil was re-elected. Treasurer – Donna was re-elected. Welfare Officer – Julie was re-elected. Head Coach – Phil was re-elected. Secretary – Debbie stood down and was thanked for her service. No volunteers came forward at the meeting and the position remained vacant. However Dawn Davis (Taylor’s mum) volunteered after the meeting and the committee agreed to co-opt her onto the committee as Secretary until the next AGM. Volunteers to be appointed by the committee Members supported the committee’s intention to appoint a number of volunteers to various important roles, including: Coach (Women) = Cliff Ball, assisted by Phil and senior players. Coach (Men/Mixed) = James Daniell, assisted by Phil and senior players. Coach (Junior) = Phil Heads and a team of volunteer coaches/helpers. Team Contact (Women SW League) = Helen Morten + Zuzana Pritchard. Team Contact (Junior SW & Wilts Competitions) = Phil Heads and Donna Cunningham. Team Contact (Men/Mixed A Wilts League) = Hayden Daniell. Team Contact (Men/Mixed B Wilts League) = Ed Benham. Team Contact (U18/U16) = Phil Heads. Team Contact (JuVoTo) = Phil Heads. WVA Meeting Rep = James Daniell, Phil Heads + Committee members. Web Administrator = Richard Howells. Brad Whitefield and Ed Benham continue to help with development of web/marketing. Club awards 2022/23 After a ballot of all members and coaches, the following club award winners were announced and congratulated (awards to be presented at club training/events): Kevan Hobbis Award for outstanding contribution to the club and its spirit: Kat Grote Best/Most Improved Player Awards: U12 Girls – Maisie Burt U12 Boys – Oliver Gardner U13/U14 Girls – Kiyana Pachabhaiya U13 Boys – David Smith-Evans U15 Girls – India Thacker U15 Boys – Charlie Hawkins U18 Women – Hannah Kachika U18 Men – Rory Bryant Wilts/Ladies Juniors – Faye Hanna Womens SW League – Madison Smart Men Mixed A Team – Sven Kalinda Men Mixed B Team – Ryan Shackleford

2023 Treasurer's Report

RichardHowells — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 15:06:00 GMT

RWB VC Summary of accounts 2022/23 Period Income from members Expenses 1 Sep 2022 – 17 Apr 2023 £8,055.77 £6,876.90 * Club expenses 2022/23 £ Club sessions: Lime Kiln LC Hall Hire (Sept 2021 – March 2022) 5,430.28 * Volleyball England club affiliation 98.00 Volleyball England coach registration – Phil 21.50 SW Registration + Championship Plymouth 265.00 Wilts League entry fees and player registrations 392.50 Junior entry fees: VE Grand Prix and SW JuVoTo 403.00 Website server rental (Richard Howells) – usually £50pa Tbc * Equipment: Balls 546.00 Equipment: Miscellaneous (ie court marker discs, line judge flags, bottle carriers, items for JuVoTo hosting, net spares, volleyball net) 338.62 GROSS EXPENSES 7,494.90 * Grant received from Swindon Sports Forum for junior volleyball equipment: wall mountings and hall-length net 618.00 NET EXPENSES (taking account of grant) 6,876.90 * Balance of Account Season 2021/22 Season 2022/23 1 Sept 2021 12 April 2022 1 Sept 2022 17 April 2023 £3,436.21 £3,887.66 £4,395.52 £5,574.39 Notes to accounts 2022/23 Further expenses are expected this season (see asterisked * items): Lime Kiln hall hire for April club sessions, SW League games, Junior Grand Prix. Website server. Minor expenses during summer months (May – August). When these expenses have been paid we expect member income and expenses to be approximately in balance for the year (little no net surplus or loss) and our balance of account to be less than £4.5k. We hold a reasonable balance (reserve) for: Unexpected emergencies, costs and loss of income (past examples have included the Lime Kiln fire when we had to hire other facilities at higher cost, major equipment failure, covid pandemic, and so on). Investing in new equipment (eg the wall-mounted, hall-length junior net cost £1,000+ which was only partly offset by the grant from Swindon Sports Forum). Financial prospects for 2023/24 Membership is expected to stay at full capacity, so income should be secure. Lime Kiln LC hire costs have been held flat for 2 years and do not reflect wider economic and inflationary pressures, so may rise in 2023/24. We need to make sure that all our club activities and sections cover their costs. We seek to make volleyball as accessible and affordable as possible by keeping our prices as low as possible. We are sensitive to genuine financial hardship and can make individual exceptions when well justified. At present we have a healthy balance, thanks partly to the junior grant received in 2023. So we plan to hold our membership prices at current levels for 2023/24. The committee will review these prices if there is any unforeseen change in income or costs. Item Period Price proposed for 2023/24 season What it pays for Membership subscription To be paid in September or when you join. You must be a paid-up member to play in competitions. Annual £40 Adult (age 18+) £20 Junior playing with adults (usually U16-U18, Year 11+) £0 Mini and Junior (U15, up to Year 10) not playing with adults; subscription included in playing fee All half price if you join after Christmas Governing body affiliation Club insurance Competition entry Player registration Equipment Club expenses Training and playing fee Indoor season: Sept to April (8 months) Monthly £25 Adult (age 18+) £15 Mini and Juniors (U18) and students in full-time education FREE first session for new members! Hall hire for training and matches

2023 Planning for Season 2023-24

RichardHowells — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 13:35:00 GMT

Planning for Season 2023-24 We would like to hear our members’ views on the following plans and options… Summer 2023 (May – August) Weekly outdoor play for fun at Lydiard Park Events Field: Adults (Year 11+) plus Year 10 transitioning to adults. Mondays or Tuesdays? Start 15th or 16th May (initially 6.45pm). No charge by the club, though the venue charges for car parking. Juniors below Year 10: there is some demand, but coaches want a rest from duty-of-care responsibilities?! Possibly hold one or two sessions in summer for juniors and waiting lists (indoor or outdoor)? Competitions: Wilts 4s (tbc?); Wilts Outdoor; Whitefield (Bristol); Salisbury; other tournaments. Social events: Volleyball picnic in the Park? Indoor Season 2023/24 (September – April) Women (Year 11+) Train Thursdays 8:15pm – 10pm Hire the whole hall: main volleyball court plus additional volleyball net on end badminton court. Large group covering several levels of competition: max capacity c25 players, requires min 2 coaches. Enter SW League and play home matches (Sundays) at Lime Kiln L.C. Enter Wilts Ladies & Junior League, plus Volleyball England U16/U18 comps, depending on player availability. Men (Year 11+) Train Sundays 6:00-7:30pm. Main volleyball court only (end of hall not available): max capacity 20 players. Enter 2 teams in Wilts Mixed League and Dave Kinder Cup; play home games on Thu/Sun. All league players are responsible for taking their turn to officiate at games. Enter Volleyball England U16/U18 competitions, depending on player availability. Juniors U12-U15 Train Sundays 4:30-6:00pm. Whole hall, long net, max capacity c32 players, requires min 4 coaches per session. Play SW JuVoTo (3v3) competition: U12, U13, U14, U15, depending on player availability. Host national and regional junior age-group events when possible: requires volunteer commitment. Capacity management Keep existing capacity limits (see above). Maintain waiting lists (currently 10 women waiting, 18 men, 14 junior). Explore option of running an additional adult casual volleyball session for non-competitive players and those on waiting lists, subject to hall and supervisory availability. Planning: Existing members have priority: invite them to sign up for next season, including Year 10 graduating to adult sessions, so we know how many leavers and vacancies we have. Fill vacancies (*consulting coaches about standards, team needs and capacities): Existing Year 10 members have priority when filling Adult (Year 11+) vacancies.* Then invite players from waiting lists to fill remaining vacancies, usually in chronological order.* Club 40th Anniversary Should we celebrate? How? When: all season, or just spring/summer 2024? Volunteers to organise?

2023 Chairman's Report - updated 14 Apr

RichardHowells — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 13:33:00 GMT

Chair’s Report 2022-23 Summer 2022 Weekly outdoor volleyball at Lydiard Park (for adults plus year10 upwards) was moderately attended, and we ran an indoor taster session for junior players on our waiting list. RWB members played at several tournaments including WVA, Whitefield and others. Winter 2022-23 Still experiencing exceptional demand to join our club, we further expanded our junior and women’s capacity by hiring the whole hall and using additional net-space throughout the season. We can’t currently expand our men’s capacity because the whole hall isn’t available for their Sunday sessions. Some highlights and numbers this season: Record number of members and players (ages from U10 to 60+). All sections full to capacity: 34 juniors (U15); 25 women (13 U18) and 20 men (9 U18). Waiting lists for new players: 14 junior (U15); 10 women; 18 men (at April 2023). 14 competitive teams for U12, U13, U15, U18 and adults in national, regional and county competitions, with many successes (see Head Coach’s report). Lime Kiln LC is now established as our club venue for all training and home matches (including SWL), as well as for hosting junior events such as SW JuVoTo and VE Junior Grand Prix. We installed our new long net system in March 2022 (cost around £1,000) and now use it every week for our expanded junior volleyball section. We applied for funding from Swindon Sports Forum and eventually received a grant of £618 a year later. In these challenging economic circumstances this grant is very welcome and will help us keep our junior costs as low as possible to encourage participation. All this success is only possible thanks to many volunteers (adult and junior members, plus parents) who help to coach, organise, officiate, safeguard and host our players and events. On behalf of us all, huge thanks to everyone who made our club welcoming, safe and successful: Our committee: Phil, Donna, Debbie, Julie. Many members and parents who helped us host SW JuVoTo and VE JGP events at Lime Kiln LC, and supervised/coached our junior teams at away events. Our amazing team of junior coaches: Marketa, Kat, Donna, Andrew, Ed, Brad, Maddie, Millie, Hannah, Rory. Our hugely dedicated adult coaches: Cliff (women), James (men), and their various helpers. Anyone else who I’ve accidently missed out (sorry!) – we have so many great people helping us. Looking forward Some key challenges for 2023-24 and beyond include: Maintaining our high volume of activity and volunteers needed to support it. Managing high demand and waiting lists to join our club. Maybe run a weekly adult casual session. Keeping our costs to members reasonable during economic recession and high inflation. Maintaining our excellent relationship with Lime Kiln Leisure Centre under their new manager. Sourcing new/replacement equipment now that Sportset has closed (owners retired). Celebrating our club’s 40th anniversary?! A planning paper for season 2023-24 will be discussed as a separate agenda item. Phil Heads, April 2023

2023 Head Coach Report - Updated 15May

RichardHowells — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 13:31:00 GMT

Head Coach Report 2022-23 : updated 15th May 2023 to include late results The Head Coach/coordinator is elected by members at the AGM: (1) to plan the whole-season schedule including our training and competition programme, and (2) to coordinate our team of coaches so that individual players can develop and progress throughout our club. As with other team coaches, I am also appointed by the club committee as lead coach for the juniors. Training This season we provided more training sessions (each 1.5 hours) for more players than ever before: Nr of training sessions and Attendance: Average (low-high) Women Yr11+ Men/Mixed Yr11+ Juniors up to Yr10 Sessions Attendance Sessions Attendance Sessions Attendance 2022-23 season 31 17 (13-21) 29 14 (9-19) 32 25 (15-32) 2021-22 season 26 15 (9-19) 22 13 (5-19) 31 19 (13-23) 2020-21 season None, due to COVID None, due to COVID Limited by COVID Team Performance This season we provided opportunities for players of all age groups to compete at an appropriate level, often for the first time, and to develop to higher levels. A few RWB men also played for Wilts Mavericks in SW Lge. RWB Team Competition Record Rank Notes RWB Women South West League Played 18 Won 10 4th /10 Maddie MVP at 6 games, joint winner Bassett Allsorts Wilts Ladies & Junior League Played 8/9 rounds (26 matches) 4th /11 Ages 15-18 + 2 adults. Including new 6v6 players Bassett Hounds Wilts Ladies & Junior League Played 2/9 rounds (6 matches) Limited availability: only played 1 round RWB A Wilts Mixed Lge Premier Division Played 9 (1 to play) Won 1 6th /6 League relegated Dave Kinder Plate 2nd RWB B Wilts Mixed League Division 1 Played 8 (2 to play) Won 2 4th /6 Mostly young players developing U18 Boys Volleyball England Jnr Grand Prix Played 8 (3/3 rounds) Won 1, tied 4 Mixed ages 16-18 Lots of close games U18 Girls Volleyball England Jnr Grand Prix Played 9 (3/3 rounds) Won 3, tied 2 Mixed ages 15-18 Lots of close games U15 Girls Hawks SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 6/6 rounds 2nd /15 Mostly first season players U15 Boys Peregrines SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 6/6 rounds 2nd /13 Mixed experience U15 Boys Ospreys SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 1/6 rounds 12th/13 Limited availability: only played 1 round U13 Boys Eagles SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 6/6 rounds 1st / 15 All players new this season U12 Girls Buzzards SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 6/6 rounds 1st /4 Mixed experience Ages 10-11 U12 Girls Falcons SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 1/6 round 3rd /4 Limited availability U12 Boys Harriers SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 5/6 rounds 1st / 2 Mixed experience Ages 9-11 Phil Heads, May 2023

2023 AGM Agenda

RichardHowells — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 13:28:00 GMT

39th Annual General Meeting (club founded May 1984) Monday 24th April 2023, 7pm By videoconference AGENDA Welcome / attendees / apologies for absence Confirm minutes of 2022 AGM – see club website: www.woottonbassettvbc.co.uk Review of season 2022-23 – reports and questions (see reports on club website) Chair’s report Head Coach’s report Treasurer’s report Plan season 2023-24 (see planning paper on club website) Elect committee for 2023-24 Note and advise on appointment of volunteer roles for 2023-24 (see below) Any other business? Announce and celebrate Club Awards 2022-23 (all sections and age groups) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elected Committee : all positions to be re-elected: Chair Phil Heads Willing to serve 2023/24 Treasurer Donna Cunningham Willing to serve 2023/24 Secretary Debbie Hanna Standing down; we seek a new volunteer Welfare Officer Julie Daniell Willing to serve 2023/24 Head Coach Phil Heads Willing to serve 2023/24 We can elect or co-opt additional committee members if we have willing volunteers. Volunteer Appointments : positions appointed by the committee, taking advice from members: Current (2022-23) appointees Coach (Women) Cliff Ball + Phil + senior players Coach (Men) James Daniell + Madison Smart + Phil Coach (Junior) Phil Heads + team of 10 coaches (see Chair’s report for list) Team Contact : Women SW League Helen Morten + Zuzana Pritchard Team Contact : Wilts Ladies & Junior Phil Heads + Donna Cunningham Team Contact : Men/Mixed A Wilts League Hayden Daniell Team Contact : Men/Mixed B Wilts League Ed Benham Team Contact : U18/U16 Phil Heads Team Contact : JuVoTo Phil Heads + Kat Grote WVA Meeting Rep James Daniell (and sometimes Phil or others) Social Organiser 40th anniversary events? Web Administrator Richard Howells (we contribute to his server rental)

Notes of Annual General Meeting - 09/05/2022

RichardHowells — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 16:53:00 GMT

Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club Notes of Annual General Meeting - 09/05/2022 Present: (via video conference) Male players: Taylor Davis, Bryn Meredith, Kaelen McIntosh, Josh Blackman, Bradley Whitefield, Cameron Fawcett, Sergejs Gubarevs, Sven Kalinda, Josh Ducie, Jimmy Daniell, Hayden Daniell. Female players: Debbie Hanna, Helen Morten, Gaby La Moreno, Donna Cunningham, Kat Grote, Zuzana Pritchard, Kaitlyn Lamb, Lissa Pitts. Junior players: Monty Rose, Evan Palmer, Charlie Hawkins, CJ Notman, Kaiden Kerrigan, Robyn Cuthbert, Khai (Caitlyn) Timm, Alicja Jankos. Others: Phil Heads (Chair, Head Coach), Cliff Ball (Ladies Coach), Julie Daniell (CWO), Hanka ze Zlina, Ben La Moreno (family of members). Apologies were received from: Emily Tandy, Ed Benham, Marketa Chrabatinova, Hannah Davis, Maisie Daniell, Maddison Smart. Season 2021/22 reports: After the welcome by our Chair to 38th AGM, the minutes of the 2021 AGM were referenced and accepted and season 2020/21 reports were referenced and accepted (see club website: www.woottonbassettvbc.co.uk). Chair’s Report: (see full report on club website) The club has survived the COVID pandemic and has been able to participate in a full season of volleyball at junior and senior club levels whilst keeping everyone safe. Innovations: The club has been able to provide ‘Sports Mindset Coaching’, buy new equipment and set up a club uniform deal with a supplier. There has been a huge growth in the club as well as a large demand for volleyball. As a result, we currently have growing waiting lists for all club levels. Phil thanked everyone who has represented/played and supported player development this season. We have been able to strengthen our relationship with Lime Kiln Leisure Centre through the pandemic, which has enabled more training flexibility this season. Head Coach Report: (see full report on club website) This season individual player and team player development has been fantastic. We have fielded more competitive teams than ever before. Our results have been amazing this season, with junior and senior teams finishing in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in various leagues and competitions. Phil stated he was incredibly proud of all of our teams’ improvement and successes. Treasurers Report: (see full report on club website) The club is in a healthy financial position at the end of this season. We may need to invest in new equipment during the coming season. Members discussed the possibility of purchasing additional volleyballs for each of the training sessions and new nets to make club activities even better. There may be higher sports centre costs to come. The current plan (so long as sports centre costs stay the same) is to maintain current club membership costs. Donna reminded members now the season has ended standing order and direct debit payments need to be stopped, however any payments that have been made in May will be carried forward to the new season in September. Phil thanked Donna for all her hard work as club treasurer. Season 2022/23 planning: (see planning paper on club website) SUMMER SEASON: The club’s outdoor summer season will commence on 10th May. Discussions about the insurance of non-club members was raised and resolved by inviting non-club members along to play as ‘Day Members’ and keeping an attendance list. However, it was also agreed that people on the club waiting list would be invited to join the summer outdoor sessions ahead of other non-members. Cliff to speak to Volleyball England to get clarity with regards to insurance liability during the summer outdoor season. In conclusion it was agreed that the club would run a couple of sessions to assess the numbers of club members who are attending before inviting new people along. There are 2 x teams interested in entering the Summer Wiltshire 4s competition. There are various summer tournaments that any of our teams can enter, however it will be the responsibility of individuals rather than the club to organise team entries. Phil raised the possibility of offering 2 x training sessions (1 x end of May, 1 x June) to juniors on the waiting list. This was agreed by members during in the meeting. Phil suggested it would be good to have club social events through the summer. WINTER SEASON: Capacity for each of the training sessions will still be limited to 20 per session. As current members leave, people on the waiting list will be invited to join. WOMEN: Women’s training will continue on Thursday evenings. Phil has explored the possibility of starting training 15 minutes earlier at 8:15 pm to enable the juniors to finish training at 9:30pm. This would allow the SW ladies to prepare for SW matches with targeted training for 30 mins at the end of each session. This was positively received the Cliff and SW ladies team members. A discussion then took place on how to further improve the integration of juniors into the senior session for next season, with input from coaches/senior and junior players. Phil suggested the possibility of hiring the whole hall to phase juniors/new members into the session which was positively received. There will be one ladies team entry into the SW League. Future SW home matches will be played at Lime Kiln rather than at Lavington which will allow for spectators, in particular junior members to help develop their game. Multiple teams will also be entered in the Ladies and Juniors competition. MEN/MIXED: Phil will explore option of hiring the whole hall at the start of the start of season to try and aid junior transition into senior training. However, this may be problematic as the hall is used by another sports club at the same time. The plan is to enter two teams into the Wiltshire Mixed League and Dave Kinder cup. Home games will take place on Thursdays and Sundays (6 x training date interruptions). The struggle of getting A and B team members to referee each other’s home games was highlighted. One main problem being the large number of juniors playing who rely on parents for transport. It was discussed and agreed that a rota will be set up next season to help combat this issue. Brad suggested there needed to be a smoother transition from the junior training session ended to the men’s training session starting. Phil agreed and has suggested finishing the juniors slightly earlier to allow the men to set up and be ready to start training at their allotted time. JUNIOR: The club discussed moving junior training session times to allow the use of the whole hall and new long net (as opposed to badminton nets), giving the juniors more space and more grouping options for training. Phil to explore the possibility of moving Sunday training session start times to 4/4:30pm (if it can be made to work logistically/financially). Phil would also like the club to host occasional events (which would require volunteers from club to help). The plan next season is to play all ages in the SW Junior Tour again following the successes of this season. Older juniors will also enter junior competitions, such as, the Grandprix events and the Wiltshire Ladies and Juniors League. Election of committee officers: Elected committee - all positions were confirm as elected/ re-elected for 2022/23 and agreed by all persons present. Volunteers to be appointed by the committee Coach (Women) = Cliff Ball Coach (Men/Mixed) = James Daniell, Laura Kulmala and Madison Smart Coach (Junior) = Phil Heads assisted various coaches from ladies and men’s teams Team Contact (Women SW League) = Helen Norrvall + Zuzana Pritchard Team Contact (Junior SW & Wilts Competitions) = Phil Heads and other volunteers Team Contact (Men/Mixed A Wilts League) = Hayden Daniell Team Contact (Men/Mixed B Wilts League) = Ed Benham Junior tournaments (e.g.Grandprix) = Phil Heads + Debbie Hanna WVA Meeting Rep = James Daniell, Phil Heads + Committee take turns Social Organiser = Kaelen McIntosh + any member Web Administrator = Richard Howells Brad Whitefield, Lissa Pitts and Evan Palmer also volunteered to take on responsibilities as needed. Club awards Voted for by club members Best/Most Improved Players Awards: U12 Boys – Oliver Gardner U12 Girls – Anya Steimer U14 Boys – CJ Notman U15 Girls – Khai (Caitlyn) Timm U15 Boys – Rory Bryant U16 Girls – Hannah Kachika U18 Girls – Lauren Hanna U18 Boys – Evan Palmer Wilts/Ladies Juniors Hounds – Millie Cuthbert Wilts/Ladies Juniors Allsorts – Kaiden Kerrigan Womens SW League – Marketa Chrabatinova Men Mixed A Team – Aron Bailey Men Mixed B Team – Taylor Davis Kevan Hobbis Award 1st Place - Phil Heads 2nd Place - Jimmy Daniell Award of Honorary Life Membership to Cliff Ball Through this award we recognize and value Cliff’s outstanding service to Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club during its 38-year (and counting) history. As a founder member, Cliff has been a driving force in our club’s development and in many competitive successes. For most of the last 38 years he has been a player and/or coach, as well as leading the club in various committee roles including Chairman (not to mention acting as keeper of our historical records). He has always been a passionate ambassador for volleyball and for our club – in our local community, and through his various commitments to Wiltshire and South West Volleyball. The committee proposed and members agreed this special and unique award to Cliff. Any other business Brad volunteered he may have contacts who are able to access sports equipment and sports grants for the club. Phil requested anybody with details of potential new members for the club to forward their details to him to be added to the club waiting list. Club AGM 7pm-8:50pm

2022-23 Forward Planning

RichardHowells — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 22:03:00 GMT

We would like to hear our members’ views on the following plans and questions… Summer 2022 (May – August) Adult 16+ weekly outdoor play at Lydiard Park Events Field, Tuesdays, starting 10th May (initially 6.45pm). No charge by the club, though the venue charges for car parking. Likely numbers? Do we have enough outdoor nets? Buy another net system @ £330 ? Depending on numbers, invite: U15s (transition to adult); players on waiting lists; non-members? No weekly U15 sessions – coaches want a rest from duty-of-care responsibilities! Possibly hold one or two sessions in May and June for juniors and waiting lists (indoor or outdoor)? Competitions: Wilts 4s (tbc; do we have enough nets?); Wilts Outdoor; various tournaments. Social events: Volleyball picnic in the Park? Indoor season 2022/23 (September – April) Women 16+ Train Thursdays 8:15pm. Younger players stop at 9:30pm (school next day)? Others continue to 10pm. Explore option of hiring the whole hall and using an additional net behind the curtain, at least for the first two months, to transition in new players. But balance numbers vs cost and coach availability. Enter SW League and play home matches at Lime Kiln L.C. Play Wilts Ladies & Junior League, plus junior age-group competitions, depending on player availability. Men 16+ Train Sundays 6:30-8pm. Explore option of hiring the whole hall and using an additional net behind the curtain, at least for first 2 months, to transition in new players. But: balance numbers vs cost and coach availability; Taekwando? Enter 2 teams in Wilts Mixed League and Dave Kinder Cup; play home games on Thur/Sun (same as 2021-22). Establish a rota system for officiating games. Player responsibility to find alternates if not available. Play U16/U18 competitions, depending on player availability. Juniors U12-U15 Train Sundays 5:00-6:30pm. Explore option of hiring the whole hall and using the long net to boost capacity. But: balance numbers vs cost and coach availability; and may not be possible due to Taekwando? Play SW JuVoTo (3v3) competition: U12, U13, U14, U15, depending on player availability. Host national and regional junior age-group events when possible. Requires volunteer commitment. Capacity management Keep existing capacity limits: junior U15 25 players; women 20; men/mixed 20. Plus a few more if we can hire the whole hall? The long waiting list of men limits the number of women we can accommodate in the Men/Mixed squads. Explore option of running an additional adult casual volleyball session for non-competitive players and those on waiting lists, subject to hall and supervisory availability. Capacity planning: (1) Invite existing members to sign up for next season, including U15s graduating to adult sessions, so we know how many leavers and vacancies we have; (2) Consult coaches about capacity and standards; (3) Invite players from waiting lists to fill any vacancies.

2022 Treasurer's Report

RichardHowells — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Summary of accounts 2021/22 Period Income from members Expenses 1 Sep 2021 – 12 Apr 2022 £8002.75 £7,551.40 Club expenses 2021/22 £ Club sessions: Lime Kiln LC Hall Hire (Sept 2021 – March 2022) 3,768.25 Volleyball England club affiliation 95.00 Volleyball England coach registration – Phil (with COVID discount) 7.35 SW League hall hire 220.00 Wilts League entry fees and player registrations 657.50 Junior entry fees: VE Grand Prix and SW JuVoTo 715.00 Website server rental (Richard Howells) 50.00 Equipment: Wall mountings and hall-length net 868.00 Equipment: Balls and electronic whistles 650.04 Miscellaneous (small equipment; trophies; hand sanitiser; sports performance mindset training) 520.26 TOTAL 7,551.40 Balance of Account Season 2020/21 Season 2021/22 1 Sept 2020 12 April 2021 1 Sept 2021 12 April 2022 £2,290.41 £3,354.48 £3,436.21 £3,887.66 Notes to accounts 2020/21 These accounts don’t cover the summer months (May – August) when we expect zero income and minor expenses. Lime Kiln LC hall hire costs for April to be paid. We applied for a grant to cover the costs of the wall fixings and long net, and we’re still waiting to hear the outcome. Even without this grant, our reserves remain healthy at around £3,000. Financial prospects for 2022/23 Membership is expected to stay at full capacity, so income should be secure. We expect Lime Kiln LC hire costs to rise, reflecting wider economic pressures, after being held flat during the pandemic. We may hire extra hall space and time, at extra cost, to slightly increase our capacity. We will need to invest in equipment: possibly an outdoor net; certainly some new balls (replacement plus growth). We need to make sure that all our club activities and sections cover their costs. We will review our finances and fee structures when these issues become clearer. Meanwhile we hope to hold our membership prices at current levels: Item Period Price proposed for 2021/22 season What it pays for Membership subscription To be paid in September or when you join. You must be a paid-up member to play in competitions. Annual £40 adult £20 junior U16-U18 playing with adults £0 junior U15 not playing with adults; subscription included in playing fee Half price if you join after Christmas Governing body affiliation Club insurance Competition entry Player registration Equipment Club expenses Training and playing fee Indoor season: Sept to April (8 months) Monthly £25 adult £15 junior U18 and student in full-time education FREE first session for new members! Hall hire for training and matches

2022 Head Coach Report

RichardHowells — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 21:58:00 GMT

My elected role as Head Coach/coordinator is to plan the whole-season schedule, including our training and competition programme, and to coordinate our team of coaches so that individual players can develop and progress throughout our club. I am also appointed by the club as lead coach for the juniors. Training This season we provided more training sessions (each 1.5 hours) for more players than ever before: Nr of training sessions and Attendance: Average (low-high) Women 16+ Men/Mixed 16+ Juniors U15 Sessions Attendance Sessions Attendance Sessions Attendance 2021-22 season 26 15 (9-19) 22 13 (5-19) 31 19 (13-23) 2020-21 season None, due to COVID None, due to COVID Limited by COVID 2019-20 season 18 10 (6-13) 21 10 (5-15) 32 13 (5-24) Team Performance This season we fielded more competitive teams than ever before, developing new and younger players. Given the relative inexperience of many players, our fast-improving performance results were excellent: RWB Team Competition Record Rank Notes RWB Women South West League Played 18 Won 15 2nd /10 = RWB best Exeter Challenge winner Bassett Hounds Wilts Ladies & Junior League Played 5/9 rounds Won 24 sets 3rd /10 Ages 16-18 Bassett Royals Wilts Ladies & Junior League Played 2/9 rounds Won 13 sets 5th /10 U15+U14 Boys First taste of 6v6 Bassett Allsorts Wilts Ladies & Junior League Played 6/9 rounds Won 10 sets 7th /10 Ages 15-17 + 3 adults. End-season finale 2nd RWB A Wilts League Premier Division Played 12 Won 3 6th /7 Relegation playoff winner Dave Kinder Plate winner RWB B Wilts League Division 1 Played 12 Won 2 6th /7 Mostly new U18 players, first taste of competition U18 Boys Volleyball England Jnr Grand Prix Played 11 (3/3 rounds) Won 3, tied 2 - /29 Ages 16-18 Closest set 31-29 U18 Girls Volleyball England Jnr Grand Prix Played 11 (3/3 rounds) Won 2, tied 1 - /16 Ages 14-18 Closest set 30-28 U16 Girls Volleyball England Jnr Grand Prix Played 8 (2/3 rounds) Won 4 - /28 Ages 14-16 Close set 32-30 from 3-17 U15 Girls A SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 4/4 rounds 4th /16 Mostly new players U15 Girls B SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 2/4 rounds 11th/16 Mostly new players U15 Boys SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 4/4 rounds 1st /11 New players U14 Boys SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 4/4 rounds 1st /5 New players U12 Girls A SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 4/4 rounds 1st /4 Age 10-11 U12 Girls B SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 1/4 round 3rd /4 Age 10-11, mostly new U12 Boys SW Junior Volleyball Tour 3v3 Played 3/4 rounds 2nd /4 Age 9-11 Phil Heads, April 2022

2022 Chairman's Report

RichardHowells — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 21:55:00 GMT

Chair’s Report 2021-22 Summer 2021 Following a series of pandemic lockdowns, and a lost 2020-21 indoor season, we were thankfully able to play weekly outdoor volleyball in summer, plus some outdoor competitions. We entered 5 teams in the inaugural Wiltshire 4s League (our best position was 2nd) and one team in the WVA outdoor tournament. Winter 2021-22 Pandemic challenges and opportunities Our indoor season (September to April) was played under varying COVID restrictions, uncertainties and safety precautions. Despite fears of further disruption, and a slow start, we ultimately completed a full season of competitions. Many club members caught COVID at some point during the season, however our safety-conscious volleyball activities didn’t seem to cause the virus to spread between club members. I thank everyone for following the safety protocols and helping to keep one another safe. Two years of pandemic disruption gave us the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Lime Kiln Leisure Centre and expand our club offer. For the first time we were able to secure a weekly Thursday evening session plus some Sunday daytimes, and to instal new equipment to run a long net down the entire length of the hall. The benefits have been, and will continue to be: more (less interrupted) training for our women; hosting home SW League games for our women; hosting national and regional junior events; growing profile for our volleyball club at our home venue. Innovations At the start of the season we offered our members two sessions with a sports mindset coach (funded by the club; provided by videoconference due to COVID). Fewer members attended than we hoped, but feedback from those who did attend was positive. Should we offer this again? With large numbers and turnover of players it is no longer practical to buy and loan club-owned shirts for all our competitive players. This season we set up a club uniform deal through a well-known sports uniform supplier, Kitlocker, so that members can purchase their own club kit from a range of items. Club growth This season we expanded our club offer, as agreed at our last two AGMs, and experienced exceptional demand to join our club. This seems to be fuelled by our junior offer, our growing reputation, our COVID-safe environment, the Olympics and the Japanese anime Haikyuu! This meant: Record numbers of members, players (aged from 9 to 66 years) and teams. All sections full to capacity: 26 juniors; 20 women and 20 men/mixed. Waiting lists for new players: 10 junior; 10 women; 15 men (at April 2022). 14 competitive teams for U12, U14, U15, U16, U18 and adults in national, regional and county competitions, with many successes (see Head Coach’s report). More volunteer organisers, referees, coaches and helpers. Growing demand and activity (plus the pandemic) brings organisational challenges, but there is no doubt we’ve had a remarkable and successful year. This is only possible because of the passion and commitment of our members, including our many volunteer organisers, referees, coaches and helpers – I thank you all for making our club welcoming, safe and successful. Phil Heads April 2022

2022 AGM Agenda

RichardHowells — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 21:53:00 GMT

38th Annual General Meeting (club founded May 1984) Monday 9th May 2022, 7.15pm By videoconference AGENDA Welcome / attendees / apologies for absence Confirm minutes of 2021 AGM – see club website: www.woottonbassettvbc.co.uk Season 2021-22 review – reports and questions (see reports on club website) Chair’s report Head Coach’s report Treasurer’s report Season 2022/23 planning (see planning paper on club website) Election of committee Advice on appointment of volunteer roles (see below) Any other business? Club awards 2021-22 (all age groups, 15 awards to announce!) Elected committee - all positions to be re-elected: Chair Phil Heads Willing to serve 2022/23 Treasurer Donna Cunningham Willing to serve 2022/23 Secretary Debbie Hanna Willing to serve 2022/23 Welfare Officer Julie Daniell Willing to serve 2022/23 Head Coach Phil Heads Willing to serve 2022/23 We can elect or co-opt additional committee members if we have willing volunteers. Ed Benham and Kaelen McIntosh have helped as volunteers with web and ‘marketing’ our club offer. Volunteer appointments - all positions appointed by the committee, taking advice from members: Coach (Women) Cliff Ball Willing to serve 2022/23 Coach (Men) James Daniell + Madison Smart, Laura Kulmala Willing to serve 2022/23 Coach (Junior) Phil + Debbie, Marketa, Kat, Maddie, Donna, Kaelen, Ed Willing to serve 2022/23 Team Contact : Women SW League Helen Morten + Zuzana Pritchard Willing to serve 2022/23 ? Team Contact : Wilts Ladies & Junior Phil Heads Seek junior volunteer(s) if needed Team Contact : Men/Mixed A Wilts League James Daniell Seek new volunteer Team Contact : Men/Mixed B Wilts League Ed Benham Willing to serve 2022/23 ? Team contact : U18/U16 Phil Heads, Debbie Hanna Team contact : JuVoTo Phil Heads WVA Meeting Rep James, Phil + Committee take turns Social Organiser Zuzana Pritchard Seek multiple volunteers? Web Administrator Richard Howells (a former member; we contribute to his server rental)

2021 - AGM Notes

RichardHowells — Tue, 11 May 2021 22:31:00 GMT

Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club Notes of Annual General Meeting - 10/05/2021 Present: (via video conference) Male players: Hayden Daniell, James Daniell, Pablo Jimenez Moreno, Ed Benham, Kaelan McIntosh, Sergejs Gubarevs, Andrew Rowe Female players: Debbie Hanna, Donna Cunningham, Kat Grote, Zuzana Pritchard Junior players: Reuben Benham, Josh Ducie & Pam (mum) Others: Phil Heads (Chair, Head Coach), Cliff Ball (Ladies Coach), Julie Daniell (CWO) Apologies were received from: Madison Heise, Maisie Daniell, Charlotte Daniel, Lisa Corrigan (Charley’s mum), Marketa Chrabatinova, Anji Sodera, Dave Maidment Season 2020/21 reports: After welcome by our Chair to 37th AGM the minutes of the 2020 AGM were referenced and accepted and season 2020/21 reports were referenced and accepted. Chair’s Report: The indoor season was severely disrupted by the pandemic – there have been no competitions, and no adult training since the second lockdown (end of October). Junior numbers are looking healthy, and they are currently training on Sunday mornings. Since the end of April (change in lockdown rules) a number of our adult members have been participating in the Wiltshire 4v4 outdoor competition. Phil said thank you to: Volleyball England – for working with government to enable us to play volleyball when safe to do so Lime Kiln Leisure Centre manager (Dan Spencer) and staff WVA – especially Cliff for Wilts 4s All our members – for following the COVID guidance to keep everyone safe Our team Managers for Wilts 4s – Kaelen, Jimmy, Kat, Debbie, Lauren Our current (furloughed!) Team Coaches – Cliff, Carl, Pablo, Laura Julie, Debbie, Pablo – for helping to run our junior sessions Donna – Treasurer’s role made more complicated by Covid stop/start. Treasurers Report: Donna’s report showed club membership, income, expenditure and balance to mid-April. Normal activities such as tournaments and league matches have not happened this season. The mid-April balance will reduce when April-June hall hire is paid, and COVID complications will carry over into next season as some members continued paying during lockdown and will be credited. Season 202/21 prospects: Finance We are hoping for a full season of activity for 2021/22 though there will be some changes to the current formats of competitions which may impact on our anticipated costs. There are a healthy number of junior members with a waiting list. The ladies membership numbers are also good, though the men’s numbers are lower. At the time of the AGM there is a uncertainty with regards to the future availability of the sports hall at Lime Kiln with regards to opening hours, court availability, hire costs, the number of adults/juniors that are allowed to participate in any indoor sessions in the current climate, and website costs. These uncertainties will need to be resolved before we can firm up next season’s member payments. Questions were asked about whether junior payments cover the full cost of junior activity. The current monthly junior fee is intended to make junior participation easy and affordable, yet cover the costs of membership, training and competitions. However it may not always cover their hall hire costs under current COVID restrictions, and looking forward we expect competition fees to rise. As the range of club activities expands, we may consider a tiered membership cost system. There was some discussion about the merits of a simple flat-rate payment for all versus separate ‘match fees’ for adults and juniors playing in competitions. Members at the AGM advised we should keep our membership payments fair (so that players pay for what they get) yet simple (not too complicated for members or our treasurer). For a number of reasons we prefer to avoid handling cash and use online payments as much as possible. Club session times – this season As COVID restrictions ease from 17th May 2021 adults can return to playing indoor volleyball. The only sessions currently running are 2 x Junior sessions on Sundays between 10am-1pm (each 1hr:25min duration). This booking could be extended from 9am-1pm to accommodate the current junior sessions plus an adult session (all at 1hr:15min duration). Note: adult numbers may be limited under Covid guidelines. A poll of members attending the meeting suggested expanding this session to include an adult session would be well attended. Phil to check with the Lime Kiln Leisure Centre manager to see if there is availability to expand this session. Club session times – next season Phil presented a paper outlining our club’s ambitions together with options for club sessions at Lime Kiln Leisure Centre. During the pandemic the centre has closed early on Sundays, forcing us to move temporarily to Sunday mornings. After the pandemic the centre will not return to late Sunday evening opening because it isn’t financially viable, so we won’t be able to return to our traditional Sunday 7-10pm times. Subject to further negotiation, the centre may be able to offer us the following days/times: Thursday evening (1.5 hours); Friday evening (1.5 hours); Sunday morning (3 hours); Sunday evening (5-8pm). Each has advantages and disadvantages. A key consideration is to avoid clashing with national and regional competitions on Sunday daytimes, so that players and coaches can attend our club sessions. Members present at the AGM expressed a clear preference: Thursday evening : women’s team training + WVL home matches for one team (c6 per season). Sunday 5-6.30pm : juniors. Sunday 6.30-8pm : men’s team training + WVL home matches for one team (c6 per season). Phil to: Negotiate with the Lime Kiln Leisure Centre manager to see if we can secure these days/times. Continue to look for ways to introduce a development pathway that caters for adults and juniors including beginners, playing for fun, and playing in competitive teams. Once COVID restrictions are eased sufficiently, our summer outdoor sessions will return to being open for both members and non-members. Establish how many players will be available next season, and hence how many league teams to enter. Website Kaelen, Richard and Phil have been looking at our website needs and options. We want to use our website to advertise our presence, share club information and news, and perhaps with a shop function (e.g. to pay membership, shop for club uniform etc). Three options were put on the table: Continue with current web domain and improve content (cost £50 for server rental to Richard Howells) New website and domain from scratch (more effort, less keen) Use an out-sourced provider of sports club websites, to provide basic web functions, match availability/election and shop. It costs nothing for a basic website however the costs can go up to £30-£90 per month (£500-£1000 per year) plus transaction fees if we use this type of service. After discussing the pros and cons of each option members preferred to revamp the current website. Election of committee officers: Elected committee - all positions were confirm as elected/ re-elected for 2021/22 and agreed by the named persons: Chair = Phil Heads Treasurer = Donna Cunningham Secretary = Debbie Hanna Welfare Officer = Julie Daniell Head Coach = Phil Heads Volunteers to be appointed by the committee Sadly Carl and Pablo are moving on, so we thanked them for their valued contributions to our club. We resolved to recruit and train more volunteer coaches over the coming months, to sustain the club’s ambitions and the level of activity that players want. Coach (Women) = Cliff Ball Coach (Men/Mixed) = James Daniell, Laura Kulmala and other volunteers Coach (Junior) = Phil Heads assisted by Debbie Hanna and Kat Grote Team Contact (Women SW League) = Helen Norrvall + Zuzana Pritchard Team Contact (Junior SW & Wilts Competitions) = Phil Heads and/or other volunteers Team Contact (Men/Mixed A Wilts League) = James Daniell Team Contact (Men/Mixed B Wilts League) = Dave Maidment WVA Meeting Rep = Phil + Committee take turns Social Organiser = Zuzana, when Covid restrictions allow Web Administrator = Richard Howells Web Content = Kaelen and Phil Any other business Phil to liaise with junior players and their parents re: transitions between age groups and into adult sessions. Summer Tournaments: Whitefield – Entries open Saturday 15th May 2021. Debbie is organising a women’s team. A volunteer is needed to organise a men’s/mixed team. Phil is having an exploratory conversation with a performance mindset coach to see what they could do for club and the costs. Update to follow. Cliff took us on a trip down memory lane to when the club first started, outlining the club’s successes over the years. This memorabilia will be added to the club website when it is updated for all to see. Cliff also highlighted the availability of funding (from WVA and our club) towards coaching fees available to members who wish to develop their coaching skills and qualifications. Pablo who has been a very valued member of the club as a friend, mentor, adult/junior coach and player announced he will sadly be leaving the club in September to return to Spain. A very emotional Pablo told us how welcoming and easy it was to become part of the club and how sad he is to be leaving. He especially wanted to thank Jimmy who made that initial contact with him and welcomed him to the club. Jimmy has since become a great friend..... Don’t worry Pablo we will all be over to see you in Spain!!! You will be missed and a big thank you for all the time and effort you put into the club. Club AGM 7pm-8:50pm

2021 Treasurer's Report

RichardHowells — Sun, 25 Apr 2021 16:43:00 GMT

Summary of accounts 2020/21 Membership At end of March Forms submitted Subscriptions paid annual payment Participated pay monthly fee Men 16+ 13 (inc 3 juniors) 11 10 Women 16+ 17 (inc 6 juniors) 11 17 Juniors U15 20 Included in monthly fee 20* * Plus: 5 juniors age 16+ participated during lockdown 3 and 4 new junior members started in April. Period Income from members Expenses 1 Sep 2020 – 1 Apr 2021 £2,587.50 £1,523.43 Club expenses 2020/21 £ Lime Kiln LC Hall Hire (intermittent Sept – Jan) 887.38 Volleyball England club affiliation 95.00 Volleyball England coach registration - Phil 21.00 Entry fees - Adult competitions 96.00 Entry fees - Junior event (3 Teams) 27.00 Website server rental (Richard Howells) 50.00 COVID compliance costs Sanitising products (consumables) £100.61 Extra equipment (nets, whistles, fences) £246.44 347.05 TOTAL 1,523.43 Balance of Account Season 2019/20 Season 2020/21 11 July 2019 23 April 2020 1 Sept 2020 12 April 2021 £1,779.70 £2,072.92 £2,290.41 £3,354.48 Notes to accounts 2020/21 2019/20 AGM was delayed to October 2020, hence shorter period for 2020/21 accounts. The COVID pandemic led to intermittent activity this season: We still incurred typical membership costs (lower competition costs were offset by exceptional COVID compliance costs) so membership subscriptions are still needed and will not be refunded or credited. Monthly training/playing fees were stopped (or will be credited) when there was no activity due to COVID restrictions. This stop/start complexity caused lots of extra work for our Treasurer. Income and current balance should be interpreted with caution because we have outstanding credits/debits: A few members still owe annual subscription and monthly payments. Some members continued paying during lockdown, so will be in credit next season. Further hall hire costs May-June to be paid out (we normally stop at end of April). Financial prospects for 2021/22 We expect / hope for a full season of club activity and competitions. We expect some changes in competition formats, which could impact on costs. Lime Kiln LC hire costs are currently held at 2020/21 prices, but may rise later. Ongoing COVID restrictions and safety protocols may mean fewer players or more space required, leading to higher costs per player. Expect slight dip in adult competition players due to COVID impacts, university and change of club session times, though some age 16+ juniors graduate to adult training. Expect strong demand for junior membership. We will discuss our future club offer and hall hire needs with Lime Kiln LC, in the hope of expanding the range of our club offer as agreed at our 2019/20 AGM (held in Oct 2020). We need to make sure that all our club activities and sections cover their costs. We will review our finances and fee structures when these issues are clearer. Meanwhile we propose to hold our membership prices at current levels: Item Period Price proposed for 2021/22 season What it pays for Membership subscription To be paid in September or when you join. You must be a paid-up member to play in competitions. Annual £40 adult £20 junior U18 playing with adults £0 junior not playing with adults; subscription included in playing fee Half price if you join after Christmas Club expenses Equipment Governing body affiliation Club insurance Competition entry Player registration Training and playing fee Indoor season: Sept to April (8 months) Monthly £25 adult £15 junior U18 and student in full-time education FREE first session for new members! Hall hire for training and matches

2021 Chairman's Report

RichardHowells — Sun, 25 Apr 2021 16:40:00 GMT

Chair’s Report 2020-21 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our 2020-21 indoor season (September to April) was severely disrupted: At all times we followed the COVID guidance provided by government, Volleyball England and venues. We played in one junior competition in September, after which all national, regional and county competitions for adults and juniors were cancelled. Under COVID safety protocols we held three adult training sessions in September, followed by three adult 3v3 sessions in ‘bubbles of six’ in October, after which all adult volleyball was suspended during successive national lockdowns and tiered restrictions. In September, October and December (between full lockdowns) we held 12 junior sessions. We were often the only junior volleyball club operating in Wiltshire, which led to unprecedented demand (it was an important safety valve for many families) and a waiting list to join our club. I am especially grateful to Julie, Debbie and Pablo for helping me keep the juniors running under strict COVID safety protocols. Our club venue, Lime Kiln LC, operated reduced opening hours from October, forcing us to move from our traditional Sunday evening times to Sunday mornings. On behalf of our club I have continually thanked the manager and his staff – they were all furloughed during lockdowns, and made huge efforts to make ‘COVID-safe’ volleyball possible every time restrictions eased. I also thank our Treasurer, Donna, for all the extra work caused by the stop/start COVID disruption. While some adult players chose not to participate for safety reasons, and some were not available on Sunday mornings, it seems that most of our adult members have remained loyal to the club and hope to play again when it’s allowed. Meanwhile our junior section has grown, thanks to our proactive efforts to keep playing. Planning for summer 2021 As the third national lockdown eases, our members are eager to play and we’re planning for an active summer: We will (exceptionally) run indoor junior sessions from mid-April until the end of June. Subject to government confirmation, we will (exceptionally) run indoor adult sessions from mid-May until the end of June. We will run outdoor adult sessions (including older/able juniors) from mid-April until the end of June. We have entered 5 teams in the outdoor Wiltshire 4s league, which will run mid-April to mid-June. Some outdoor summer tournaments will go ahead, including beach events and the Whitefield Bristol grass event. Planning for season 2021/22 We hope that a near-normal indoor schedule will resume from September, though ongoing COVID safety precautions and restrictions may apply and some competition formats may change. As discussed at our 2020 AGM, we hope to expand our club offer to cater for wider demand: Women’s competitive teams and training (SW League and Wiltshire League). Men’s and Mixed competitive teams and training (Wiltshire League). Junior development leading to regional festivals, competitions and representative squads. Adult beginners and individual skills development. Adult casual play (for fun, with no organised training element). Our plans depend on the continuing financial viability and availability of our host and partner, Lime Kiln Leisure Centre, with whom we will negotiate new deals over the summer. Post-pandemic, it’s likely that Lime Kiln LC will close early on Sundays on a permanent basis. We may have to consider alternative times for our Sunday evening club sessions. Sunday mornings have been popular with many (especially juniors) but are difficult for some of our members (especially church-goers) and will clash with national and regional competitions. We would like to hear our members’ views on club timings. Club website At our 2020 AGM (October 2020) we resolved to improve our club website, since when Phil, Kaelen and Richard (our web host and administrator) have been discussing functionality and options. We would like the following functionality from our club website: Advertising our presence (open access) Who we are How to find us: venues / locations / contacts Our offer: plans and prices (eg see https://www.wessexvolleyball.com/plans-and-prices ) Essential information: safeguarding, Covid safety, … How to join: membership application form Club news and information (open access – unless some of this should go in a restricted access member zone?) News updates Playing schedule (training, matches) Results Photo gallery Club documents Club history Roll of honour (notable team and individual achievements, by year) Links and feeds: Volleyball England, SWVA, WVA, Whitefield Tournament, … Members forum for internal club activities and chat? Shop (ideal future functionality) Membership payments Buy club playing uniform Options for achieving this functionality include: Continue with our current web domain and improve the content. This can meet all our needs, except for a shop function is not viable due to overhead and transaction costs. Cost £50 pa for server rental. Create a new web domain and site from scratch. This can meet all our needs, except a shop function is not viable due to overhead and transaction costs. Little cost, but high effort. Use an out-sourced sports club website provider, such as www.Pitchero.com . This can provide a shop function plus player availability and selection for matches. Pitchero costs £0 for basic functionality (less flexible than our current website) or £30 or £90 per month plus transaction fee for enhanced functions including shop. We would like to hear members’ views before implementing one of these options.

2021 AGM Agenda

RichardHowells — Sun, 25 Apr 2021 16:38:00 GMT

37th Annual General Meeting (club founded May 1984) Monday 10th May 2021, 7pm By videoconference (due to COVID restrictions on meeting numbers) AGENDA Welcome / attendees / apologies for absence Confirm minutes of 2020 AGM – see club website: www.woottonbassettvbc.co.uk Season 2020/21 review – any questions? (see reports on club website) Season 2021/22 prospects (see reports): Club finances Club session times Club website Election of committee, plus appointment of volunteer roles (see below) Any other business? (There will be no club awards this year due to limited activity) Elected committee - all positions to be re-elected: Chair = Phil Heads Willing to serve 2021/22 Treasurer = Donna Cunningham Willing to serve 2021/22 Secretary = Debbie Hanna Willing to serve 2021/22 Welfare Officer = Julie Daniell Willing to serve 2021/22 Head Coach = Phil Heads Willing to serve 2021/22 Volunteer appointments - all positions appointed by the committee, taking advice from members: Coach (Women) = Cliff Ball Willing to serve 2021/22 ? Coach (Men) = Laura Kulmala, Pablo Jimenez Moreno, James Daniell Willing to serve 2021/22 Coach (Junior) = Phil Heads, Debbie Hanna, Pablo Jimenez Moreno Willing to serve 2021/22 ? Team Contact (Women SW League) = Helen Norrvall + Zuzana Pritchard Willing to serve 2021/22 ? Team Contact (Junior SW & Wilts Competitions) = Phil Heads Seek junior volunteer(s) if needed Team Contact (Men/Mixed A Wilts League) = James Daniell Willing to serve 2021/22 Team Contact (Men/Mixed B Wilts League) = Dave Maidment Willing to serve 2021/22 ? WVA Meeting Rep = Phil + Committee take turns Social Organiser = Zuzana, when social events are allowed! Web Administrator = Richard Howells (a former member; we contribute to his server rental) Web Content = see Chair’s report… We welcome new volunteers for any position, especially team coaches and contacts.

2020 - AGM Notes

RichardHowells — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 05:38:00 GMT

Notes of Annual General Meeting - Royal Wottoon Bassett Volleyball Club 12/10/2020 Present: Male players: Phil Heads (head coach, chair), James Daniell, Hayden Daniell, Pablo Jimenez Moreno, Ed Benham, Kaelan McIntosh, Sven Kalinda, Dave Maidment Female players: Donna Cunningham, Kat Grote, Charlotte Daniell, Maisie Daniell Junior players: Hannah Millie and Robyn Cuthbert, Alberto, Ben and Gabi Lara-Moreno, Hannah Davis, Anna Bulman, Reuben Benham, Taylor Davis Others: Cliff Ball (ladies coach), Julie Daniell (cwo), Emma Bulman, Hanka Lara- Moreno (parents) Apologies were received from: Helen Norvall and Debbie Hanna Season 2019/20 reports: After welcome by chair to 36th AGM (by video conference) the minutes of the 2019 AGM were referenced and accepted and season 2019/20 reports were referenced and accepted. Season 2019/20 highlights and current status of club: Healthy club: More people leading, coaching and helping to run sessions Player numbers stable or growing (especially juniors), across a wide range of ages and abilities Financially broke even on turnover of £5k, with approx. £1.8k reserve in bank Performance similar to previous two seasons: Women 6th of 10 teams in SW League; Laura Kulmala SW Player of the Season (most PoM awards) Men reached Dave Kinder Cup final Wiltshire Mixed League: A-team 4th of 7 teams in Premier Div; B-team 6th of 8 teams in Div 1 8 junior players made Wilts L&J League debut SW Junior Volleyball Tour: U13 Boys 2nd; U14 girls 3rd; U15 girls 2nd Hayden Daniell selected for SW U19 squad & England trials; Hannah Davis selected for SW U15 squad Then COVID lockdown from mid-March stopped all our volleyball and social activity: No indoor or outdoor volleyball for 6 months Lost the last 6 weeks of the season, including DK Cup final and other competitions Lost the summer outdoor season (except for one session in September) 2020/21 Season prospects (presented by Phil): COVID pandemic is bringing unprecedented disruption to our lives, and volleyball is no exception Sport is important for our emotional and physical wellbeing, so we remain committed to sustaining our club and playing volleyball – so long as it is responsible and safe to do so Our first priority as responsible citizens is to protect the health of our members and everyone they come into contact with Each one of us has individual responsibility for keeping everyone safe – our team-mates, our families and everyone we come into contact with – so please continue to follow the COVID safety protocols set by Government, Volleyball England and Lime Kiln LC So far this season… Equal numbers of adult and junior members (up to 20 each) plus 10 on hold We have been creative and flexible to run adult and junior club sessions under COVID controls The situation is likely to keep changing, and we will keep responding as best we can We are very fortunate – compared with other regions under stricter controls, and other Wiltshire clubs not playing I see little prospect of national, regional or Wiltshire competitions starting soon, if at all this season, under current and likely COVID controls But we are looking to promote friendly junior competition – through Wessex VC tournament and bilateral exchanges with junior clubs at Bristol and Calne SW junior squad training is running – at least 5 or 6 of our juniors are planning to attend Financial projections Membership subscriptions should cover our usual annual costs plus COVID expenses, and we will credit you next season if we make an overall surplus Monthly junior fees were raised to cover actual costs, but we may still incur a deficit of up to £300 over a whole season while we’re using the main volleyball court (larger space, so safer) Monthly adult fees are suspended while we can’t hold team training – but should cover costs if and when we resume, so long as attendance is healthy (we won’t ask you to pay if you choose not to participate) Whether we cover the cost of adult casual sessions (3v3) depends on numbers attending, though we’ve mitigated some risk by pricing it for below-capacity attendance If necessary we will eat into the club reserve of £1.8k, but we want to maintain most of this to cover potential future risks (beyond this season…) Looking further ahead Volleyball in England has been changing for several decades: Fewer indoor community sports facilities, and rising costs, as public finances are squeezed Fewer organised, registered volleyball clubs, teams and players But rising demand for casual, social volleyball, where you can just turn up and play COVID and Brexit are big disrupters that will accelerate these trends. Disrupters bring threats and opportunities: For our club, the biggest threat is that Lime Kiln LC could become financial non-viable and close – we would find it very difficult to find another local venue that could give us the space and time we need at an affordable price Our biggest opportunity to build back stronger is to harness the rising demand for casual, social volleyball – we know there is demand from the volume of enquiries we receive that we aren’t able to satisfy If we’re smart, we can benefit both our club and Lime Kiln LC by expanding our club offer to include casual/social volleyball alongside competitive team volleyball – bringing in more players to the club and more income for the leisure centre So in future I would like to see: Our junior and adult team sessions continue as before, adapted as necessary to be COVID-safe A weekly casual/social session, pay-as-you play, no regular commitment needed A player development session, to help juniors and adults progress from beginner and recreational volleyball to our competitive teams (as suggested by our coaches – already being trialled during COVID as our O15 session) We would then be offering more appropriate levels of volleyball for more people, with a clear development pathway and a sustainable pyramid structure This all depends on Lime Kiln LC being able to accommodate our expanding needs, which is why I’m working constructively with them during COVID disruption to make sure we’re valued and trusted, and become a preferred customer Comments received at the meeting: Social volleyball seen as good route to club entry by many members and people on the call generally supportive of the idea. Questions to think about: whether Lime Kiln would live up to expectations re booking/organising; health& safety where unexperienced/casual players involved. Election of committee officers: Elected committee - all positions to were confirm as elected/ re-elected: Chair = Phil Heads [willing to serve 2020/21] Treasurer = Donna Cunningham [willing to serve 2020/21] Secretary = Vacant [Debbie Hanna is willing to serve 2020/21] Welfare Officer = Julie Daniell [willing to serve 2020/21] Head Coach = Phil Heads [willing to serve 2020/21] Volunteer appointments - all positions appointed by the committee plus Kaelen McIntosh volunteer for web presence: Coach (Women) = Cliff Ball [willing to serve 2020/21] Coach (Men) = Laura Kulmala, Carl Davies, Pablo Jimenez Moreno, James Daniell [all willing to serve 2020/21] Coach (Junior) = Phil Heads [willing to serve 2020/21] Team Contact (Women SW League) = Helen Norrvall + Zuzana Pritchard Team Contact (Junior SW & Wilts Competitions) = Phil Heads [seek a junior volunteer if competitions go ahead?] Team Contact (Men/Mixed A Wilts League) = James Daniell [willing to serve 2020/21] Team Contact (Men/Mixed B Wilts League) = Dave Maidment [willing to serve 2020/21] WVA Meeting Rep = Phil + Committee take turns Social Organiser = Zuzana, but social events are not currently possible! Web Administrator = Richard Howells (a former member; we pay the licence fee) Web Content = Kaelen to liase with Phil and discuss whether easier to up-date or re-do website from scratch and future hosting options Club awards 2019/20: Overall: 18 people received nominations - shows that everyone's support is appreciated on many different levels - as always we should give a round of applause to Julie who is spending a lot of time without benefitting as a player in the role of Club Welfare Officer. The winners were: A team - Sergejs Gubarevs - very close with Hayden who won B team last year B team - Maisie Daniell - very close with Joby SWL - Anna Gubareva - continues her Volleyball journey/role model for our junior players! Juniors WLJ – Ben Lara Moreno U15 Girls – Hannah Davis U14 Girls – Millie Cuthbert U13 Boys – Alberto Lara Moreno U9 – Aleksandra Gubareva Kevan Hobbis award – most prestigious award goes to Pablo Jimenez Moreno – for all hiw enthusiastic support of our adult and junior volleyball on court and behind the scenes Club AGM closed at 20.05

2020 - Treasurer's Report

RichardHowells — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 22:27:00 GMT

Fee type Amount and frequency Purpose Membership subscription £30 £15 if you join after Xmas £15 Juniors Affiliations, registrations, WVA competition, entry fees, insurance, admin, equipment, etc Playing fees £25 monthly (direct debit) £12 junior monthly £4 per week Hall hire for training and matches, referees expenses Team Number of Players WB men’s team 13 SW Women 15 Juniors 24 Summary of accounts 2019/20 Balance of account 11 July 2019 £1,779.70 Income 1 Sep 19 – 30 Mar 20 Member Subscriptions and Fees WVA Grant £5,095.00 £200.00 Balance of account 23 April 2020 £2,072.92 Expenses 1 Sept 19 – 30 Mar 20 £5,001.78 Club Expenses Lime Kiln LC hall hire (Sep – Mar) £2,931 Lavington School hall hire (SW woman matches x 3) £191.50 Entry fees to Leagues and Tournaments £330.00 WVA Registration Fees £110.00 EVA Affiliation £95.00 Richard Howells – website upkeep £50.00 Wiltshire league entries (6) + Junior Grand Prix (9) £460.00 Phil VE coach registration £21.00 Miscellaneous (Jnr Equipment + Shirts + Outdoor Ball = Equipment Hire etc) £813.28 Total £5,001.78 I am hoping we will be due some credit for a partial month usage of Lime Kiln LC in March 2020. Donna Cunningham RWB VC Treasurer, April 2020

2020 - Chairman and Head Coach's Report

RichardHowells — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 22:26:00 GMT

Chair’s Report 2020 During 36-year life of our volleyball club, or the even longer life of your ancient club chairman, we have never before experienced a total shutdown of all social and volleyball activity. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic our club acted responsibly to slow the spread of the disease, initially through reduced personal contact before stopping our club sessions altogether, though this difficult decision was soon overtaken by government’s enforced ‘lockdown’. In some ways we were fortunate to lose only the last six weeks of the indoor season, with little financial consequence – though sadly we lost the big end-of-season tournaments (senior and junior; national, regional and local), the Dave Kinder Cup final (our first since 2009) and our summer outdoor programme. Looking back across the season until mid-March, I am pleased to report that our club was healthy in 2019-20: We had more people leading, coaching and helping to run sessions than in previous seasons. Player numbers were stable (men), growing slightly (women) or exploding (juniors). We welcomed players across a wide range of ages and abilities, and we provided enjoyable volleyball. All our teams have maintained consistent performance (league positions) over the last three seasons. We have learned to be effective and efficient in using limited time and space to cater for mixed ability groups, to keep most of our members happy most of the time, and to maintain a comfortable and consistent level of competitiveness. Looking forward as a club, perhaps the biggest challenges lie at either end of our comfort zone: without losing our happy majority in the middle, how can we develop beginners and young players into our adult teams, and at the same time raise performance levels for more ambitious players? Our club committee and coaches are thinking about these challenges, and will offer suggestions for our members to consider. Thank you to our coaches and team organisers It takes a lot of planning and hard work to run our club training sessions and teams, so I’d like to say a ‘big thank you’ to all our volunteer coaches, team organisers and helpers: Men: Carl, Pablo, James, Dave, Laura. Women: Cliff, Kat, Helen, Laura, Carl. Juniors: Phil, Julie (welfare/admin), Pablo, Hayden, Kat, Hanka, Donna, Cliff, Anna G, Laura, James, Ed. Congratulations to our star players Laura Kulmala topped the SW League player of the match awards table (again!). Hayden Daniell was selected for the SW U19 squad, and was a last-18 triallist for England U19. Anna Bulman, Gabriela Lara Moreno and Hannah Davis were invited to SW U15 squad training, and Hannah was selected for the final squad. Planning ahead Due to Covid-19 we have postponed our annual club meeting until September. Until then your current committee have kindly agreed to continue planning for the season ahead, including 2020-21 league entries. We will consult with members if changes are likely, including any implications for player commitment and cost. We will let you know if it is possible to play some outdoor volleyball later in the summer. We will plan to resume indoors as usual on the first Sunday in September (6th September). Head Coach Report 2020 My job as Head Coach is to plan the whole-season schedule, including our Sunday evening programme, and to coordinate our team of coaches. I also have the privilege of coaching the juniors (age 8-15). 2019-20 was our second season of providing separate 1.5 hour training sessions for women and men every week (except match days), plus a separate junior space at the end of the hall, and running two men/mixed league teams instead of one. This season player attendance has been maintained (men) or increased (women up 10%, juniors up 60%). Provision – Sunday night club sessions at Lime Kiln LC Dedicated hours Men/Mixed home matches Men/Mixed training Women training Junior training 2019-20 season 12 (15) 31 (34) 24 (27) 42 (49) 2018-19 season 18 45 35 48 2017-18 season 14 28 30 23 2016-17 season 14 32 27 16 Bold shows actual hours when season ended early due to Covid-19; (Brackets) show planned hours for full season. Women also completed 15 SWL games on 8 Sundays (home games at Lavington School) and more were scheduled. Attendance Average (low-high) Men/Mixed Women Juniors U15 training match A match B training SWL match training 2019-20 season 10 (5-14) 7 (6-8) 8 (6-11) 10 (6-13) 9 (6-11) 13 (5-24) 2018-19 season 10 (5-14) 8 (6-9) 8 (6-10) 9 (6-13) 8 (7-10) 8 (4-10) 2017-18 season 8 (73%) 9 (69%) 9 (60%) 5 (83%) 2016-17 season 9 (56%) 6 (66%) Team Performance 2019-20 South West League (Women) From Kat: After a slightly slow start to the season we finished on a real high winning our last 3 matches. If you look closely at the table (next page) you will see that we need to work on winning matches rather than points (especially the ones which go to five sets). We were joined by a number of new players this season including Harriet Adams who made a great contribution to the team and will be sorely missed as she is off to university. Thank you to Cliff for coaching us and Helen and Debbie for captaining. Laura won 6 PoM awards (top of league again!) plus Vicky Cooper 4 and Harriet 3. Sadly the Exeter Ladies Challenge and SW Championships were cancelled, but we are looking forward to next season. Wiltshire Mixed League From Pablo: Led by Carl, we took a step forward in terms of team play, positions on court, intensity and anticipation. Our Team B started with a couple of defeats but by the end of this shortened season, we were playing good rallies and good matches, taking some victories against teams that are above us in the league. The team in general (and a few players in particular) deserve commendation for their effort and consistency this year attending training sessions. By chance, sadly, we played fewer matches than any other team! Team A, just the opposite, played more matches than any other team in Prem Div. Where last season we were lucky against strong teams, this year we have lost some very close matches against FS and Hurricanes. Maybe we have missed a key player from last year but on the other hand we have one of the players with the most potential in the SW, and next year we’ll be back even stronger. Having qualified for the Dave Kinder Cup Final by beating Calne, we’re hoping the final will be rescheduled to September. South West League Ladies P W L Pts F Pts A Sets F Sets A Pts Torexe 18 16 2 1514 1119 51 13 50 Taunton Kidz 14 14 0 1220 910 42 9 42 Cheltenham & Glos 17 12 5 1391 1159 39 22 41 Polonia Plymouth 15 10 5 1106 949 33 16 35 Bedminster Volleyball 16 6 10 1160 1268 24 34 28 Royal Wootton Bassett 15 6 9 1169 1200 28 29 27 PMVC Ladies 13 5 8 914 1021 18 28 23 Bristol Ladies 3 14 4 10 968 1195 18 35 22 Cardiff Jets 16 2 14 1050 1273 11 43 20 Wessex 3 16 2 14 925 1323 10 45 20 Wiltshire Mixed Premier Div Played Won Lost Sets Won Sets Lost Points For Points Against Points Diff League Points Normalised Devizes Spitfires 10 10 0 29 1 752 461 291 59 71 Swindon Reds A 9 6 3 19 8 658 576 82 40 53 Royal Wootton Bassett A 11 4 7 14 19 724 670 54 33 36 (4th) Devizes Hurricanes 8 5 3 12 12 491 551 -60 30 45 Fighter Squadron Swindon 9 3 6 9 18 561 633 -72 23 31 Swindon Reds B 8 4 4 9 15 395 560 -165 23 34 Calne Comets 9 0 9 4 23 538 668 -130 13 17 Wiltshire Mixed Division 1 Played Won Lost Sets Won Sets Lost Points For Points Against Points Diff League Points Normalised Salisbury Pagans 10 10 0 30 0 750 335 415 60 84 Salisbury Warlocks 13 7 6 20 19 803 798 5 47 51 Calne Meteorites 13 6 7 18 21 816 840 -24 43 50 Erlestoke 10 6 4 17 13 645 644 1 39 55 Olympiad 13 5 8 15 24 787 866 -79 37 40 Devizes Lancasters 11 6 5 14 19 658 762 -104 37 47 Royal Wootton Bassett B 8 4 4 13 11 511 507 4 29 43 (6th) Salisbury Celts 10 0 10 5 25 502 720 -218 15 21 South West JuVoTo (Junior Volleyball Tour) 5 of 6 monthly rounds completed, SW Mini-Volley Championships cancelled. Very well played Ben (13), Nik (13), Alberto (11) who were strongly competitive in their first season together. Always closely matched with Taunton Tigers, just one bad day left us marginally behind them. Place U13 Boys Points Game Points 1 Taunton Tigers 44 56 2 Royal Wootton Bassett 42 51 3 Taunton Lions 15 29 4 Beach Academy Diggers 6 16 5 BS S.M.R.T. 6 12 6 BS Trinity Academy 5 6 Hannah (14), Millie (14) and Julia (12) were joined by debutants Gracie (14) and Lavinia (14). We developed strongly as a team as the season progressed, and it was a pleasure to watch. Place U14 Girls Points Game Points 1 Taunton Spikers 40 55 2 Wessex Sharks 31 58 3 RWB U14 Girls 24 50 4 BS Firebolts 19 36 5 BS Lightning Bolts 15 33 6 BS Thunderbolts 14 28 7 BS Wildfire 10 20 Anna, Gabi and Hannah (all now 15) continued to play excellent team volleyball, though couldn’t quite match the experience and power of PMVC1. Place U15 Girls Points Game Points 1 PMVC 1 50 49 2 Royal Wootton Bassett 40 31 3 Devizes 12 8 4 PMVC 2 6 6 Wiltshire Ladies & Junior League (5 of 6 monthly rounds completed, table not yet available) Eight of our junior players (Anna B, Gabi, Hannah D, Lauren, Julia, Ben, Nik, Josh) gained their very first experience of 6-a-side volleyball, led by Anna G (16) and supported by one or two adult players at a time (variously: Debbie, Donna, Charlotte, Maisie). WLJ provides a safe and friendly, but competitive opportunity to develop younger players and gain match experience. By the fifth round we had expanded from one to two RWB teams, and improved so much we were beginning to win games against more experienced adult teams!

2019 AGM Notes

RichardHowells — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 09:38:00 GMT

Notes of Annual General Meeting 12/4/2019 Present: Male players: Phil, Dave, James, Hayden(jnr), Sergejs, Carl, Pablo Female players: Laura, Donna, Kat, Zuz, Anna, Charlotte, Maisie, Sarah Others: Julie(cwo), Alexandra (Sergejs’s daughter) Apologies were received from: Andrew, Anj, Debbie, Helen, Cliff, Seb, Ed Benham and Joby Season 2018/19 reports: Minutes of the 2018 AGM were referenced and accepted. Season 2018/19 reports were referenced and accepted (chair, head coach, treasurer) All committee members were thanked by Dave the chairman. Julie our CWO was thanked for providing support and expertise in the child welfare and administration for the junior section of the club. Phil explained that last season we have changed the training schedule to give everyone the opportunity to train every week but shortened the session to 1.5 hours. This is financially viable provided numbers stay the same. Feed-back was generally good and especially juniors benefitted although sometimes training attendance was low when matches where on-going - when that was the case we should try and encourage ladies/men or potentially members from other clubs to join. Whilst all teams had a good season, Phil wanted to mention specifically how enjoyable it has been to coach the juniors who won both the girls and boys U14 Junior Grand prix division. They will also participate in the U14 national championship. There is scope for up to more 6 juniors to attend (subject to age and ability and Phil having coaching support). Ladies had requested whether they could have the slot at 7 on a more permanent basis due to further travelling and this having benefit to bring along juniors for ladies and juniors league. Men present saw benefits of having a regular slot but were equally not ecstatic about late slot. Agreed to 'trial' giving ladies earlier slot until X-mas. Total club expenses for 2018/19 season was £3737.37 and the club income was £4066.50 with a balance of £3855.33 as of 1 April 2019. The training / match fees can stay the same unless any costs will increase significantly. Summer 2019 plans: Our South West Ladies Team are playing their last match against Cardiff and Bristol on 14 April. They will participate at the South West Championships in Plymouth on the weekend of 11th & 12th May 2019. End of season tournament is on 15 June - outdoor tournament at Seend with presentations. We discussed volleyball in the park at Lydiard and Phil confirmed in Andrew's absence that Andrew was happy to continue to organise. The day will remain Monday (6.45 for 7 o'clock start) with Andrew confirming weather conditions each week and look after the club net. Outdoors starts on Monday 13 May. Opening times vary with shorter park opening times in May and longer park opening times in June/July. Andrew would like club to pay for first aid kit/ice spray/ice packs for park. Action: Donna - to confirm if Andrew can just buy and deduct from his fees We agreed to investigate the printing of a large club banner to advertise our presence at Volleyball in the Park etc We have entered one men's team mixed team in Whitefield Volleyball Tournament at Bristol (grass) on 20 & 21 July 2018 (8 male and 8 'mixed' players on Saturday joined by Charlotte and Maisie on Sunday). Season 2019/20 plans: League Entries: On current player numbers we are likely to enter the same league teams as last year. Two teams in the Wiltshire Volleyball league Women SW league, Wiltshire Ladies & Junior league held at Lavington. Training schedules and fees: We agreed to trial early training slot for ladies. There were also suggestions whether a monthly mid week session could be booked for just 'play' for everyone. Action: Zuzi to formalise hall booking and ask whether there are any free mid-week slots. New members and banner: A team could do with more players - plan to attract them during 'Lydiard park' session - Sergei able to print banner up to 1.5 m in width subject to someone coming up with design. Action: Volunteer needed to come up with design and costs to be confirmed. Sergej to help with printing. Coaching: Phil will remain has head coach and continue coaching the juniors and if possible attend some of the WJL league fixtures. James would like 2 volunteers to organise Wiltshire league teams. Dave volunteered for B Team - volunteer for A Team outstanding. Jimmy will coach with help from Pablo/Laura and Carl also has ideas to help with coaching drills. Ladies will continue with having some coaching from Pablo. Jimmy attended Level 1 coaching last year and if other members are interested in attending coaching sessions there might be scope for the club to contribute to the costs. Phil to discuss with Cliff before beginning of the season how to ensure ladies session caters for SW and ladies & juniors and agree plan for sessions which juniors might join. Refereeing: Carl mentioned there was a certain degree of inconsistency in the league. We discussed generally refereeing adapted to standard of play although everyone agreed better understanding of how 'ball handling' should be treated beneficial. Possible to invite Richard Morton or other qualified referee to a session and for this also to be brought up at next Wiltshire league meeting. Action: Kat to ask Helen to check whether Richard available, next representative to discuss at Wiltshire league meeting. It was agreed that Richard is to continue maintaining the club website at a fee of up to £50 (currently under review) as most of our enquiries are made through the website. Minors and photos/filming: Julie explained concerns about compliance with GDPR. One parent of a minor has withheld consent and therefore no filming or photographs may be taken when that minor is present. It was discussed that filming/photography should therefore be banned altogether when minors are present. Action: Membership forms to be updated with requisite note to explain that no filming/photos possible for next season. Social media/web presence: Everyone agreed website out of date but no volunteers to tiday up. Facebook site should contain link to website and vice versa. Members expressed that they would like more social events during the year. Zuz volunteered to organise Xmas event and possible suggest a date for dragon boat race.Pablo has organised a team for Dragon Boat racing on 23 June. We agreed to buy a new scoreboard for the WVL Mixed teams. In absence of a secretary Phil is happy to keep the email distribution list up-to-date (provided the team organisers ensure the relevant membership details are completed and passed on to Phil at the beginning of the season). Election of committee officers: Chair – Phil was elected unopposed as Dave wanted to stand down. Treasurer – Donna was re-elected unopposed. Secretary – Position still vacant as no volunteers. Maisie agreed to take the minutes of this meeting. Phil mentioned he can discuss duties involved for secretary on request . Welfare – Julie was re-elected unopposed. Head Coach – Phil was re-elected unopposed. Training plans to be organised and coaches to assist. Team co-ordinators: Men – Team A: tbc or James; Team B: Dave SWL – Zuzana, Helen WJL – Charlotte Other roles (not on the committee): Web Admin – Richard continues (fee) Committee takes turns attending WVA meetings. Social – Zuz agreed to organise Xmas event and possibly dragon boat racing Club awards 2018/19: Best or improved player: A team Carl B team Hayden SWL Anna G Juniors Anna and Alberto Kevin Hobbis Jimmy Club AGM closed at 20:25

2019 - Mixed Team Report

RichardHowells — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 14:57:00 GMT

MIXED TEAM 2018/19 SEASON REPORT Teams Performance (1 fixture pending for each team) See the WVA web site: https://wva.org.uk/Competitions/WiltshireMixedLeagues/LeagueTables/tabid/92/Default.aspx At time of writing: - RWB - A are 4th in the Permier Division - RWB - B are 7th in Division 1 Our job as coaches and team coordinators is to organise and lead the training sessions, invite (sometime chase!) players to matches and manage the teams during the matches. Initially we rotated the training sessions so two coaches take the session and the third one can train (otherwise the coach does not train and we are all players!) During the season, there have been phases when this wasn’t possible due to injuries or holidays. James has taken the lion’s share of this work especially because Laura and Pablo were unavailable during feb-march Having two teams this year has generally been a positive move but has come with challenges as well All team members have enjoyed more game time That game time has probably been at a level that was more in accord to their own level It has allowed newer/younger Team B members time and opportunities to get into the match dynamics and make progress (Hats off to Charlotte on her first season as setter!) Team A doesn’t have enough players to practice at Premier League level. As usual, several factors have impacted this Literally not enough players (congrats to those from Team B who stepped up and did a great job such as Hayden or Seb) Ed P moved and left the team L. Laura was injured for 2 months L Holidays and similar reasons that impact attendance to training (Hats off to Andrew, Carl, James and Hayden who have the highest record of training + match attendance) Coaches have struggled to spend the “1 on 1” time that individuals in Team B need to improve at a faster pace Key features of this season – Done well Attracted a few new members (Carl, Ed, Joby, Mike) Some members of the team have trained hard this year and their progress has been noticeable (coaches have been speaking or will speak directly to individuals) Team A had their first season in Premier League with some really good results and narrowly lost matches + Club reached DK semi-finals Although results have not been as great as expected, Team B has played some really good volleyball, especially by the end of the season (Match vs Fighter Squadron was spectacular!) Key improvements for next year - Will do better Attendance to training and matches must remain high during season and not drop from December onwards Increase player responsibility with regards to training days and fixtures: check the website! Team B: Movement and attention on court. We still “watch” the game too much and we are late reacting. We need to learn to read the game and pre-empt the next move Stay happy and focused on court, we allow teams to come back when we are ahead and make silly mistakes that stop us from winning. Our points difference is much better than teams that are above us on the table because we win points but lose sets! Work on individuals’ technique to improve consistency & accuracy of the 1st touch Team A: More tactical approach to the game. We need to take a step up! Attract more players – we saw people in Lydiard who could have been great additions to the team but did not materialise such as Jeff or Ben, how can we bring them on board? Can we somehow recruit 2-3 strong players? Coaches considerations and questions for the team/club It is perceived that some players do not like/enjoy drills and just want to “play”. However, performance will improve more if we drill the situations that we need, rather than just playing for fun (we rarely have 12 players in their respective positions, so not “real game practice” anyway!) Do we commit to performance as a team and agree to work hard on drills? Is playing just for fun is a possibility if that is what team prefers? A combination of both? Is there a possibility (financially + commitment from players) to consider getting the hall during the week - maybe once every other week in the evening – for the whole club to just play volleyball? All teams playing together will improve team/club building and it will be fun. Then we use our Sundays for teams to practice There was no “Xmas do”: Everybody is really busy and have lots of commitments but even something small such as meeting before/after a match in December would help club building

2019 Head Coach's Report

RichardHowells — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 09:08:00 GMT

Head Coach Report 2019 My job as Head Coach is to plan the Sunday evening programme, and to coordinate our team of coaches. Along the way I have the privilege of coaching the juniors (age 9-15). A year ago we polled our members, and most said they would like the opportunity to train or play every week, so we changed the structure of our Sunday club sessions for the 2018-19 season: We made the main court available for adults for the full three hours. We split the three hours into two 1.5 hour sessions so that men and women train separately with no overlap (previously we had two overlapping 2-hour sessions). We hired the end of the hall so that the juniors could have their own space and more time. The outcomes appear to have been positive (mostly) or neutral, with no obvious negatives: More training hours for everyone. More men/mixed attending training and playing matches. No change in women’s attendance. More juniors, huge performance improvement, and the extra hire cost was financially viable. No change in overall number of regular club players, but more casual/irregular players. If anyone has noticed any problems with this trial, please let me know. Otherwise I propose to continue with this arrangement next season. One issue to discuss and decide: The women would prefer to train at 7pm every week (instead of alternating 7 or 8.30pm with the men) – due to travel distances of some players, others having school next day, and to help develop U15s. Is this OK with the men, or would they consider it unfair? Statistics for Sunday night club sessions Dedicated hours (Sunday evening) Men/Mixed home matches Men/Mixed training Women training Junior U14 training 2018-19 season 18 45 35 48 2017-18 season 14 28 30 23 2016-17 season 14 32 27 16 2015-16 season 8 29 30 17 2014-15 season 18 24 26 19 Women play their home matches at Lavington School Attendance Average (low-high) Men/Mixed Women Juniors U14 Total regular players training match A match B training SWL match training 2018-19 season 10 (5-14) 8 (6-9) 8 (6-10) 9 (6-13) 8 (7-10) 8 (4-10) 35 2017-18 season 8 (73%) 9 (69%) 8 (73%) 8 (73%) 9 (60%) 5 (83%) 32 2016-17 season 9 (56%) 6 (66%) 38 2015-16 season 9 (69%) 5 (42%) 33 2014-15 season 8 (44%) 5 (38%) 38 ‘Regular players’ excluding a number of casual or irregular players Special thanks to everyone who has taken responsibility to coach or organise teams: Pablo, James and Laura (men); Cliff, Kat, Laura and Pablo (women); Charlotte (WLJ); Julie, Charlotte, Donna and Angel (juniors); and huge thanks to Julie, whose role as club welfare officer should not be under-estimated. Planning ahead Summer 2019 Playing for fun at Lydiard Park, adults and juniors, starting May – Mondays will be best for me? Whitefield Tournament, Bristol (grass), 21-22 July – we need more players! Other sand and grass tournaments, local and nationwide – just get together and enter! Indoor season 2019-20 Indoor training will start on the first Sunday in September – watch club website for announcements. We’ll decide league entries at or soon after the AGM. Team performance 2018-19 Juniors U14 Girls – SW JuVoTo series winners, SW Mini-Championships winners. U14 Boys – SW JuVoTo series winners, SW Mini-Championships winners. Another great season, and we all loved it. Our junior players certainly benefitted from increased training hours – they keep on improving individually, played some great team volleyball, and attracted many compliments from other SW coaches. Our SW Mini-Championships performance was so good it brought tears to my eyes! Now we’re taking a big leap to play in the national U14 JuVoTo on 5 May. Many congratulations to all our champions: Anna (14), Hannah (14), Gabriella (13), Julia (11), plus Kuba (13), Ben (12) and Alberto (his first season, age 9). And to our newer or less regular players who are all learning fast: Josh (9), Millie (12) and Hannah (12). Women South West Championships (May 2018) – 7th place out of 14 (missed the play-off very closely on sets - same match points as 6th) South West League – played 14 of 18 games – currently 7th out of 10 teams (won 6 lost 8) From Kat: We have had a slow start to the season losing our first 6 matches and also slightly injury plagued! Kelly and Sara have joined some training sessions recently and Kelly played her first match with us giving the team a boost of confidence. Training attendance is slightly patchy and we probably have not quite enough to get good match practice without the men in all session. Cliff has coached most sessions working hard with us on hitting and blocking. Anna has had her first season in the South West and although has not played every match has shown really great potential and resilience when she has played. Anj is also new this season and fits in with the team very well. For the first time in several seasons Laura might not get the MVP, unfortunately due to injury rather than form. We are just finalising the squad for the SW Championships in Plymouth which should be great fun as every year! James kindly arranged a taster session for new players, which was well attended but unfortunately not many have come back. Wilts Ladies & Junior League This provides a safe and friendly, but competitive opportunity to develop younger players and gain match experience. Unfortunately the dates clashed with SW JuVoTo, so we couldn’t introduce our U14s to 6-a-side or field regular teams. However Anna, Anj, Hayden and Charlotte have played on a couple of occasions, mixed in with Salisbury and Calne. Men Wilts Mixed League Premier Div (A team) – played 9 of 12 games (6 wins), currently 3rd out of 7 teams Wilts Mixed League Division 1 (B team) – played 11 of 14 games (4 wins), currently 6th out of 8 teams Hayden – England Junior trials, SW Junior Boys squad It’s heartening to be running two teams again in the Wilts League, giving more members the chance to play regular competitive volleyball. Our A-team remains strong, against fierce opposition, and is starting to challenge Devizes and Swindon Reds for the top places (Andrew, Carl, Pablo, Laura, Sergejs, Ed P, Hayden, Josh, Seb, Jimmy, Dave – with Pablo winning 5 MVP nominations so far). Our B-team provides extra opportunity to play and develop new players (Charlotte, Dave, Seb, Hayden, Jimmy, Josh, Ed B, Maisie, Anna, Reg, Joby, Angel, Donna – to date Charlotte and Hayden lead the MVP race with 3 nominations each). Special congratulations to Hayden for reaching the heights (get it?!) at regional and national level. Phil Heads (Head Coach) April 2019

2019 AGM Agenda

RichardHowells — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 09:07:00 GMT

Item Time Notes Welcome Apologies for absence Minutes of 2018 AGM 2 minutes Minutes available on website: check accuracy and accept. Season 2018-19 reports Chair Head coach Treasurer (Secretary) 10 minutes Reports available on website before meeting, so no long speeches! Time for a few questions? Make sure we understand our financial position. Summer 2019 plans 3 minutes See Head Coach report. Questions? Season 2019-20 plans League entries Subscription and training fees Developing new coaches Club website Suggestions for a successful and enjoyable club Feed-back from questionnaire 30 minutes Discuss member feed-back and junior volleyball , ideas and suggestions - do we keep same times and same training slots? Discuss 2018/19 subscription and training fees. Season 2019-20 officer elections Chair – Dave Treasurer – Donna Secretary – Vacant Welfare – Julie Coaches: Head Coach – Phil Men – (Jimmy) Women SWL – (Cliff and Pablo) Women WLJ – (joined above sessions) Junior – (Phil) Team coordinators: Men – James Women SWL – Helen/Zuzi Women WLJ – Charlotte Social organiser(s) – Vacant 15 minutes Most officers are willing to stand for re-election. New volunteers are very welcome for any position. Please feel free to speak with officers in advance if you want to know more. Job-shares can be a good idea (eg social organiser!). We will elect officers at the meeting (should be quick, as few posts tend to be contested). Season 2018-19 awards Wiltshire League Team 1 -player of the season Wiltshire League Team 1 -player of the season SWL player of the season Kevan Hobbis Trophy Junior Player of the Season 10 minutes End the meeting by celebrating our great people. Then enjoy socialising! Posted in: Club Documents

2018 AGM Notes

RichardHowells — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 15:42:00 GMT

Notes of Annual General Meeting 14/4/2018 Present: Male players: Phil, Dave, James, Hayden(jnr), Seb, Sergejs, Robert, Pablo Female players: Donna, Angel, Helen, Kat, Anna, Alex [joined afterwards: Maisie, Charlotte] Others: Julie(cwo), Joanna (Alex's mum), Arnita & Alexandra (Sergejs’s wife and daughter), Robert's wife, Anna (Pablo’s wife), Oliver (Charlotte's boyfriend) Apologies were received from: Andrew, Dan, Ed, Debbie, Zuzana, Laura Season 2017/18 reports: Minutes of the 2017 AGM were referenced and accepted. Season 2017/18 reports were referenced and accepted (chair, head coach, treasurer) All committee members were thanked by Dave the chairman . Phil thanked everyone who stepped up assisting whilst he had to take a step back for personal reasons last season. Julie our CWO was thanked for providing support and expertise in the child welfare and administration for the junior section of the club. Charlotte was thanked for refereeing/scoring multiple men's matches. Whilst all teams had a good season, Phil wanted to mention specifically how enjoyable it has been to coach the juniors who won both the girls and boys U13 Junior Grand prix division. Anna and Alex have transitioned very well to the Wiltshire ladies& juniors league where they have participated in a number of tournaments. Julie mentioned that other than Angel there were now few ladies attending (other than Charlotte); We discussed the questionnaire and thanked Phil for issuing it as it helped to paint a clearer picture of what everyone wanted from the club. Total club expenses for 2017/18 season was £3404.49 and the club income was £3686.62. The club carries over financial cushion of £1,338.75. Membership subscription and training / match fees will be decided when we have been notified of hall hire costs for next season and new training arrangements confirmed. Adult fees are likely to go up by £3-4 per month and junior fees by £1 (subject to treasurer confirmation). Please pay subscriptions and monthly fees promptly to help with club finances. Phil clarified that students 18 years and over in full time education are still eligible to pay the junior rate. We clarified that a per session rate for adults continues to be available at treasurer's discretion. Summer 2018 plans: Our South West Ladies Team are playing their last match against Cardiff on 29 April which unfortunately clashes with the Exeter Challenge. They will participate at the South West Championships in Plymouth on the weekend of 12th & 13th May 2018. Wiltshire Men’s end of season tournament tbc (this was not discussed) We discussed volleyball in the park at Lydiard and Phil confirmed in Andrew's absence that Andrew was happy to continue to organise. The day will remain Monday (6.45 for 7 o'clock start) with Andrew confirming weather conditions each week and look after the club net. Outdoors starts on Monday 14th May. Opening times vary with shorter park opening times in May and longer park opening times in June/July. We have entered one men's and one mixed teams in Whitefield Volleyball Tournament at Bristol (grass) on 21st & 22rd July 2018 (11 male and 4 female players). Season 2018/19 plans: League Entries: On current player numbers we are likely to enter the 4 league teams (subject to James confirming numbers by end of July). Two teams in the Wiltshire Volleyball league (potentially mixed if any women interested), Women SW league, Wiltshire Ladies & Junior league held at Lavington. Members asked whether there would be enough players for a second team to play in the Wiltshire Volleyball league (for example if some of the women players would like to play). Training schedules and fees: We discussed training schedule and agreed that if it is possible to hire rest of the hall juniors would be able to train over the Badminton net from 7-8 every week with adult session in parallel. We agreed that ladies and men's session would be separate 1.5 hour sessions but if either team wanted the other team to arrive early/stay for match practice would need to be agreed ad hoc. (addition post AGM: Phil has spoken to Dennis Spencer from Lime Kiln who has confirmed that the hall is available for hire and also that from a health and safety perspective leisure centre is happy for the net to be used with weights to weigh down badminton nets.) Action: Zuzi to formalise hall booking and for Donna to work out revised fees. Hoodies: James showed volleyball hoodies in black with club name and inner hood in a royal blue. The costs involved are £20 plus £5 for name/writing on reverse of hoodie. He has 2 different sizes - please contact James if you are interested in ordering them or trying out for size. Coaching: Phil will remain has head coach and continue coaching the juniors and if possible attend some of the WJL league fixtures. Hayden expressed an interest in organising the WJL (with some support from Julie). James will continue with organising Wiltshire league team (or teams with there are two) with help from Pablo on the coaching side. Ladies will continue with having some coaching from Cliff and organising some of their own sessions. Phil mentioned that 5 members expressed an interest in attending coaching sessions (which would be during the week-end and at a cost - the club might be able to contribute some - Phil to discuss with people who volunteered). It was agreed that Richard is to continue maintaining the club website at a fee of up to £50 (currently under review) as most of our enquiries are made through the website. Robert agreed to update facebook page to a more 'searchable' site which will then be used by all club members. Reminder by Julie about GDPR and not to post any photos of minor's without parents consent. Membership forms to be updated with requisite consent for next season. Facebook site should contain link to website and vice versa. Members expressed that they would like more social events during the year. Lydiard BBQ mentioned - so far nobody volunteered to organise/put date in diary. Election of committee officers: Chair – Dave was re-elected unopposed. Treasurer – Donna was re-elected unopposed. Secretary – Position still vacant as no volunteers. Kat agreed to take the minutes of this meeting. Phil mentioned he can discuss duties involved for secretary on request . Welfare – Julie was re-elected unopposed. Head Coach – Phil was re-elected unopposed. Training plans to be organised and coaches to assist. Team co-ordinators: Men – James was re-elected unopposed. SWL – Zuzana, Helen (to be confirmed) WJL – Hayden Other roles (not on the committee): Web Admin – Richard continues (fee) Committee takes turns attending WVA meetings. Social – vacant Club awards 2018/17: Best or improved player: Men –Hayden SWL Women –, Angel WJL (adult) – , Charlotte WJL (junior) – Anna and Alex Kevin Hobbis Award – James in recognition of his contribution as captain and also coach of the men's team and support for the club. Club AGM closed at 20:25

2018 AGM Agenda

RichardHowells — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 17:56:00 GMT

Item Time Notes Welcome Apologies for absence Minutes of 2017 AGM 2 minutes Minutes available on website: check accuracy and accept. Season 2017-18 reports Chair Head coach Treasurer (Secretary) 10 minutes Reports available on website before meeting, so no long speeches! Time for a few questions? Make sure we understand our financial position. Summer 2018 plans 3 minutes See Head Coach report. Questions? Season 2018-19 plans League entries Subscription and training fees Developing new coaches Club website Suggestions for a successful and enjoyable club Feed-back from questionnaire 30 minutes Discuss member survey feed-back and junior volleyball (suggestion to hire extra badminton court), ideas and suggestions. Discuss 2018/19 subscription and training fees. Season 2018-19 officer elections Chair – Dave Treasurer – Donna Secretary – Vacant Welfare – Julie Coaches: Head Coach – Phil Men – (Jimmy) Women SWL – (Cliff (5 sessions) and joint effort Debbie, Kat, Laura) Women WLJ – (joined above sessions) Junior – (Phil) Team coordinators: Men – James Women SWL – Helen/Zuzi Women WLJ – Charlotte Social organiser(s) – Vacant 15 minutes Most officers are willing to stand for re-election. New volunteers are very welcome for any position. Please feel free to speak with officers in advance if you want to know more. Job-shares can be a good idea (eg social organiser!). We will elect officers at the meeting (should be quick, as few posts tend to be contested). Season 2017-18 awards Men player of the season SWL player of the season WLJ player of the season (W,J) Kevan Hobbis Trophy 10 minutes End the meeting by celebrating our great people. Then enjoy socialising! Posted in: Club Documents

2018 Member Survey Results

RichardHowells — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 19:23:00 GMT

Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club – Member Survey 2018 results Junior U13 Women Men Response rate 6 (out of 6) 11 (of 14, incl 3 jnr) 7 (of 12, incl 1 jnr) Why I Play Volleyball Juniors U13 Women Men To play competitive games in leagues, tournaments 5th 4th 3rd To play casual games within the club 6th 6th 6th To develop and improve – as an individual player 2nd 1st 2nd To develop and improve – as a team 1st 3rd 1st To exercise, keep fit and healthy 3rd 2nd 4th To meet people, make friends, socialise 4th 5th 5th Other reason Mum makes me Enjoy it Enjoy it To get really good Summary of motivations Motivations vary : between individual players and between groups Many players are more motivated to develop and improve (training) than by playing competitively Most current players do not wish to use club sessions to play casual games ACTION: Planners and coaches will be guided by this understanding Gender groups Juniors U13 Women Men I prefer to play in a single-gender group or team (ie male or female) 1 4 3 I prefer to play in a mixed-gender group or team 1 0 0 I have no preference whether I play in single- or mixed-gender groups 4 7 4 Summary of gender group preferences Preferences vary : between individual players and between groups ACTION: Planners and coaches will be guided by this understanding Club sessions Juniors U13 Women Men I am happy with the current arrangement, where each group trains/plays approx 3 out of 4 Sundays 3 7 1 I would prefer to train/play every week if possible 4 4 5 I am willing to pay more to make it possible to train/play every week 1 2 5 Summary of session frequency preferences Preferences vary : between individual players and between groups Except for women, more players would prefer to train/play every week ACTION: Consider separate U13 sessions to free court so men can play weekly, women almost weekly Planning Juniors U13 Women Men I plan to play with this club during the outdoor summer 2018 (weekday evening at Lydiard Park) 6 6 7 I plan to play with this club during the indoor winter season 2018/19 (Sunday evenings at Lime Kiln LC) 6 11 7 I am willing to help the club by getting more involved – for example as a coach, referee, team organiser, committee member… 2 6 5 Actions for planning Plan and run outdoor summer sessions at Lydiard Park (agree organisers and start date) Enter indoor league teams for season 2018/19 (agree which women’s leagues to enter) Discuss with individual volunteers how they can help the club Individual player comments and suggestions: Juniors U13 Like the small group (x2) Like playing for fun, not just compete and win Enjoy participating in training We could coach ourselves, so we communicate more We could benefit from more serving practice Some sessions could be longer, eg 6-8pm (x2) Would like Saturday or Sunday, could we start at 5pm? Individual player comments and suggestions: Women Like playing as a team and in tournaments Enjoy gathering to play with all ages, abilities, genders (x2) Enjoy overlapping women and men sessions, practicing against a stronger team (x2) 8-10pm session is tricky for work/school next day, can we start earlier? (x3) Ideally train more than once a week to improve skills Ideally have a regular coach (more often) to help the team develop Maybe some players take a coaching course Would like more social opportunities to get to know other members (x2) It would be helpful if more women members helped at the men’s home matches Individual player comments and suggestions: Men Love the camaraderie, teamwork, team spirit, supportive atmosphere, friendly and welcoming attitude, welcoming juniors, giving everyone opportunity to play (x6) Generally satisfied to be a club member Lime Kiln location is right, maybe hold extra sessions elsewhere if necessary Ideally mid-week training from 7 or 8pm when there is a match on Sunday More serious approach to game and focus on team improvement More game time in training to improve Focus training on key skills that need to improve (eg 3 weeks in a row, eg on receiving and passing) Would welcome individual feedback on strengths and areas to improve (polite and constructive) Ideally more people to take responsibility to help run the club ACTIONS Club planners and coaches will be guided by this understanding Organise more social events (we need volunteers?!)

2018 Head Coach's Report

RichardHowells — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 19:22:00 GMT

Head Coach Report 2018 My job as Head Coach is to plan the Sunday evening programme, and to coordinate our team of coaches. As promised at last year’s AGM I greatly reduced my volleyball coaching and playing commitments and coached only the U13 juniors in 2017-18. I would like to say a special ‘thank you’ to everyone who has taken extra responsibility to coach and run teams this season, and also supported me while my wife has been ill: Men – James and players who helped Women – Cliff, Kat, Helen, Matt and players who helped Wilts Ladies & Junior League – Charlotte, Debbie and Julie U13 junior helpers – Julie, Hayden, Alexandra, Maciek, Charlotte and Kat Your committee – Dave, Donna, Zuzana, Julie, Maisie, plus team organisers above Teams 2017-18 Juniors U13 Girls – SW Junior Grand Prix series winners, SW Mini-Championships winners, Wiltshire training. U13 Boys – SW Junior Grand Prix series winners, SW Mini-Championships runners-up. Junior membership numbers were lower this year, but attendance was excellent. And what a fantastic season for Anna, Hannah, Gabriella, Julia, Kuba and Ben, RWBC’s most successful teams in 2017-18! They so enjoyed their second season of volleyball, developed great team spirit, improved rapidly, and thoroughly deserved their success. It was a privilege and pleasure to coach them. Women South West Championships (May 2017) – third place South West League – played 16 of 18 games (2 delayed by snow) – currently 5th out of 10 teams Wilts Ladies & Junior League – played 4 out of 6 rounds, with one round remaining Membership numbers were stable, attendance slightly up though still patchy. It’s great to see the SWL team taking responsibility and leadership on court, having fun and getting better results. Our best-ever placing in the SW Championships was a great achievement, playing against national and regional league teams. Our 60% win rate in the SW League is better than recent seasons, and Laura is currently top of the league for MVP (again!). Congratulations Kat (captain), Debbie, Donna, Laura, Zuzana, Helen, Andrina, Angel, Anji, Mirella. The Wilts Ladies & Junior League provides a safe and friendly, but competitive opportunity to develop younger players and gain match experience. Anna and Alex have improved rapidly in their first season of 6-a-side volleyball. Well done Charlotte, Maisie, Hayden, Alex, Anna, Angel, Debbie. Men Wilts League Div 1 – played 12 out of 14 games (7 wins so far), currently 4th out of 8 teams Hayden – SW Junior Boys squad Slightly fewer members this season were balanced by slightly better attendance. Training focussed on building a new team system. After losing old codgers Zafer and Phil since last season it’s been great to welcome new younger players, build a fantastic team spirit and win more games than we lose. The team has built a solid foundation to challenge strongly next season. Congratulations to Hayden for his success with the SW Juniors, and well done James, Andrew, Sergejs, Dave, Hayden, Seb, Josh, Dan, Ed, Robert, Pablo, Mike. Planning ahead Summer 2018 In 2017 we ran weekly junior volleyball (for the first time) alongside the adults at Lydiard Park. In 2018 we’ll do the same, playing for fun at Lydiard Park, starting May (Andrew kindly organising). Whitefield Tournament, Bristol (grass), 21-22 July – looks like we’ll enter mixed and men teams. Other sand and grass tournaments, local and nationwide – just get together and enter! Indoor season 2018-19 Indoor training will start on the first Sunday in September – watch club website for announcements. The member survey suggests that all those who responded will be play with us again next season. We’ll decide league entries at the AGM. Statistics for Sunday night club sessions 2017-18 Dedicated hours (Sunday evening) Men home matches Men training Women training Mixed training Junior U13 training 2017-18 season 14 28 30 8 23 2016-17 season 14 32 27 6 16 2015-16 season 8 29 30 12 17 2014-15 season 18 24 26 14 19 Women play their home matches at Lavington School Regular players Men age 14+ Women age 15+ Juniors under 15 Total 2017-18 season 11 15 6 (4 girls, 2 boys) 32 2016-17 season 13 16 9 (7 girls, 2 boys) 38 2015-16 season 11 10 12 (7 girls, 5 boys) 33 2014-15 season 11 14 13 38 Average attendance (match & training) Mixed adult Men Women Juniors U13 2017-18 season 12 (46%) 8 (73%) 9 (60%) 5 (83%) * 2016-17 season 16 (55%) 9 (69%) 9 (56%) 6 (66%) 2015-16 season 14 (58%) 8 (73%) 9 (69%) 5 (42%) 2014-15 season 14 (48%) 8 (73%) 8 (44%) 5 (38%) * Plus one adult beginner (50%) Proposal for discussion at the AGM Issue A majority of juniors and men (and some women) would prefer to play every week – see member survey. Potential solution for season 2018-19 We could hire extra space at Lime Kiln, behind the curtain, for 1 hour weekly (7-8pm). Juniors U13 play every week, behind the curtain, using a junior net that fixes to badminton posts. The full volleyball court is then available for 3 hours every week for adults. Men play every week (training or league match). Women train slightly more often than now, but not every week (avoiding women and men match days). On shared training days, men and women sessions could be 1.5 hours exclusive or 2 hours overlapping. There may be some wasted court time (cost), eg when women and men both have matches away from LK (as now) or for 1 hour when men have home matches (unless women or WLJ train for 1 hour?). Additional hall hire cost is £16 per week, so everyone’s costs go up: £2/mo adult, £1/mo junior (in addition to annual hall hire increase). Subject to hall availability and agreement of the Leisure Centre. Phil Heads Head Coach March 2018

2017 Treasurers Report

RichardHowells — Wed, 17 May 2017 18:21:00 GMT

Fee type Amount and frequency Purpose Membership subscription £30 £15 if you join after Xmas £15 Juniors Affiliations, registrations, WVA competition, entry fees, insurance, admin, equipment, etc Playing fees £20 monthly (direct debit); £10 junior playing with adults £4 junior not playing with adults Hall hire for training and matches, referees expenses Team Number of Players WB men’s team 10 SW Women 9 Wiltshire/Juniors 6 Summary of accounts as of 30 March 2017 Balance of account 5 Sept 2016 £1,077.70 Club income 6 Sep 16 – 30 March 17 £3,383.70 Balance of account 30 March 2017 £1,331.50 Club expenses 6 Sept 16 – 30 March 17 £3,129.90 Club Expenses WB volleyball hall hire (Sep – Feb) £1663.20* SW hall hire (SW woman matches x 2) £230 Entry fees to tournaments £215 WVA Registration Fees £133 EVA team registration £89.5 Richard Howells – website upkeep £* Wiltshire league entries (7 x £35) £245 Phil VE coach registration £38 Mat Stevens – Lavington equipment hire (2 x £10) £20 Total £3,129.90 *March and April hall hire still due **Richard Howells website upkeep still due I have not been informed of any rise in Court Hire costs. There was an extra expense this year of new team shirts but I think by end of season funds will finish similar to last year.

2017 AGM Notes

RichardHowells — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 20:30:00 GMT

Notes of Annual General Meeting 31/3/2017 Present: Male players: Phil, Dave, James, Hayden(jnr), Kasper(jnr), Seb, Zafer, Sergejs, Andrew, Dan, Konrad. Female players: Donna, Maisie, Wiesia, Maritza, Kernnya Others: Julie(cwo), David (parent), Arnita & Anna (Sergejs’s wife and daughter), Rod (Maritza’s partner), Clare(Dave’s partner) Apologies were received from: Michael, Andrew, Debbie, Helen, Zuzana, Kat, Charlotte, Oriele (jnr) Season 2016/17 reports: Minutes of the 2016 AGM were read and accepted. Season 2016/17 reports were read, discussed and accepted (chair, head coach, treasurer, secretary) All committee members were thanked. Big thanks to Phil, for coaching every team and being a great coach and asset to our club. Julie our CWO was thanked for providing support and expertise in the child welfare and administration for the junior section of the club. We have an enthusiastic group of juniors who are developing well and attended their first SW Junior Grand Prix competition this season and all performed well, especially our U11’s won the U12 division. Total club expenses for 2016/17 season was £3129.90 and the club income was £3383.70. Membership subscription and training / match fees will be decided when we have been notified of hall hire costs for next season. Please pay subscriptions and monthly fees promptly to help with club finances. Phil clarified that students 18 years and over in full time education are still eligible to pay the junior rate. Summer 2017 plans: Our South West Ladies Team are playing in the Exeter Challenge on 23rd April 2017 and at the South West Championships in Plymouth on the weekend of 6th & 7th May 2017. Wiltshire Men’s end of season tournament date is to be confirmed.[Now fixed for 20 May] We discussed volleyball in the park at Lydiard and it was agreed that we change the day to play volleyball on Monday evenings with Andrew as organiser (he will confirm weather conditions each week and look after the club net). Outdoors starts on Monday 8th May. It was mentioned that car parking charges now apply at £2.00 for over 2 hours parking. Watch the club website for further information www.woottonbassettvbc.co.uk We have entered two mixed teams in Whitefield Volleyball Tournament at Bristol (grass) on 22nd & 23rd July 2017. Season 2017/18 plans: On current player numbers we are likely to enter the 3 league teams again. Men in the Wiltshire Volleyball league, Women SW league, Wiltshire Ladies & Junior league held at Lavington. Members asked whether there would be enough players for a second team to play in the Wiltshire Volleyball league (for example if some of the women players would like to play), which would mean there would be more court time for players who are not in the first 6 of the A team, which would subsequently improve their volleyball play. We agreed to ask members and review further. It was mentioned about some of this season’s new juniors (age 14-15) playing in our women’s teams next season, depending on junior numbers available. Ladies teams to be discussed in May and ladies to be asked who was intending on joining next year. Whether still interested in having a SW team and interests in a mixed team. Mentioned that the Lime Kiln was having a new flooring laid in the main hall in May, which will not affect our training sessions, as the last training is on Sunday 30th April 2017. James suggested and members agreed to pay non-club members for their fuel costs to travel to our club to referee for us, as a bit of an incentive, as it has been difficult to get referees this season. James mentioned about ordering volleyball hoodies in black with club name and inner hood in a royal blue. The costs involved are £20 plus £5 for name/writing on reverse of hoodie. It was agreed that he go ahead and order a couple of hoodies to try on for size, as members were very interested in ordering them. Conrad mentioned about sponsorships and will look into a potential sponsorship for our club. Phil (head coach) expressed that he did not want to continue to coach all the teams next season due to family and work commitments as he would like to be more flexible. It was discussed to look into the possibility of approaching coaches from Bristol, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to assist Phil. Wiesia was going to enquire among her contacts for coaches situated near Swindon that could assist and was agreed that we would pay travel money as an incentive. We were advised that one Sunday a month during the Winter season, John Postance from Salisbury, may be available to coach at our club sessions. Phil (head coach) got given a vote of thanks for all the hard work, support and commitment he has given to our club. It was agreed that Richard is to continue maintaining the club website at a fee of up to £50 (currently under review) as most of our enquiries are made through the website. Members expressed that they would like more social events during the year. Daniel offered to organise Christmas and other social events. Wiesia suggested one Monday training during the Summer season to change into a BBQ social, which is £25 for a BBQ pitch at Lydiard. Members were keen to improve communications within the club. The facebook page to be updated by Charlotte and Maisie and they are to liaise with Richard to update the website. Was mentioned to think about other social media networks like Twitter and to create a messenger group to communicate. Admin still in names of Zuzana and Kasper, which will need to be amended accordingly. Election of committee officers: Chair – Dave was re-elected unopposed. Treasurer – Donna was re-elected unopposed. Secretary – Position still vacant as no elections. Maisie kindly agreed to take the minutes of this meeting and will consider taking on the Secretary position, with support from the club. Welfare – Julie was re-elected unopposed. Head Coach – Phil was re-elected unopposed. Sessions to be organised and coaches to assist. Team co-ordinators: Men – James was re-elected unopposed. SWL – Zuzana, Helen (to be confirmed) WJL – (to yet be discussed and confirmed, possibly Kernnya?) Other roles (not on the committee): Web Admin – Richard continues (fee) Committee takes turns attending WVA meetings. Social – Daniel Club awards 2016/17: Best or improved player: Men – 6 players nominated, Sergejs received the most votes. SWL Women – 5 players nominated, Maisie received the most votes. WJL (adult) – 5 players nominated, Charlotte awarded WJL (junior) – 3 players nominated, Hayden awarded Kevin Hobbis Award – 6 members nominated, Award went to Donna in recognition of her contribution as Treasurer for the club and her enthusiastic support for the SWL team (including supply of jellybabies!). Club AGM closed at 20:25

2017 Chair's Report

RichardHowells — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 18:01:00 GMT

As another indoor season is drawing to a close, we can look back on a lot of positives across most fronts within the club. I won't go into too much detail about the teams, our head coach has more than covered this, but that there have been genuine signs of improvement from last year. We have an increase of members especially within the men's team and this has had a very positive effect on team spirit. The club is in a sound financial position and I would especially like to thank Donna for all the work she does as treasurer despite her illness this winter. Whilst I am thanking people, I would also like to thank all of our team organisers, who have made sure we have a team for every game. They are Wiesia (WLJ), Zuzana and Helen (SWL) and James (Men). Zuzana has also covered for us a few times in the absence of a club secretary! One other thank you I would like to mention is to Julie for all the work with the juniors. My final thank you is a big one and that is to Phil, he has essentially coached every team which is far more than we should be asking of him but we are very grateful. As most of you know, Phil would like to take a small step back next season which is completely understandable so we need to find a way to cover this. Thanks again to all and good luck for the rest of the season. Hopefully will see you all in the summer at Lydiard. David Maidment March 2017