This could go on for a bit guys so sit down, get comfortable and pay attention!
Membership Form
Firstly, whether you are a new member of an old member could you please complete the form and return it to me a.s.a.p. so I can keep the ever growing contacts database up to date
Secondly you will note a list of fees at the bottom of the document. I will explain these all in more detail through the course of the email.
Subs and membership fees
There are two options for paying your match subs this year:
1) you pay £5.00 for every match played.
2) You set up a standing order of £10 a month for the year.
If you are not a fully paid up lifelong member (those of you who paid £50 to start up the club originally) then you will also need to pay a £25.00 annual membership fee as well as your subs. However to encourage sign up, the annual membership fee will not be required if you set up the standing order for the year.
Ideally you will all sign up to the standing order as this will not only stop one of us chasing you on match days for your fiver but will create a regular income for the club (we have no clubhouse to help us do this) and will therefore also allow us when needed to purchase ad-hoc resources to keep the club running.
Finally on this note – if you are a student, unemployed or simply struggling financially at the moment I know that this and some of the following messages will seem very expensive. We are an inclusive club and I wouldn’t want anyone feeling they can’t play for us or are unable to join in purely for financial reasons. If you do have an issue with some of the costs mentioned in this email please feel very welcome to talk to me in complete confidence and I will work out whatever needs to be worked out with discretion and respect
Tour
The tour to Ibiza in May next year has been booked. For more info on the tour itself click on the following link:
http://www.ibizasportstours.com/ciudad-deivissa–international-rugby-tournament
The cost of this is £270 per person. It is up to you how you pay but we will need a £30 deposit from anyone interested in going by the end of August as we have to confirm numbers to the organisers.
If you don’t want to pay the full fee up front or make ad-hoc payments as and when you can then you can set up a standing order for 9 months, starting in August, and ending in April for £30.00 per month.
To do this you just need all the same details as above for the subs payments except you need to change the last two fields as following:
Payment Reference: Tour – (and then your name)
Usual Payment Amount £30.00
You will also want to enter a final payment date for April so you only make the necessary 9 payments
Sponsorship and Kit
We have been fortunate enough this year to get two sponsors for the club –
Firstly one of our very own members James Metcalf, through his company Plumbingtrader.co.uk (Going live 25-8-10) has been generous enough to sponsor our Vets/Away kit.
Secondly Shah Malek, owner of our very wonderful local Indian restaurant Rivaaz has agreed to sponsor our league team shirts and also subsidise our new shorts (which aren’t white!)
To save on laundry costs and to make up the difference in cost the plan is that club shorts and socks will be sold to players rather than held on to by the club and given out on match days. To further subsidize this cost we are planning to sell last season’s shirts to anyone who’d like one (although preference will be given to club members first).
As a result the hope is that a socks and shorts combo will be available at the subsidised rate of £15 (maybe even £10). However this subsidy will only be available to lifelong members or those paying annual membership/standing order subs. To anyone else they will be sold at full cost (approx. £25)
I’m sure you’ll all join me in saying a huge thank-you to our two new sponsors.
Training
With our first game fast approaching it would be great if everyone with an intention of playing this season could start attending training on a Wednesday night at 6.30pm at Woodside Park. We’ve been a little light on numbers the last few weeks but Peter has been running some really good sessions (sandwiched by some touch rugby) and to keep him engaged and to give ourselves a good chance of starting the season with a bang please make every effort to get down there.
Don’t forget we are also still running touch rugby sessions on a Monday night – same time and place.
First game
Our first game of the season is on the 21st August against Old Yardleians III team from Solihull (Dom Monkhouse’s old club). This will predominantly be a vets fixture but as it will also be our curtain raiser to the season I will do my best to get everyone who wants to play on the pitch (just not all at once). The hope is that we will also generate a good crowd for the day and put on a barbecue and refreshments for everyone, including players. If anyone is able to help out on the day or can help provide resources eg. A marquee, an urn, a bouncy castle for the kids or anything else that might be useful please let me know.
Just so I have an idea on numbers could you please let me know if you’re available to play on the 21st (and that includes all you old boy vets that fancy a run out)
More on this over the next week or so but start spreading the word……….
I’m sure there’s more but I think that’s enough for you all to digest for now.
All the best and see you all next Wednesday!
Lee Thomas