Chairman's Report - May 2011

Last year saw the introduction of the Privilege Card for Club Members. I'm pleased to say this has been a resounding success, with increased profits (from non-member food & drink purchases) meeting our most optimistic forecasts & recovering the cost of installation within one year. This additional income is much needed in the current financial climate, and will be used to further improve Club facilities.

HFC

There is little change on the position with Horsham Football Club (our landlords) from this time last year. Speculation continues about their efforts to secure a new site on the outskirts of Horsham. We continue to pay quarterly rent at the same rate as last year. Clearly we would welcome some certainty regarding our longer-term future, but until HFC have resolved their own issues I doubt we will see much change. We continue to meet with HFC to get updates.

In the meantime we continue with business-as-usual.

Membership

Over the past 12 months Club membership has dropped by about 150 members, down to around 2400. Whilst this is not a massive drop, it does hit our bottom line profit (which was down from 2009). There will be continued marketing of the Club in the local press (etc) to attract new members, and I would encourage all Members to tell friends and neighbours about all the great Club facilities.

Once again, I'm pleased to announce that there were very few membership disciplinary issues during 2010. One area of concern is the control of children on the premises, and we have received several complaints on this subject. Parents are reminded that children should not be left unsupervised, and certainly not allowed to run around the corridors, toilets or changing rooms. Thank you for your support in this matter.

Club Facilities

This year will see the introduction of replacement screens (room dividers) in the main pavilion. This is a large expenditure (in the region of £40k) but one that is needed for health and safety reasons. The current screens are very heavy and not easy to move. The new screens, which will utilise new floor-mounted runners, will be quicker, safer and easier to configure.

Also planned for 2011 is the refurbishment of the ladies toilets, showers and changing rooms. Please bear with us if there is any temporary closure required during this period of improvement.

Club Staff

You may have noticed that over the past 6 months or so a number of senior staff have left the Club. We are not quite back to full strength but will be shortly. Hopefully you did not notice too much of an impact on service, and I would like to take this opportunity to formally thank all staff for their tremendous efforts in keeping the Club running during this busy period.

Simon Charman
The Holbrook Club Chairman
5th May 2011