Larkhall Sports Club Management Structure & Arrangements
Introduction
As you will probably be aware following the recent Annual General meeting I have been given the honour of becoming Chairman of the Club. I will be assisted in this role by Martyn Skuse. I thought it might be helpful if I set out in brief the new management structure for the Club.
Our ‘Shared Purpose’ or vision is to develop a Sports Club which provides the platform for participation in sport at the highest achievable level and is performed in a way which reflects the traditional values of Larkhall Sports Club.
We are so fortunate to be a Club with great people who have for many years volunteered their services and delivered success both on and off the pitch. There are also many more people who are willing to help, would like to be involved and up until now have not been truly ‘tapped’ into. The new Club structure is intended to build on our strengths as well as bringing in some fresh faces.
Management Structure
We will be introducing a new structure, the basic principle of which is that the Club will be structured in a more businesslike manner with ‘functional directors’ empowered to make decisions and develop support networks / group of supporters who can take the Club forward.
For example, the Football function will be headed by Ger Rich and Tommy Gilbert: between them they will develop a group which involves representatives from the Junior teams, the Youth, the Ladies, Sunday and the Saturday Senior teams. Ger and Tom will recruit and structure a team which can help deliver the highest standard of football, played the ‘Larkhall way’.
Our facilities have always been of the highest standard and set us apart from most Clubs. Clive Burge will be the Director of Facilities, ensuring the existing high standards are maintained. His usual team of helpers will continue to be vital to the growth of the Club but we need more supporters and ex-Larks to get involved and help Clive continue delivering the best facilities in the area.
We all appreciate that financially operating a Club like Larkhall is not easy. We have always relied on a team of volunteers to organise functions, find sponsorship, and work behind the bar, etc etc. It is hoped that we can be more commercially focused and organised; by raising our profile and communicating more widely, we can increase our exposure and therefore attract greater sponsorship, support and commercial opportunities. Tracey Hill will head the commercial function; she will be asked to pull together the existing team and add some new faces with the aim of ultimately improving the revenue generated by the Club.
The financial arrangements will be directed by Tony Codd, who, with the new treasurer, Pete Davis, will ensure that ‘functional’ budgets are set, are realistic, can be delivered and most importantly ensure the future viability of the Club.
Finally, Jim Mclay, who has been at the forefront of taking the Club forward, will focus on the future development opportunities that we have, including the development of Plain Ham and/or the potential relocation to a purpose built facility which can support our ambitions, provide great training facilities and a ground which can support Southern League football.
Each of the new ‘Directors’ has been provided with a challenging set of objectives but they have also been given a ‘mandate’ to make decisions without reference to committee for those issues which do not really need a full committee to endorse. We are trying to streamline the decision-making process to allow more effective decisions to be made in a timely fashion.
The Directors will become the ‘Leadership Team’:
Meeting Arrangements
Each ‘director’ will be responsible for organising his or her team, meeting on a monthly basis, if required. As a minimum the director will be required to submit a monthly report to the Leadership team. The report will update on progress in their area and on any decisions that have been taken or need to be referred to the Leadership team or full committee. These reports will be distributed to committee members to ensure we communicate in an inclusive way and that everyone feels involved.
The Leadership Team will meet on a bi-monthly basis and will review the monthly operational reports. Where necessary the Leadership team will provide strategic direction to the functions and manage any matters that need consideration.
On a quarterly basis a full committee meeting will be held when all committee members will be invited to participate in the management of the Club. These changes will allow the club to move forward and will help make the meetings be more focused on the most important issues.
Future meeting dates will be published soon and I am sure the directors will be making contact with you very soon!
Communications
To aid communication we will be utilising the club website more, so please ensure you join as a member to ensure you have access to all the latest information and can also volunteer for work parties or other pleas for help! The link below will allow you to visit the club site if you haven’t already. Member sign-up is at the top left of the home page.
Finally, both Martyn and I are proud to be given this opportunity but our success in the role will only be with the support of everyone involved in the Club. Please be patient as these changes go ahead and please understand that they are necessary for the club to advance further. We are a great club with great people and an exciting future; please play your part in delivering success. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact either me or Martyn.
or 07889 285056
or 07967 366459
Ranks & Scoot