WATERLOO LEAGUE - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2010:

Minutes of AGM held 13th July 2010 at the Union Jack

Agenda
1. Attendance and apologies
2. Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising
3. Chair's report
4. Secretary's report
5. Treasurer's report and approval of accounts
6. Discussion of motions
7. Election of committee                                                                                 8. Date of next meeting

1.
Attendees:
Darren O’Byrne                                                                                              Jerry Tickell                                                                                                  Alan Day                                                                                                      Darren Baker                                                                                                 Martin Scutt
Avril Mallon                                                                                                   Simon Notton                                                                                                Akar Necati                                                                                                   Ian Stringer                                                                                                  Jack Pople
William Tweed                                                                                               Robbie Robb                                                                                                  Paul Pitman                                                                                                   Mikey Clayton                                                                                                Lee Blackburn
Nigel Smith                                                                                                   Joe Prince (part)

Apologies:
Shaun Nolan                                                                                                 Jim Coltart

2.
Minutes of last meeting and matters arising:
Minutes of 2009 AGM were presented, matters arising:
• 2009 Accounts - expected balance at 21/07/09 should read -£691
• Motion 5 – should not read ‘dispose of Captains Meetings’, should read ‘be allied to Committee Meetings’
• Election of Committee for coming year item was omitted from the minutes - nominations for:  Jerry Tickell, Darren O’Byrne, Nigel Smith, Peter McCafferty & Robbie Robb were received and approved.

With the above amendments the minutes were approved.

3.
Chair’s report:
Text submitted by Darren O’Byrne -

Since the last AGM we have enjoyed further successful Summer and Winter league seasons.
The major prizes were dominated by the Jacks and JFK's. Congratulations to the winners:

The league continues to punch above its weight. A majority of players in London's county men's squad are active participants, making Waterloo easily the best represented league at county level.
We currently field two competitive Interleague teams and Waterloo is beginning to make its mark at national level, inheriting the mantle previously occupied by teams like Imperial. At the recent Interleague finals Waterloo's premier team not only won its group but reached the last sixteen of the competition, bowing out only 10-8 to the mighty Leicester. It remains on course to regain the London championship, while Waterloo 2 looks to be on the cusp of a breakthrough at the top level.
Of the various names who could be singled out for special mention, one towers above the rest - Frank Costello was not only appointed England junior captain in 2010 (leading his team to victory in the Europeans and subsequently the Worlds), then also became World Junior Champion this year. Frank is very much an example of home grown talent.

Having said that, for such a successful and strong .league, the WPL remains worryingly small in numbers. Efforts have been made to recruit new teams and we welcome the inclusion of new teams from the Clarence and Riley's Victoria, the latter fielding two teams. However we lost the Ratpack so the total number of teams for the 2009-10 Winter League was 10. The increasing dominance of a small number of teams seems to have resulted in an unofficial split in the league and it seems paramount that every effort be made to not only retain the teams we have but to recruit more and hopefully move to a two-division format. We cannot afford to risk losing existing teams and so it is imperative we find ways of making sure the league remains competitive for everyone.

At the 2009 AGM the league committee was elected but did not meet during the year. As ever Jerry Tickell organised things almost single-handedly, but we have every intention of arranging regular committee meetings for the coming season and of sharing the workload.

Alan Day deserves thanks for his work on the Waterloo website which has won us praise from other leagues, and for keeping track of the Interleague statistics.          Finally, I need to point out that the league now has its own bank account. This currently goes by the name of SSC Sports although we intend to change this, and its signatories are myself and Jerry.                                                                   All future payments are to be made to it and not to any individuals.

The Chairman’s report was approved.

4.
Secretary’s report:
Summary of items mentioned:

• The current teams in the WPL have developed into playing out of a mix of pubs & clubs, this has recently raised issues regarding standards of tables & conditions in certain venues - it should be noted that at this level we are still a Tuesday night pub league!
• One of the Rileys teams was ejected from the league due to no-shows.
• Nolans lost £25 bond deposit due to no-show
• There were up to 118 players registered for the season – some of the player subscriptions were still outstanding
• Match Sheet - the notation at the bottom regarding responsibility of retaining match sheets & submission of results, stats etc will in future both rest with the Winning Team captain
• There was a request that Captains should please be more diligent & organised in submitting team lists, subscriptions etc - to ease constant chasing by the secretariat
• Champion of Champions 2010 - there will be 2 ladies representatives from WPL
• Region 7 Challenge Cup this is a new Interleague event, probably will be an annual event - further info pending
• Summer League will commence in 2 weeks (27th July)
• 2009/10 Presentation Night will take place Tuesday 20th July at the Union Jack
• All League entry monies to be presented by cheque in future - currently to SSC Sports
• Having spent the last 8 years as secretary, JT wishes to ease his workload and it is requested that the committee share more of the load - ideally by September

Jerry was thanked for all his hard work to date and the Secretary’s report was approved.

5.
Treasurer’s report:
In summary, the Treasurers report contained the following:

A projection of £350/£400 surplus is estimated next season, rising to £550 the following year.
This is in line with WPL’s long-term aim to deduct between 10% to 20% (ideally 15%) from income towards development of the league - whether that be paying for Interleague teams to travel to Yarmouth, increasing money for trophies, providing shirts for Interleague players, increased prize money for League, Cup & Singles competitions - is all a matter for the Committee

The Treasurer’s report was approved.

6.
Discussion of Motions:

MOTION 1
That the total squad size for teams in the Waterloo Winter league should not exceed 10 players for existing teams and 12 players for teams in their first season.
Proposed by:  Jerry Tickell (The Jacks)
Comments:    This was agreed in principle at last year's AGM, provides a necessary ceiling on each squad size and gives additional flexibility to new teams in case of player drop-out.

Discussion & Vote resulted in:     For - 5      Against - 6       Abstain - 2

The Motion was Defeated

MOTION 2
That at the start of each season*, each captain signs on behalf of her or his team an agreement to be bound by a code of conduct supplementary to the usual World Rules. This code of conduct will then serve as a first and final warning against such things as (but not necessarily restricted to):
• players taking phone calls while active in a game
• encroachment upon the table by anyone other than the players, referee or time-keeper
• comments made by players or supporters in the course of the game which are of a personal and insulting nature and which are outside the spirit of the game. The referee will then be in a position to call a foul against teams if in her or his opinion this code of conduct has been breached.
* Using the accepted definition of a 'season' to incorporate Winter and subsequent Summer leagues, and covering all competitions contained therein. For new teams joining in Summer league, the same rules will apply on their initial registration for the league.
Proposed by:  Darren Q'Byrne (Union Jack)
Comments:    This is fairly standard procedure in pool leagues and tournaments. World Rules do not cover all these actualities and leagues are entitled to provide ways of policing behaviour which is deemed to be not in the spirit of the game. Sadly there have been examples of each of the misdemeanours listed above during this past season. The referee and time-keeper must be empowered to impose order in such situations. The referee's decision is final and captains would reserve the right to appeal against a decision after the match.

Discussion & Vote resulted in:     For - 15       Against - 0        Abstain - 0

The Motion was Carried

MOTIONS PERTAINING TO THE SELECTION OF WATERLOO INTERLEAGUE SQUADS

MOTION 3.1
That support is given in principle to amending the system through which players qualify to play for the Waterloo Interleague team.
Proposed by:  lan Stringer (The Jacks)
Comments:    The current system for selecting Waterloo Interleague players is flawed.
Interleague finals follow the format of single frame contests in a nine-player team. The selection process at present is based on Waterloo knockouts that reward consistency in singles knockouts played to a best of nine format. Several players in the Waterloo league are exceptional at both formats, but some prefer one over the other.
The Waterloo knockouts are often well supported by players that expect or hope for a cash payout, but may not have the same level of interest in the one frame team format. In addition to the above, the present system allows for County players to be awarded ranking points based on achievement in the previous year. Since new players to Waterloo have been selected ahead of longstanding league players in the interleague teams, there has been a notable drop in support for the Waterloo knockouts. It is of course desirable to be represented at Yarmouth by the best possible teams, but also not to alienate players that may have played and represented Waterloo for some or many years who may not necessarily be top standard. Their place may inevitably be taken by somebody else, but the present system doesn't adequately allow them to fight for their place. The Waterloo knockouts are a fine institution that need support to continue to be as enjoyable as they have been in the past. There are certainly ways of rejuvenating entry that could be examined. If it is the Association's view that, in principle there is room for improvement in the existing system, I would be willing to help devise a better formula.

A 10 minute discussion limit was set - it was finally agreed that, in line with the precise wording of the motion, a Working Party be set up to:
• address the current system
• devise a possible alternative or comparable system
• subsequently submit their findings for wider approval (via Captains perhaps, or an EGM)
• to ideally report back by the end of September

Discussion & Vote resulted in:     For - 6       Against - 0       Abstain - 5

The Motion was Carried

Volunteers were co-opted to form the Working Party:
Jerry Tickell                                                                                                                        Darren O’Byrne                                                                                                                  Ian Stringer                                                                                                                        Nigel Smith                                                                                                                          William Tweed                                                                                                                    Mikey Clayton                                                                                                                     Akar Necati

These nominations were Approved

The following Motions were all ‘parked’, pending the findings/report-back of the Working Party:

MOTION 3.2 (Note: If 3.1 is not carried then 3.2 falls)
That the selection process for determining qualification for Waterloo's premier Interleague team be amended to take into consideration Waterloo league form and ranking.
Proposed by:  lan Stringer (The Jacks)
Comments:    As above

MOTION 3.3 (Note: If 3.1 is not carried then 3.3 falls)
That the selection process for determining qualification for Waterloo's premier Interleague team be amended to take into consideration the form of players while representing Waterloo at the Yarmouth Interleague finals.
Proposed by:  lan Stringer (The Jacks)
Comments:    As above

MOTION 3.4 (Note: If 3.1 is not carried then 3.4 falls)
That the selection process for determining qualification for Waterloo's premier Interleague team be amended to take into consideration County performances.
Proposed by:  lan Stringer (The Jacks)
Comments:    As above

MOTION 3.5
That the selection process for determining qualification for Waterloo's premier Interleague team continues to be based in whole or in part on performance in Waterloo knockout competition achievements.
Proposed by:  lan Stringer (The Jacks)
Comments:    As above

The following Motion was withdrawn, pending the findings/report-back of the Working Party:

MOTION 4 (Note: This motion has been amended so as not to be dependent upon Motions 3.1-3.5)
That a clear qualification procedure be put into place for Waterloo 2 Interleague team and by extension, for any other team operating under the Waterloo banner, specifically:
• That the captain of Waterloo invites the eleven highest-ranked players (excluding himself or herself, thus totalling twelve) from whatever qualification system is agreed by the membership, to form the Waterloo team for that Interleague season
• That all remaining players are then eligible to play for Waterloo 2 or for any other team under the Waterloo banner
• That the captain of Waterloo 2 is then able to invite eleven other players (who must be eligible under standard EPA Interleague criteria but who need not be selected from any formal ranking system) to form Waterloo 2, resulting in a squad of twelve
• That the captain of Waterloo 3 (if such a team exists) is then able to invite eleven other eligible players to form Waterloo 3, and so on for each extant team
• All players not selected for any extant team can take up reserve status and may be registered for an extant team during the course of the season to make up numbers, except that no player who refuses an initial invitation to join one of the teams can then beregistered for a 'higher' team
• That the final decision on the composition of Waterloo be made within a week of the last qualifying tournament, to give sufficient time for other teams to be selected.
Proposed by:  Darren O'Bvrne (Union Jack)
Comments:    The expansion of the Waterloo squad during this season has created complications for the selection of players for Waterloo 2. In so far as the team historically fields all players not eligible to play for Waterloo under that team's qualification system, this has meant that it currently has on its 'books' almost twice as many players as it requires. Many of these players currently opt not to play in the knockouts, thus making themselves on the whole ineligible to play for Waterloo. What is being proposed is an attempt to provide a clearer structure for Waterloo 2, with all players then not selected to play for it eligible either to play in a third team should one be established, or be on call as reserves for the other teams. Also, the question of when squads should be named has to be done in reasonable time in the interests of fairness. This was not the case this year - late additions to Waterloo resulted in last minute changes to the composition of both teams which added to the confusion and the injustice of the selection procedures.

MOTIONS PERTAINING TO THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE WATERLOO POOL LEAGUE ASSOCIATION:

MOTION 5.1
That the Association recognises the formal distinction between an elected Committee charged with carrying out the day-to-day running of the league and its related business, the meeting of team captains or their representatives at which league matters can be communicated and discussed, and the AGM at which constitutional amendments and strategic changes in the running of the league can be discussed and voted on by all its members.
Proposed by:  Darren Q'Byrne (Union Jack)
Comments:    The Waterloo Pool League should be a democratic institution, accountable to its members. The AGM provides the space for members to raise concerns and suggestions openly and change league policy. The Committee elected at the AGM should be responsible for administering the league in the light of decisions made at the AGM. This is clearly in the constitution and informs current practice, yet there is some confusion, particularly in respect of the roles of team captains.
We have somewhat abandoned the idea of captains' meetings and there is a risk that by doing so teams themselves are detached from any sense of collective ownership ofthe league, leaving matters to be organised by a handful of dedicated volunteers. In order to encourage more people to be involved and take the pressure off Jerry and others, we need to resurrect captains' meetings and formally attach them to the democratic structures of the league.

Discussions resulted in a request that the committee actually get together and conduct meetings as this doesn’t appear to have occurred in 2009/10 and that the captains meetings be resurrected.

Discussion & Vote resulted in:      For - 12     Against - 0       Abstain - 0

The Motion was Carried

MOTION 5.2 (Note: If 5.1 is not carried then 5.2 falls)
That captains' meetings be held at least twice during the winter season, ideally immediately prior to the start of the season and again half-way during the season around the New Year. All teams must be represented at such meetings, either by the captain or by her or his agreed representative (the name of which must be presented in advance to the league secretary). Any team failing to send a representative will be penalised or by a fine or through the deduction of an appropriate number of points, to be set by the membership or through it by the committee as appropriate.
Proposed by:  Darren Q'Byrne (Union Jack)
Comments:    As above, captains' meetings are an essential part of the communication process and the decision-making one. It is perfectly normal for attendance at such meetings to be compulsory and non-attendance to be subject to penalty.

It was mentioned in discussion that points-deduction was not considered an agreeable form of punishment.

Discussion & Vote resulted in:     For - 13     Against - 0       Abstain - 1

The Motion was Carried

7.
Election of Committee:
Election/re-election of Committee members was preceded by a request from Jerry Tickell that there be a more balanced distribution of responsibilities amongst the incoming committee, as mentioned in the Secretary’s report.

Volunteers were nominated to form the Committee:
Jerry Tickell                                                                                                                         Darren O’Byrne                                                                                                                  Nigel Smith                                                                                                                         Robbie Robb                                                                                                                        Akar Necati                                                                                                                         Avril Mallon
Alan Day (website)

These nominations were Approved

8.
Date of Next Meeting:                                                                                                       TBC