Consultation on the club’s management structure

April 2012

Consultation on the club’s management structure
To all members and supporters of Newbury RFC.

I have been considering a new modern structure for Newbury RFC and have produced a vision of what I think will work much better for the club in the years to come. I have attached a structure which is largely my work with input of the management committee. I want to consult widely and welcome input from all of you who care about the future of our club. I break down below my thoughts about all of the new sections so that you may consider them. If we change the club’s management structure then this will require rule changes at the AGM and hence why I want to consult widely and get as much input as possible before we put a formal proposal to our membership.

The basic premise is that management needs to be divided into manageable pieces for the volunteers who step forward. It is also true that more gets done in smaller meetings. Currently we have management committee meeting that have a 17 point agenda. It is a rush most meetings to get through all the important matters that we have to and that means that sometime very important issues don’t get the time they deserve.

Further I feel that the club will be run better by smaller teams focused on their objectives and not a large team having input into all issues. These smaller teams will be put together by the relevant executive committee members. So the Chair will ask people to stand on the Executive Committee, as these are voted positions then of course it is possible that others may stand but the reality of this is that this is rare, it will however still be possible. Each Executive Committee member will then build their own team for their subcommittee.

I am proposing a new advisory board. This would consist of the trustees of the debenture scheme and other invited former committee members, there role would be two fold. Firstly they will act as a sounding board for the strategic plans of the Executive Committee. Another role will be to improve communication through the club allowing the advisory board to ask questions on behalf of members.

The first major change is to remove the President as one of the officers of the club and make the role a figure head and ambassador. The President will be non-executive and not required to attend Executive Committee meetings. The President can be a member of the advisory board.

This would mean that the officers of the club would be the elected members of the Executive Committee that is to say The Chair, The Treasurer, The Secretary, the Vice Chair and the Commercial Chair. The Co-opted members would be non-voting as they are not elected. The quorum required for a vote would need to be adjusted and I propose that it is at least 3 elected members of the Executive Committee therefore a majority of elected members.

Hopefully the sub committees speak for themselves, the structure is designed so that all volunteers need only attend a maximum of two meetings a month and that these meetings can be shorter. It is also possible that some meetings can run back to back if time allows. Some members of sub committees need only attend when the chair of that committee deems it necessary, such as the Finance committee not requiring the Mini Manager if there are no items for them to discuss.

These are my thoughts and I want to hear yours.

Please email me on chair@newburyrfc.co.uk, call me on 07768 488666 or grab me at the club once you have time to digest and consider how you want your club run.

Best Regards Julian Lewis Chairman NRFC