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Fencing North Meeting - February 2019

Fencing North Meeting – February 25th 2019

 

Meeting Opened: 7:06pm

Present: David Elder, Amanda Hopkins, Katie Logan, Neil Young, Vicky Fan, Kyle Nankivell, Mary Black, Peter Butler.

Confirmation of the Previous Minutes: David moved that the minutes from January be accepted. Katie seconded. All in favour.

Matters Arising: As discussed in the January meeting, Fencing North has been working towards securing Trusts Arena as our home venue for 2019. Our agreement with Trusts has since been finalised.

Health and Safety: No incidents reported.

Treasurer’s Report: Amanda gave the Treasurer’s report and moved that it be accepted. Neil seconded. Motion carried.

Competitions: There are two upcoming competitions in March: the Ongley Open on the 4th and North Under-17s on the 17th (paired with a referee training course on the 16th).

Competition Calendar: The competition calendar has been finalised and the updated version will be available on the Fencing North and Fencing NZ websites.

Venue for NZ Secondary Schools: The Mount Albert Grammar School gym has been confirmed as our venue for National Secondary Schools.

FeNZ News:

New Membership Tiers: There has been considerable discussion in FeNZ about alternative types of affiliation, with the aim of getting as many fencers affiliated as possible. Two new membership tiers have been created. First, new fencers can sign up for a three-month free trial affiliation, during which they are covered by FeNZ liability insurance but may not compete in tournaments. Alternatively, fencers may affiliate with a club membership at $10/year, which allows entry in one social or novice competition. Clubs are urged to encourage all of their fencers to affiliate so that FeNZ membership more accurately reflects the actual number of fencers in New Zealand.

FeNZ Strategy Meeting: On February 23rd a FeNZ strategy meeting was held, which David, Amanda and Neil attended. They reported that the meeting was very productive. A record of the meeting and its results will soon be made publicly available on the FeNZ website.

FeNZ Minutes: Amanda reported that FeNZ will begin to publish minutes of its monthly meetings on its website.

Fencing North 2019 Goals and Strategy:

Club Feedback: David reported that he has been visiting all of the North clubs asking for feedback. He plans to table a full report in the following meeting, which Fencing North can use to guide its planning in future.

Tournament Assistance: The committee discussed a number of areas where Fencing North has need of further volunteer help. In particular, we would like to enlist more people to help with tournament organisation and operations, working with our DT. We encourage any fencers, parents or others who are interested in giving back to the sport to contact us.

Coach Coordinator: David suggested that Fencing North appoint someone to coordinate coaches in our region; for example, by keeping track of coaches’ clubs and specialties, ensuring communication between coaches and Fencing North and arranging coaching development. The committee will consider the exact scope of the role and potential candidates.

Publicity/Marketing Communications: David also suggested that Fencing North appoint a Marketing/Publicity Officer, who would write the monthly newsletter, advertise events and generally promote fencing and Fencing North. We invite anyone who might be interested in such a role to contact us.

Other Business:

FeNZ Insurance Policy: Recently there has been some confusion around how the FeNZ liability insurance policy applies to affiliated clubs. The committee agreed to submit a list of questions to Richard Johnston for clarification.

Tournament Format: The committee discussed the possibility of holding plate events to increase participation in tournaments. It was decided to hold plate events whenever practicable.

Committee Meeting Venue: Kyle proposed that the committee move to a different venue for future meetings, due to safety concerns surrounding our current hall. Neil seconded. All in favour.

Meeting Closed: 8:52pm.