WLTC AGM

Thursday 22^nd Feb 2024

Pre AGM-Administration

The following documents were sent to the members on 8^th February, 2 weeks prior to the AGM:

• 2023 AGM Minutes
• Company Accounts
• WLTC 2023 club review and development plans for 2024

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.

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 2024

1. Approval of 2023 Minutes
2. Financial review
3. Club development
4. Club Awards
5. Questions and Answers
6. Election of New Committee

1. Approval of AGM 2023 Minutes

The minutes were approved by the members and committee.

2. Club Finances, David Stephens

£125K Surplus before depreciation compared to £131k in 2022, significantly higher than the budgeted £104k.

£52k of additional income came largely from:

• Member subs £26k, due to a part year effect on subs increase and an increase in membership.
• Court fees £10k; improved utilisation of courts
• Bar margin £8k; an increase in volume and benefit of a small price increase.

Costs were £58k higher:

• Projects £28k: Resurfacing of poraflex court £18k, rear car park asbestos clearance and installation of fencing £10k.
• Salaries £18k:  10%+ annual increase in Nov 22, plus impact of higher events costs.
• Electric £(5k): One–off £24k VAT rate accrual in 2022. Charge increases plus VAT effect +£19k in 2023.
• Other £17k: bar refurbishment £3k, broadband improvement £2k, old water bill £3k plus inflation

Depreciation is £20k higher than previous year as large projects in 2022 suffered only part year charge. Net surplus £35k compared to £61k in 2022.

The club generated a further £47k of cash in the year, leaving balances at £198k plus the £164k sinking fund.

Capex was only £36k in the year, well below the depreciation charge (bar furniture, air conditioning and blinds £18k, office (part payment) £10k.

Creditors fell by £36k due to a large amount owing on court 11 work at the end of 2022.

The budget shows income of £458k, similar to 2023 but costs up by £32k. Of this, £25k is the full year effect of increased electricity charges and £10k is salaries (7.5% increase Nov 23).

This result would leave a surplus before depreciation of £89k and a deficit after depreciation of £7k. Cash would be expected to remain at a similar level to 2023 unless any major capital projects are approved during the next 8 months.

3. Club Development

2023 Club Development

There were several upgrades to the club in 2023, including:

• Re-painting of the Poraflex courts, with new heavy grip paint. The members present agreed this was an improvement and made the court more playable, especially in winter/ wet weather.
• Installation of a secure ‘out of hours’ entrance for the indoor courts, the level of bookings in these time periods suggests the initiative has been well received.
• Refreshed club house, including decoration and new furniture.
• Relocation of the Club Manager and Tennis Coach office.

Future Development Plans

Reclaimed land

After clearing shrubbery There has been a sizeable piece of land reclaimed at the back of courts 4 & 7. The members felt it would be good use of the land to install ‘mini-courts’ for juniors. The committee to investigate options.

Tennis Wall.

A Tennis Wall was previously considered (2021) and rejected given the only location to install  the wall was on one of the tennis courts thus reducing court availability for members. The club, as an alternative invested in a tennis ball machine. The Committee have been asked to re-consider and explore the option to build on the reclaimed land.

Path at the back of courts 4/7/8/9

There was a request to build a path around the back of the outdoor courts, this would allow players to access courts 4 & 7 without interrupting play on the outer/ middle courts.

A quote of £45K has previously been provided which included paving around the indoor courts which was cost prohibitive.

It was agreed that the committee would investigate installing a shorter path at the back of courts 7-9.

Bubbles on tennis courts

There was a request for a bubble to be installed over outside courts. We have, in the last 12 months received quotes of £100K/ £200Kfor a single/ double layer bubble, financially not viable.

The club has recently been exploring the option to build a tennis canopy over either courts 4/5/6 or court 11, we are waiting for quotes. It is understood that planning permission will be required, which we are more likely to get for court 11. It was agreed, at the members request that research into the canopy should be a priority for the committee.

Terrace Canopy.

We are currently exploring the option to install a canopy over the terrace to provide protection from the sun and rain. It was agreed that this would be a good addition to the club.

Bike Safe Area

The committee was asked to consider a safe bike area as there have been some thefts. The members thought this was a good idea.  The committee will look at options.

4. Club Awards

Best team players, and most improved players of the year were recognised.

Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Kathy Pirrie and Ian Fletcher for their excellent work creating and managing the social events.

5. General Q&A Session

Member Questions were submitted prior to the AGM, further questions were asked on the night.

Qu: What is the £39k spend in the accounts on consultancy?

• The cost isn’t technically consultancy, the cost is the salary for Jack Allan and Zoe. The label ‘consultancy’ is a hang-over from the previous club manager who was employed as a consultant.  This will be changed for future accounts.

Qu: How much is the Pulse Charging Station used, and how much income does it generate? – Are there any plans to add other chargers, and how could this be done?

• The electric charge points were originally installed for free. The club can only claim for the revenue of the electricity used (approx. £12K pa) but then must pay for the electricity used (approx. £12K) – there is no net gain. The committee has explored installation of additional electric charging points for members but due to complexity and challenges we have dismissed this idea.

Qu: Can we fit centre tapes to the outdoor court nets? 

• No, the net tapes we use are plastic and subject to splitting in the winter as the plastic doesn’t react well with cold temperatures.

Qu: How do we ensure that indoor courts are kept clean & clay courts are kept in the best condition?

• The indoor courts are cleaned every 2 weeks on a Friday morning, it is understandable that towards the end of 2 weeks the courts will not be as pristine. On the evening there was no request to increase the frequency of cleaning. We will review if we get a material number of complaints, all feedback should be sent direct to Jack Allan.
• There is no set schedule for topping up the sand, levels are adjusted as and when required. We have been advised that clay should not be topped up over winter we therefore waited until late February this year.

Qu: Will the committee consider getting lockers for the changing rooms?

• The committee considered the addition of lockers when refurbishing the changing rooms. It was felt that on balance the issues associated with lockers (lost keys/ people leaving belongings overnight) outweighed the benefits. Attending members did not see the need for lockers.

Qu: How many balls have been recycled in 2023 and how does it compare to previous years? How much funds have been generated for juniors and how have they been used?

In 2023 we had a return of £500 for approx. 4000 recycled balls. We don’t specifically designate money from Recycaball to the junior funds – but we do invest several thousand every year to fund junior events, parties, tournaments, team organisation etc.

Qu: How do junior members and junior members playing competitively compare vs previous years? – Are there any plans to attract juniors via collaboration with local schools?:

• We are tracking well verses previous years, with players also spending more time on competitions. We used to work with multiple schools prior to lock down to attract new players, however, since then we only worked with one school. The plan is to go back into more schools this year.

Qu: Can My Courts 30 mins bookings be adjusted from on the day to a week before assuming that there are 90 mins bookings either side?

• We will arrange for MyCourts to be set-up so members can book the 30min slots within a 48hr cancellation which aligns to the indoor booking cancelation policy. If we allow cancellations from 7 days in advance we could have further scattered 30 min bookings if/when members start cancelling etc.
• It was highlighted that the bar staff do call people who book courts either side of a 30min window to encourage them to change their booking times. It was also highlighted that the bar staff are actively monitoring court usage and court no shows. We proactively manage repeat offenders.  

Qu: Would the club consider introducing another coach led club session – either weekday evening (say Thursday) or weekend (say Saturday)?

• The Sunday Club session was supported by a coach (Matt) for a trial period of 8 – 10 weeks but it wasn’t well attended so it was chosen not to pursue further. Anabelle Brogan requested that 3 courts be dedicated for 90 mins on Sunday club morning. Annabelle sited the availability of only 2 courts had led to the lower attendance. Mark Player recommended we trial the allocation of 3 courts and review usage.
• It was recognised that Winter Club-night was oversubscribed, it was suggested that an additional outdoor court should be reserved for the evening.
• The option to hold a second club night was rejected by the members present as another club evening would further reduce court availability.

Qu: Is it possible to have a collaboration with Home Park Tennis?

• WLTC would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with HPLTC and have held talks regarding this in the last 18 months.  Sadly, however, HPLTC do not appear to be ready to enter into an agreement at this time.”

Qu: Are there new plans for a Padel court?

• Currently the answer is no. We would need to remove courts 10 and 11 to build Paddle, and with memberships at capacity, and court availability limited at peak time we feel this would compromise tennis facilities and membership.

Qu: Why are the committee considering the long-term possibility of a two-storey extension for a gym/ fitness studio/retail space / meeting room?

• This was very briefly considered, and it was decided not to progress.

Qu: Does the club consider to add more solar panels and batteries for storage?

• We have a large number of solar panels which were installed at a significant cost with the payback taking approx. 6 years – at this moment on time it is not cost effective. As electricity costs continue to rise, and cost of solar panels decreases we will continue to monitor.

6. Committee Elections

No new nominations were received. The Committee were re-elected for 2024.

Director – Mark Player

Director & Club Treasurer – David Stephens

Club Secretary – Sandra Parkinson      

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)