Water Polo Committee Meeting 26^th September 2018 Minutes

Water Polo Committee Meeting 26th September 2018 Minutes

1.      Attendance

1.1.      Attending were the chair, secretary, treasurer, men’s and women’s captains, strength and conditioning coach (S&C coach), welfare and inclusivity officer (W&I officer), social secretary (social sec), and kit and tour secretary (K&T sec).

2.      Date & Time

2.1.      The meeting was held on September 26^th 2018, commencing at 16:30.

3.      Minutes from previous meeting

3.1.      No minutes from the previous year’s committee meeting were brought forward to this meeting.

4.      Agenda

As this was the first meeting of the new committee the chair brought the following agenda items:

4.1.      Taster sessions

4.1.1.  Swim test assessor training

4.2.      Training

4.2.1.  Splitting Saturday sessions

4.3.      Coaches

4.3.1.  How to utilise the two coaches

4.4.      Kit

4.4.1.  Committee hoodies

4.4.2.  Trunks and costumes

4.5.      Tour

4.5.1.  Easter vs Summer

4.6.      Welfare and Inclusivity

4.6.1.  Intramural league

4.6.2. Inclusivity awards

4.7.      BUCS

4.7.1.  1^st Teams

4.7.2.  Men’s 2^nd Captain

4.8.    Budget

4.8.1.  Additional funding

4.8.2. Finances from last year

4.9.      Strength and Conditioning plans

4.10.  Committee Calendar

4.11.  Upcoming socials

 

5.      Discussions

5.1.      The chair expressed a wish for all committee members, aside from the team captains, to attend swim test assessor training. As such the secretary, W&I officer and K&T sec agreed to attend the training session to be held on September 28^th, with the chair and social sec agreeing to attend the training session on October 2^nd.

5.2.      A discussion of agenda item 2 was held by the committee. The fact that once matches were underway it would be unusual for the full Saturday session to be free for training was raised. As such, the decision to wait until later into the term was made.

5.3.      The women’s captain, and the other female members of the committee, stated that they felt Spud has developed a good relationship with the women’s team. It was suggested by the chair and men’s captain that Gulio be utilised to improve player skill level but that Spud continue to coach game tactics. The committee decided, that where possible and without conflict, both the women’s and men’s teams would have Spud coach during games.

5.4.      The K&T sec summarised the work they had completed, and their intended progress in the coming weeks.

5.4.1. The committee agreed to proceed with acquiring committee hoodies, following the process and designs used last academic year.

5.4.2. The K&T sec highlighted the unlikeliness, from previous years’ experience, for trunks and costumes to arrive in time for the SU sports photo day. As such the committee decided to allow the K&T sec to spend more time designing new kit. The new designs would be finalised by a committee vote (date not set). Also, the desire to have personalised kit was expressed by multiple committee members.

5.4.3. The K&T sec expressed their unwillingness to order bath robes this year but intends to place an order for onesies later in the year.

5.5.      The K&T sec outlined their plans for this year’s tour. They felt that the best time in the year would be the first week of the Easter break (20^th April – 27^th April). This decision was supported by the committee. The K&T sec had evaluated the choices presented by two companies previously used by the club, SportsVest and ilovetour. They chose the package offered by ilovetour to Rimini, Italy. Again, this decision was supported by the committee.

5.6.      The responsibilities of this role remained unclear to the committee and W&I officer. As such the W&I officer committed to attend suitable training. The chair delegated the responsibility of running the club’s intramural competition to the W&I officer, which they accepted. The chair also asked the W&I officer to look into the SU’s inclusivity award.

5.7.       

5.7.1. The immediate fixtures were discussed by the committee. It was noted that the men’s final Bristol & West match was to be played Friday 28^th September. Further, the chair and men’s captain raised their concern over the lack of training time before the men’s 2^nd first match on October 10^th. A request for postponement was discussed and an action on the men’s captain created. During these discussions the chair asked the secretary to create a digital calendar that could be shared within the committee.

5.7.2. Two candidates had nominated themselves to the men’s captain before the committee meeting. The committee acknowledged that the final decision lay with the men’s captain but suggested that the captain talk to the candidates individually and then report back to the committee. The appointment of a men’s 2^nd captain is to be made at the next committee meeting.

5.7.3. After these discussions, the chair raised the point that Upolo would not be running this year. Therefore, they asked the team captains to contact other university water polo clubs to arrange friendlies to compensate for this loss.

5.8.      Before the treasurer addressed the club budget the chair reminded the committee that sports fees had changed this year; club membership was raised from £30 to £35, and BUCS fees increased to £65 per person. They also confirmed that this year’s membership target is 85 members.

5.8.1. The committee discussed equipment to purchase this year. From this discussion, the following acquisitions were noted as desirable: match day balls (men and women sizes), a score board charger, new table equipment (flags, whistles), and goal ropes.

5.8.2. The treasurer reported that, after difficulties at the end of the last academic year, the club was fully cleared. Following this, the chair asked the treasurer to follow up on a Swim England (previously known as the Amateur Swimming Association) invoice. After their summary of the club finances the treasurer invited the committee to discuss item 8.1, minuted above in paragraph 5.8.1.

5.8.3. After these discussions the secretary reminded the treasurer that they had paid for Sports Day flyers from their personal account. The treasurer agreed to reimburse them through the use of the SU’s Yellow Form.

5.9.      The S&C coach presented their plans for the format of the year’s land training and swim sessions. They outlined their intention to develop swimming plans of different intensities, and to distribute these plans digitally so that members could follow them in their own time if they were unable to attend a coached session. Further, the S&C coach stated his intention to publish land training plans ahead time and to use feedback to improve these sessions through the semester, aiming to increase attendance.

5.10.  Item 10 was addressed earlier in the meeting, see paragraph 5.7.1.

5.11.  The social sec outlined their plans for the immediate upcoming socials and the major social events of the year;

5.11.1.    A returner’s social is to be held on October 3^rd.

5.11.2.    The welcome social “Blank Canvas” is to be held on October 10^th at The Canon. The committee discussed safeguarding measures to ensure compliance with SU Social Events Policy, focussing on mitigating “Unacceptable Behaviour”, as defined in the above policy, towards Freshers. As a result the committee agreed to establish ground rules during the returner’s social. Returning club members will also be reminded of these rules on the night of the welcome social.

5.11.3.    The social sec made the committee aware of the proposed dates for the Snow Ball: December 5^th and 6^th. Subsequently, the club’s Christmas meal will be held on one of these days.

5.11.4.    The social sec informed the committee that the end of season meal will take place on May 4^th.

5.11.5.    Lastly, the social sec stated their intention to hold the traditional Foxes and Hounds social on November 14^th. The committee saw no reason to oppose this and approved this date.

6.      Actions

6.1.      The following actions were created during this committee meeting;

6.1.1. The chair, secretary, W&I officer, K&T sec and social sec are to attend swim test assessor training.

6.1.2. The secretary is to create a shared calendar and invite all members of the committee.

6.1.3. Where members of the committee have not yet completed role specific training they are to do so. This applies to the W&I officer and secretary.

6.1.4. The chair requested the W&I officer run the intramural league for this academic year and look further into entering the club for the inclusivity award.

6.1.5. The men’s captain is to ask to postpone the first men’s 2^nd game. Further, the men’s captain is to speak to the candidates for the 2^nd team captain role. They are then to report back to committee on their decision / preference. If required, a vote will be held by the committee.

6.1.6. The team captains are to contact other university water polo clubs, potentially through the Upolo organisers, to organise friendly matches.

6.1.7. The treasurer is to follow-up the Swim England invoice and repay the secretary’s printing costs.

7.      Any Other Business

7.1.      The chair reminded the committee of the Sports Fair on the afternoon of Tuesday October 2^nd and asked the committee members to attend if they are available.

7.2.      The chair also asked the committee to consider signing up to drive SU vehicles, they also asked captains to pass this message on to senior members of their squads.

7.3.      During the discussions of the agenda items the chair made the committee aware of tools, support and training provided by the SU Bath Sport module on Moodle.

7.4.      A brief discussion was held concerning classroom sessions to teach water polo rules to newcomers and tactics to those with previous experience. However, it was decided by the committee that it was too early in the semester to set anything definitive.

7.5.      The K&T sec recommended the sexual harassment talk given on the Sports Committees Training Day, held on June 4^th. They raised the possibility of inviting an SU officer to speak to club. The committee welcomed this advice and agreed to consider when this could take place.

7.6.      The secretary recommended establishing the date of the next meeting. It was decided that it should be held on either Monday 8^th or Tuesday 9^th of October, after the taster sessions but before the welcome social.

8.      Meeting Closed

8.1.      The meeting was closed by the chair at 17:40