Taunton Youth FC Community Trust
Taunton Youth FC Community Trust
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2019
The AGM was held on Friday 11 October 2019. A copy of the Chairman's speech is on the web site under the 'Charity' tab but for those who did not attend a break down is as follows:
CHAIRMAN'S SPEECH
On behalf of the trustees of Taunton Youth FC Community Trust, welcome to our Annual General Meeting.
You will, I’m sure, be pleased to learn that I am not required under law, or our constitution, to deliver a long and involved speech. Therefore, I will be brief.
I hope you have had the opportunity to read our Annual Report and reflect on our summary of the club’s development. Shortly, you will hear from Neil Cottey, who will give an overview of our finances.
In summary, however, I am able to advise that the trustees are pleased with the operational and financial results which have been delivered for you, our members.
It has been a challenging time for the management team in gaining charitable status and working towards a more secure financial footing, much of which was articulated in the letter circulated on my behalf on 24 April. I won’t repeat the content here, but for those of you who haven’t seen the document, it can be downloaded from the home page of our website.
We have seen two new people join us as trustees this year, Matt Crook and Tracy Gladstone-Smith; and a third person join us in a consultancy role, Scott Burnett. Their skills and personalities are a welcome addition to our group.
One of our founding trustees, Mark Warner, has decided against seeking re-election but we are grateful to him for his time and energy and for delivering sponsorship deals with several partners.
We will now move on with the official business, but before we do so I need to provide a reminder to all parents, players, coaches and supporters about conduct when representing our club – and the
use of social media. These are set out on our website and in the welcome pack and, for the avoidance of doubt, they still apply even in the face of provocation. We must never forget who we are representing.
ELECTION OF TRUSTEES
The following individuals have acted as Trustees in the last year and have been re-elected:
Steve Willis, Paul West, Simon Squire, Neil Cottey, Emily Davis, Tracy Gladstone-Smith and Matt Crook
There is space for further parent representation, therefore if you would like more information on becoming a trustee, please drop a line to:
youth@tauntontown.com
CLUB ACCOUNTS
The accounts can be previewed via the Youth web site:
https://youth.tauntontown.com
By following the Charity - Accounts link, or directly here
CLUB WELFARE
A reminder also, Taunton Youth Football Club takes child welfare very seriously and we have two people who are both approachable and easily contactable.
Neil White
Alison Prettejohn
Please use welfare@tauntontown.com or call Neil on 07977 915965
if there are any issues you feel needs raising you can request either Neil or Alison to deal with your concern.
CODES OF CONDUCT
As mentioned in the Chairman's speech, to reiterate, the club code of conduct:
Players
Parents
Coaches
REFEREES
We endeavour to keep to the same group of referees for the programme. However, we will be using younger referees to officiate the younger age groups to give them experience and help build a pool for the future. You may notice some referees wearing purple shirts. They are newly qualified and, as such, might not make decisions you necessarily agree with. Regardless of who is officiating the game, parents/supporters should not vocalise disapproval of decision making and always support the referees with their efforts.
RECENT WEATHER
We have recently had a run of poor weather with the postponement of matches. Bridgwater & Taunton College have made (at a cost to the programme) the facility at Bath Road, Bridgwater available. Our main pitches will still be at Heron Drive. However, having access to 3G means we can keep up to date with some of the fixtures. Please respond to Teamer notifications promptly. If we are using 3G and it appears there are not enough players for an age group, priority will be given to teams with a full squad.
ATTENDANCE AT FIRST TEAM GAMES
The Youth Section has been given a 'privilege' in the allowance of free attendance at First Team matches. I must stress, only current members of the programme (match and training) are entitled to free entry. Former programme participants, friends and family are not included.
Abuse of the main club’s generosity could put us in danger of losing the privilege which will mean our coaches and all U15/U16 players will have to pay if they wish to attend First Team games. Also, U11 - U14 players will not be allowed to enter unaccompanied by an adult.
To allow for more transparency, free entry will only be given to players who are wearing club training tops with their initials on. When our players enter the ground, they are representing the Youth section and we expect behaviour to reflect as such.
Please convey this message to your son / daughter.
Good luck to England in the World Cup Rugby Final on Saturday, it just goes to show, with focus and hard work anything is possible.
