REPORT FOR SEASON 2010/11
Membership: We had 42 Full Members which comparatively was 17 higher than when we last ran three teams 3 years ago. This averages at 14 Full Members per team, which, given that we normally aim for 15, is quite satisfactory. Casual Membership increased to 6 compared to one less the previous season, whilst we signed 11 Honorary Members, compared to 7 for the previous season. Overall the Club had a total of 59 members, an increase of 22 compared to the 2009/10 season. When we last ran 3 teams we had 57 members so the increase a slight increase on that figure. For the second season running, there were no membership refunds. The average membership fees paid were: Full £52.14 (normal fee £55), Casual £22.50 (normal fee £30) and Honorary £35.00 (fees varied), giving an overall average of just under £46 per member.
Registrations: With 2 M(S)FL teams in operation, registrations were increased from 20 to an impressive 52. This total falls in line with the proposed cap of 30 players per team which I believe will be brought in at the M(S)FL AGM. The reason for the cap is primarily to spread players around the League, by stopping larger clubs like London Maccabi Lions from signing as many players as they can before the season starts; last August the Lions registered over 160 players for their 3 M(S)FL teams. The Masters team had 16 players registered, 3 down on the previous season and 6 down on the season before that. It is a worrying trend that the Old Boys squad appears to be reducing each season and is the reason why non-Temple Fortune players need to be drafted in as permitted guests all too frequently.
Pitches: With the Second Team being reformed, we managed to hire a second pitch at Hatch End Playing Fields, where our usage for both M(S)FL teams totaled 20 out of 30 available permits compared to the previous season’s 11 out of 19. The First Team played 8 matches there whilst the Second Team played 12. The adverse weather caused several postponements and we had to make use of several addition permits in April at no extra charge, including one at Whitchurch Playing Fields. On 3 occasions I managed to sell permits to other M(S)FL teams, bringing in £63 a time. Due to acquiring The Hive, we say farewell to Hatch End after 5 seasons of pitch hire. For the record, the First Team played 46 league and cup matches there, winning 25, drawing 11 and losing only 10. Winning 2 and a half times more matches than losing was a good return for a home venue at this level. The Old Boys continued to use Masters pitches, both on grass and 3G. The pleasing aspect was that all league fixtures were completed without the need to play into May despite the fixture backlog.
Discipline: Our disciplinary record was always going to be difficult to match the previous season due to running an extra team but in comparison to the last time when we ran 3 sides, it was not very good. We collected a total of 22 cautions, 10 of which came from the Second Team and 6 each for the other teams. This did not fare to well compared to 10 cautions between the 3 teams during season 2008/09. We had 3 sending offs, 2 for the Second Team and 1 by the Old Boys Team. Phil Bloomberg became our first dismissal for violent conduct for over 10 years. Although the Second Team played more competitive fixtures than the other 2 sides, their overall conduct of the Seconds needs to be improved.
League fines: The M(S)FL teams collected 2 fines of £5 each to match the amount incurred during the previous season. Both fines were for not showing the first aid kit by the First Team and Second Team alike. However, the Second Team fielded an ineligible player in their very first M(S)FL Division 4 fixture but quick action by the Club avoided any resulting fine, Adam Rynhold choosing to see it as an unintentional mistake and giving us the benefit of the doubt! This resulted in a Club fine of £20 being imposed on Gavin Levy for breaching Club offence number 13 (failing to comply with an administrative requirement), which the Second Team shared between them. So all in all, considering that the 3 teams fulfilled 65 competitive matches between them, a total of only £10 in fines can be viewed as relatively low. Well done to everyone for keeping fines to a minimum.
Subs collection: The First Team collected an average of £60.62 per match compared to £56.11 per match during the previous season, and £55.69 per match the season before that. The Old Boys Team collected an average of £66.21 per match compared to £62.42 per match which marginally bettered the previous season’s average of £62.36. Both First Team and Old Boys Teams improved with their collection of match subs so well done to Mike Shorvon and Peter Kyte in particular, for keeping the figures relatively high. The Second Team, in their first season back since 2004, collected an average of £58.87 per match which was still higher than the First Team’s average over the previous 2 seasons, so well done to Rob Jay as well.
Events: On 20 April, a commemorative PDF was issued to mark the Silver Anniversary of the Club winning the M(S)FL Second Division in 1985/86. The PDF was emailed to all members on the Club’s email directory. On 22 May, the First Team played a special end-of-season match at Vicarage Road arranged by Lee Fegan, which despite a narrow 1-0 defeat was a memorable experience for our players. We held the 2011 Awards Presentation Lunch on 5 June which was again successful and well attended. After 2 years at the Round Bush in Aldenham, we went to the picturesque Moor Mill in Bricket Wood. Sincere thanks go to Jack Morris who took over from me in running the Lunch and he did an excellent job.
Equipment: The First Team started the 2010/11 season with a brand new yellow and red kit sponsored by Daniel Stewart & Co, thanks to Paul Walker. It is a strikingly modern adaptation of our colours and featured a full colour badge on the front and large TFFC lettering on the rear. For the first time we gave players the opportunity of purchasing their own shirts, shorts and socks for a reasonable price and four individuals took advantage of this. The two excellent Ellis & Co kits (one red shirts and yellow shorts, the other yellow shirts and red shorts) were used by the Second Team and Old Boys Team respectively. I have been asking in the newsletter for a new sponsor for a new Second Team playing kit. I would like them to play in our Club colours of yellow and red, and if we do not get a new kit, the yellow Winckworth shirts which are in very good condition, can be used.
Training: After the deficit due to insufficient training income during the 2009/10 season, I decided that the Club must monitor training money both in and out through the accounts. This was done to good effect and my thanks must go to Lee Fegan and Andy Souber, helped by Mike Shorvon, for ensuring that we brought in sufficient funds. Lee introduced a 2-part installment plan which eventually proved to be successful, helped by income brought in from other teams sharing our training pitch. All in all, the financing of training during the 2010/11 season was extremely improved so well done to all concerned.
Finances: Once again, the Treasurer’s Excel spreadsheets were accurate in recording our income and expenditure throughout the season and saved a lot of time in compiling the accounts and income/expenditure sheet. As General Secretary I work closely with the financial side of the Club since I make many payments during the course of the season, particularly for pitch hire. I will not steel Peter’s thunder but I can report that with the additional team and higher costs, we more or less doubled both the previous season’s income and expenditure. With costs set to rise further next season, which means income needs to increase, I envisage the Club passing £10,000 in both income and expenditure.
In conclusion: At last year’s AGM I reported that we did well to break the worrying trend of losses over the previous two seasons. This season, despite the running of an additional team and the problems we faced with adverse weather and increased costs, I think that we have done very well. Overall, administration ran smoothly and, with the First Team excelling on the playing front, I am happy to report another good season for the Club.
NIGEL KYTE, June 2011
Membership: We had 42 Full Members which comparatively was 17 higher than when we last ran three teams 3 years ago. This averages at 14 Full Members per team, which, given that we normally aim for 15, is quite satisfactory. Casual Membership increased to 6 compared to one less the previous season, whilst we signed 11 Honorary Members, compared to 7 for the previous season. Overall the Club had a total of 59 members, an increase of 22 compared to the 2009/10 season. When we last ran 3 teams we had 57 members so the increase a slight increase on that figure. For the second season running, there were no membership refunds. The average membership fees paid were: Full £52.14 (normal fee £55), Casual £22.50 (normal fee £30) and Honorary £35.00 (fees varied), giving an overall average of just under £46 per member.
Registrations: With 2 M(S)FL teams in operation, registrations were increased from 20 to an impressive 52. This total falls in line with the proposed cap of 30 players per team which I believe will be brought in at the M(S)FL AGM. The reason for the cap is primarily to spread players around the League, by stopping larger clubs like London Maccabi Lions from signing as many players as they can before the season starts; last August the Lions registered over 160 players for their 3 M(S)FL teams. The Masters team had 16 players registered, 3 down on the previous season and 6 down on the season before that. It is a worrying trend that the Old Boys squad appears to be reducing each season and is the reason why non-Temple Fortune players need to be drafted in as permitted guests all too frequently.
Pitches: With the Second Team being reformed, we managed to hire a second pitch at Hatch End Playing Fields, where our usage for both M(S)FL teams totaled 20 out of 30 available permits compared to the previous season’s 11 out of 19. The First Team played 8 matches there whilst the Second Team played 12. The adverse weather caused several postponements and we had to make use of several addition permits in April at no extra charge, including one at Whitchurch Playing Fields. On 3 occasions I managed to sell permits to other M(S)FL teams, bringing in £63 a time. Due to acquiring The Hive, we say farewell to Hatch End after 5 seasons of pitch hire. For the record, the First Team played 46 league and cup matches there, winning 25, drawing 11 and losing only 10. Winning 2 and a half times more matches than losing was a good return for a home venue at this level. The Old Boys continued to use Masters pitches, both on grass and 3G. The pleasing aspect was that all league fixtures were completed without the need to play into May despite the fixture backlog.
Discipline: Our disciplinary record was always going to be difficult to match the previous season due to running an extra team but in comparison to the last time when we ran 3 sides, it was not very good. We collected a total of 22 cautions, 10 of which came from the Second Team and 6 each for the other teams. This did not fare to well compared to 10 cautions between the 3 teams during season 2008/09. We had 3 sending offs, 2 for the Second Team and 1 by the Old Boys Team. Phil Bloomberg became our first dismissal for violent conduct for over 10 years. Although the Second Team played more competitive fixtures than the other 2 sides, their overall conduct of the Seconds needs to be improved.
League fines: The M(S)FL teams collected 2 fines of £5 each to match the amount incurred during the previous season. Both fines were for not showing the first aid kit by the First Team and Second Team alike. However, the Second Team fielded an ineligible player in their very first M(S)FL Division 4 fixture but quick action by the Club avoided any resulting fine, Adam Rynhold choosing to see it as an unintentional mistake and giving us the benefit of the doubt! This resulted in a Club fine of £20 being imposed on Gavin Levy for breaching Club offence number 13 (failing to comply with an administrative requirement), which the Second Team shared between them. So all in all, considering that the 3 teams fulfilled 65 competitive matches between them, a total of only £10 in fines can be viewed as relatively low. Well done to everyone for keeping fines to a minimum.
Subs collection: The First Team collected an average of £60.62 per match compared to £56.11 per match during the previous season, and £55.69 per match the season before that. The Old Boys Team collected an average of £66.21 per match compared to £62.42 per match which marginally bettered the previous season’s average of £62.36. Both First Team and Old Boys Teams improved with their collection of match subs so well done to Mike Shorvon and Peter Kyte in particular, for keeping the figures relatively high. The Second Team, in their first season back since 2004, collected an average of £58.87 per match which was still higher than the First Team’s average over the previous 2 seasons, so well done to Rob Jay as well.
Events: On 20 April, a commemorative PDF was issued to mark the Silver Anniversary of the Club winning the M(S)FL Second Division in 1985/86. The PDF was emailed to all members on the Club’s email directory. On 22 May, the First Team played a special end-of-season match at Vicarage Road arranged by Lee Fegan, which despite a narrow 1-0 defeat was a memorable experience for our players. We held the 2011 Awards Presentation Lunch on 5 June which was again successful and well attended. After 2 years at the Round Bush in Aldenham, we went to the picturesque Moor Mill in Bricket Wood. Sincere thanks go to Jack Morris who took over from me in running the Lunch and he did an excellent job.
Equipment: The First Team started the 2010/11 season with a brand new yellow and red kit sponsored by Daniel Stewart & Co, thanks to Paul Walker. It is a strikingly modern adaptation of our colours and featured a full colour badge on the front and large TFFC lettering on the rear. For the first time we gave players the opportunity of purchasing their own shirts, shorts and socks for a reasonable price and four individuals took advantage of this. The two excellent Ellis & Co kits (one red shirts and yellow shorts, the other yellow shirts and red shorts) were used by the Second Team and Old Boys Team respectively. I have been asking in the newsletter for a new sponsor for a new Second Team playing kit. I would like them to play in our Club colours of yellow and red, and if we do not get a new kit, the yellow Winckworth shirts which are in very good condition, can be used.
Training: After the deficit due to insufficient training income during the 2009/10 season, I decided that the Club must monitor training money both in and out through the accounts. This was done to good effect and my thanks must go to Lee Fegan and Andy Souber, helped by Mike Shorvon, for ensuring that we brought in sufficient funds. Lee introduced a 2-part installment plan which eventually proved to be successful, helped by income brought in from other teams sharing our training pitch. All in all, the financing of training during the 2010/11 season was extremely improved so well done to all concerned.
Finances: Once again, the Treasurer’s Excel spreadsheets were accurate in recording our income and expenditure throughout the season and saved a lot of time in compiling the accounts and income/expenditure sheet. As General Secretary I work closely with the financial side of the Club since I make many payments during the course of the season, particularly for pitch hire. I will not steel Peter’s thunder but I can report that with the additional team and higher costs, we more or less doubled both the previous season’s income and expenditure. With costs set to rise further next season, which means income needs to increase, I envisage the Club passing £10,000 in both income and expenditure.
In conclusion: At last year’s AGM I reported that we did well to break the worrying trend of losses over the previous two seasons. This season, despite the running of an additional team and the problems we faced with adverse weather and increased costs, I think that we have done very well. Overall, administration ran smoothly and, with the First Team excelling on the playing front, I am happy to report another good season for the Club.
NIGEL KYTE, June 2011