WINDSOR LAWN TENNIS CLUB

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

23rd February 2023

Pre AGM-Administration

The following documents were sent to the members on 10^th February, 2 weeks prior to the AGM:

• 2022 AGM Minutes
• Company Accounts
• Highlights of the 2022 club performance, plans for 2023
• Proposal to increase membership fees, proxy voting form

Members were notified that the AGM would be a Q & A session enabling all members to ask questions either on the night or by submission prior to the meeting. Questions would be answered on the night.

Minutes of AGM

Welcome

The AGM was hosted by Mark Player, the Club Chairman, with the Committee in attendance. Mark reminded members that the Committee was made up of members who volunteered their time for the management of club affairs.

Agenda for AGM 2023

1. Approval of Minutes
2. Financials
3. Proposal to Increase Member Fees
4. Questions and Answers
5. Election of New Committee

1. Approval of AGM 2022 Minutes

• The minutes were approved by the members and committee.

2. Finance (David Stephens)

Year end 2022 Profit and Loss Account

The surplus before depreciation was £131k compared to £104k in the previous year. Subscriptions were well ahead of last year and budget with a significant increase in membership over 2022. Other revenues were close to budget although well up on last year which suffered from 4 months of closures due to Covid.

Costs were £24k up on budget, mainly due to a provision for VAT on utilities (£24k). We changed to the lower VAT rate 6 years ago but a recent HMRC audit with a supplier has resulted in an additional charge. As a consequence, we have made a provision in case other suppliers are instructed to reverse this position. Costs are well above last year’s due to the closures and the £29k furlough payment from government.

Cash flow and Balance sheet

Capital expenditure for 21/22 was very high at £157k, comprising mainly the two refurbished changing rooms (£83k) and court 11 (£60k). However, the large surplus plus a favourable working capital adjustment resulted in a £28k inflow for the year and cash balances at October 2022 of £313k. At year end, a balance of £32k was owed to Trevor May (court 11) but this has been paid since.

Member Questions

Why is the cost of cleaning so high?

The cost covers 3hrs per day, 5 days per week. The club has reviewed other quotes, but this remains the best value. Mark Player invited members to put forward nominations if they felt a better price could be reached.

Are we able to claim VAT?

As a member’s club we are not eligible, in general, to claim VAT.

Will Credit Card fees increase?

All our payments are taken by credit card, fees will then increase proportionate to our revenue.

Why are all the floodlights switched on when only one court is in use?

This is an issue as the lights are not motion sensitive as per indoor courts. The club is currently looking at ways to link MyCourt bookings with the light switches.

3. Proposal to increase Member Fees

The committee proposed an increase to membership fees of c.15% in March 2023.

The increase proposed is reflective of current levels of inflation, particularly utility costs. The increase will enable the 2023/24 budget to show a small surplus (assuming no loss of members), this year will not reflect the full effect of the utility cost inflation.

The committee has considered whether its fees are competitive compared to similar clubs in the area and have concluded that, after a period of 10 years with no fee increases at all, WLTC will still represent the best value for tennis of any comparable club within the surrounding area.

If the fee increase is not implemented, cost reductions will have to be put in place which will impact the quality of both the tennis and social facilities at the club.

The committee urged members to vote to implement the increase.

Member Questions

How has the club reached the conclusion that the proposed higher fees are ‘competitive’ compared to similar clubs in the area’?

It was discussed and agreed by the members that the facilities offered by WLTC are better collectively than those offered by surrounding clubs; i.e. 3 indoor courts, 8 outdoor courts, floodlights, fully staffed club house, excellent coaching team, car parking, club night to name a few.

What are the forecast profits for WLTC if we vote to increase fees?

If we take action and increase the fees a surplus £13K is forecast for the year. This is without contributing to the sinking fund. It was voiced and agreed by members that we need to build a sinking fund to be able to continue to maintain the current high standards.

Do the fees need to be raised in one go or can they be phased over a couple of years?

David Stephens has reviewed the figures and whilst it would be our preference with the current inflation and increased utility costs we need to act now.

Should the fees be raised in every category? Will the increase be a barrier for the 19-26 age group?

It was felt fairest to make the increase across the board.

Member Vote to Increase Annual Fees by 15%:

42 votes on the night (by show of hands)

26 votes submitted by proxy.

68 votes total

With a 53: 15 split, the members voted to increase the fees.

4. General Q&A Session

Member Questions from 2022 AGM

Can we install tennis court bubbles for winter?

This was deemed a great suggestion which was explored by the Committee; however, it was deemed unfeasible given a cost of £95K per bubble + annual assemble. It was noted that planning permission would also be required.

Can we re-introduce Volunteer Days at the club, these were seen as a great opportunity for members to help around the club?

Yes, as and when we have projects that need the support of members, we would welcome assistance.

Member Questions from the 2023 AGM

MyCourt:

Why has the club selected a court booking provider that does not support any mobile phone applications or multiple routes to access the booking? Comment – the current system seems to be a downgrade, less user friendly, and less accessible.

The committee reviewed other options – MATCHI, GLOFOX, SKEDDA – but as MYCOURTS is currently used by 128 clubs in the UK and can be customised to the specific needs of each club, we felt confident in switching to this proven and reliable system.

We did ask why there wasn’t an official app but felt reassured it can be used ‘like an app’, with a shortcut saved to your home page on smart phone or tablet.

From the club’s point of view and staff operation it offers far more flexibility which will allow the club to keep progressing and support future requirements. Our vision is to give members their own portal or ‘home’ with everything in one place….

What’s the member feedback and committee view of the new court booking system?

The new system was discussed at the AGM and it was agreed that whilst there were some frustrations the system has only been live for a few weeks and will take some getting used to. It was noted that there were a lot of benefits:

• It’s easy to book courts.
• Easy to deposit funds.
• Very helpful getting email reminders on the morning of your booking.
• Easy to transfer payments to the lead booker.
• Tracking your payments is far more manageable.

Tennis:

Can the number of courts allocated to Club Night in summer be increased to 8? There are currently 6 courts allocated leading to long wait times in-between games. A number of members felt that additional courts (or all courts) should be assigned to Club Night.

It was recognised the Matt is running Club Night exceptionally well and numbers of attendance have increased.

Andy Mustill, with Matt, reviewed the attendance and it was calculated that 6 courts was the right number to provide the average number of attendees with a good level of play. It was recognised that on occasion the attendance exceeded the average and wait times to play increased. Equally on occasions there were lower than average numbers in attendance.

On the evening, on balance it was agreed that needs for Club Night must be balanced against other member requirements e.g. social play and coaching.

Andy is reviewing the number of courts made available to the Sunday morning club social which currently stands at 2 and could be increased to 3.

As a result of it becoming increasingly difficult to book a court during the daytime, especially with only one court available indoors Mon – Friday, should daytime memberships be capped?

It was discussed and agreed by the members that daytime memberships should be capped with immediate effect.

Up to 2 courts are used at times by Andy Mustill (AM) for day-time sessions. AM will endeavour to release courts when known in advance that only one court will be required.

Are ladder matches still being organised? Will we need to continue to use Scala for these events?

We are currently in the process of launching competitions in MyCourts, once we have completed this exercise we will be migrating from Scala and running box leagues through our new platform.

What’s the member feedback and committee view of the new club tournament entry process?

The members present had mixed feelings about the system, there had been multiple errors to enter the right tournament category. Andy explained that benefits of using the system:

• Removes the manual process.
• Results count towards LTA rankings.

Andy also highlighted that the £2 charge was given to charity.

Can the Plate competition be reintroduced to the Club Champs?

The Plate was removed as with so many event categories there was not enough time to include the Plate competition. It was suggested that the plate finals be held on an alternate date. The committee agreed to review this option.

Should players who play for Windsor 1st team in the National Premier League be made ineligible to take part in the Club Closed Veterans tournaments?

Most members present agreed that the competitions should be open equally to all WLTC members.

Why is the best court in the club – ‘court 10’- used frequently by coaches?

Andy felt that this court was good for coaching as it was isolated from other courts which keeps random balls off other courts. Andy also stressed that some members requested this court for coaching. The matter was not fully resolved and would be reviewed at the committee meeting.

It is difficult to book courts at lunchtimes and evenings. Is the level of courts used for coaching, team training and group sessions too high?

Across the board WLTC aims to balance activity so members can enjoy tennis in many formats including group sessions, club nights, coaching, matches, junior sessions or simply social play. The mix is always being reviewed; at present it is a good balance.

Why are the group sessions so expensive at £12?

The fees include the cost for the coach, the court, tennis balls and a fee from Active Tennis to WLTC to run the event.

Is it possible to introduce a last-minute walk on court fee if the indoor courts are not being used?

It was agreed that it is better to fill a court rather than have it sit empty when members want to play. It was agreed this should be discussed at a Committee Meeting

• On the day, 30-minute time slots would be opened to book on MyCourts.
• All other bookings would still require full payment.

Can the indoor courts be reopened on Sunday evening?

It was recognised that the 1^st team used the indoor courts on Sunday night for team training; with early closure this has been forced to stop. After discussion it was apparent that other members would also use the courts on Sunday evening if open. There was a suggestion to introduce block bookings. With cost implications, the matter would be discussed at the committee meeting.

The club has an excellent junior program but what is the support players once they hit 19?

The role of the WLTC coaching team is to get juniors to county level at which point they move to Bisham Abbey. WLTC cannot compete with their facilities to retain this talent.

However, it was agreed that we need to get better at introducing young talent into the club teams at the right level. To be discussed at committee meeting & Tennis Forum.

Club Facilities 

Would it be possible place blocks at the base of each steel girder in the corners on the indoor tennis courts?

This was deemed a great idea to stop the balls rolling under the girders. It was agreed that this initiative would be implemented.

Is it feasible to install glass panels instead of the green railings around the upper terrace area?

This initiative was previously explored, and whilst a great idea the cost would exceed £35K. One member also noted there would be an additional cost to keep the glass clean. The members agreed this idea should be dropped.

Can we have some water fountains near the outside courts?

Since Covid hit there has been a move away from fountains, and with the associated cost to install an outside water fountain it was agreed this was not a good investment – it is only a short walk to the water station indoor.

Can we have a pop-up bar downstairs for the summer season?

Based on the additional costs to install and operate a bar downstairs, the members dismissed the option.

Can the wall along the back of courts 4-6 be painted so you can see the ball?

To be reviewed at the Committee Meeting.

Other

Can we have an increased charge for non-club members at the bar and for event hire?

The till system is not intelligent enough to manage dual pricing for members v non-members. The club currently charges non-members a rate approx. 25% higher for venue hire.

5. Committee Elections

No new nominations were received. The Committee were re-elected for 2023.

Director and Chairman – Mark Player

Director – David Stephens

Club Secretary – Sandra Parkinson           

Club Treasurer – David Stephens

Committee Member – Bikram Chopra

Committee Member – Ajey Kaushal

Committee Member – Ian Fletcher

Committee Member- Stephanie Fernandez

Committee Member – Andy Mustill (Head Coach)

Committee Member – Jack Allan (Club Manager)

• Club Social

Ian Fletcher invited members to join the next social events including

• Music Quiz night
• Christmas Party