2006 UCL ACADEMICALS AGM

Held at 7pm on Monday 3^rd July 2006 at Oxbridge Group, 2^nd Floor, Inigo Place Churchyard, 31-32 Bedford Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9ED.

Present: Danny McConnell, Graham Whitworth, Mark Dawson. Danny Fewkes, Steve Hair, Andy Williams, Alex Keast, Dave Swaby, Chris Carter, Phil Stewart, Mark Emmerson, Chris Coates, Aaron Lyon.

Apologies for absence: Stuart Bannister, Dan Willoughby, Mark McGuigan, Adrian Haysome, Steve Nash, Rick Hirst, Jon Day, Scott Atkinson, Alex Heaton.

Minutes of the 2005 AGM

The minutes of the 2005 AGM were approved.

Matters Arising

UCL had been approached about whether Sky TV could be provided, and had requested that if the Academicals wished for the college to take out a subscription, we would need to give an undertaking that players would be likely to stay at the club house longer after games. It was felt this undertaking could not be given, so the status quo would continue.

2005-06 Secretary’s Report

The Accies - Preamble

In the mid 1990’s the Accies were as fractured a “club” as it is possible to imagine. Effectively six separate clubs running under the same banner, with the only movement of players between the 1^st and 2^nd teams, and that rare.

A good Saturday meant a team turned up with eleven players, a better one meant they were all good enough for the standard. Getting a result was a bonus. The club rarely won any trophies, because we’d no chance of putting out sides consistently, but we would get results because we always attracted decent players.

Many people didn’t pay subs – “I’ll give it to you next week” was commonplace, and next week never came. No-one paid annual subs, and no-one took anything very seriously.

The Accies muddled on, but in May 1998 the crisis point had been reached. The club was broke, owed the league £600 in fines, and the remaining officers had had enough, and resigned en masse. The club stared at the brink, and extinction, and then stepped back.

It’s only eight years ago, but a historical lesson worth remembering. Most existing members simply won’t recognise that as being the current Accies, but in my opinion it’s a path we’re starting to drift back down.

The Accies are, to use a common phrase, a “unique” club, with significant strengths and weaknesses. Our members live all over London and travel to Shenley from great distances. Graduates of UCL tend to live all over London (Highgate, Camden and Islington being the most common areas) but we are in no sense a “geographical club”. As such, people won’t generally stay at Shenley for the evening afterwards and so forth.

Equally, we are a club for very busy people. At the risk of generalizing most of our constituency are busy people, with high powered, high stressed, and time consuming jobs. I’ve often described us as a club for people who “want to take their football seriously on a Saturday, but can’t during the week” and I still believe this to be so.

The weakness is that we don’t have the natural club spirit. An Old Meadonian probably lives close to the ground, goes home on a Tuesday and Thursday, heads off for 6.30pm training, is back home by 8.30pm, and perhaps spends much of Saturday at the club, and even Sunday morning. We can’t do that.

The positive is that we attract players of a like ilk. Good players will travel to Shenley, because they’re playing in a club with a hundred people of similar nature. They won’t get grief for missing training, and so forth.

It is an incredibly difficult balance – on the one hand you’ve got the “old Accies” where it’s a week to week fun element. On the other you’ve got the “new Accies” – where over the last 7-8 years we’ve managed to churn out consistent results and start to pick up trophies.

In 2003-04 the Accies won 78 league games, drew 23 and lost 29. We reached four cup finals, winning two.

In 2004-05 the Accies won 75 league games, drew 21 and lost 34. We reached three cup finals, winning two.

In 2005-06 the Accies won 49 league games, drew 11 and lost 68! We reached one cup final, and won it.

There is a pattern, and it’s club-wide.

Interestingly, only 48 people paid an annual sub (between seven sides), and the strain on the club administrators increased. At the end of the season five of the seven captains/managers stepped down.

The Accies belong to the 100-150 footballers who turn out most weeks to play for the club, and what the club is is what they want it to be. If people want a club that’s run “on the hoof”, results and performances will be reflected in it. If people want a serious, competitive club, then it needs to be reflected not only in footballing ability, but in organization and attitude. Do the fitness work during the week to be able to showcase your ability, turn up on time on a Saturday so the team is focusing on the game, not on whether the kit will arrive, pay up your subs when they’re due so the skipper isn’t stressing and make yourself available as much as the diary will allow.

I believe all of these elements to be club-wide, some reflected in certain teams to greater or lesser extents.

1^st XI (6 annual subs paid) – After two seasons of finishing in anti-climax, a very different season. From October through to January the firsts simply didn’t know how to win. Lack of sharpness was doubtless a factor, as a lazy preseason continued into a lazy winter, and only when relegation stared us in the eyes did we show signs of shaking off the ennui, and scramble to safety.

For this observer, the biggest difference was one of match sharpness. 3-4 years ago most of the firsts played two competitive games per week (once for the Accies, once in the Legal League). Now it’s one competitive game per two weeks. Availability declined, probably without the same eleven starting a game all season, which meant Saturdays were more of a struggle, but the team also played less during the week.

That was reflected in results – too many games were lost because we didn’t play for ninety minutes. As some of the core members get older the diary pressure gets bigger, and if we want to remain a side capable of performing at AFC Premier Division standard more commitment, during the week, however hard that may be, will be needed.

Mark McGuigan stands down after two seasons as manager, due to time constraints with work and family.

2^nd XI (1 annual sub paid) – A difficult year to analyse. Overall I think for the club to hold its 2^nd XI at Senior 3 North level is an achievement, particularly as availability issues in the 1sts affected the 2nds. Yet at Christmas a league title seemed a realistic option, only for a late season drop off in results to drop the side to 4^th place.

Danny Fewkes steps down after a number of years as skipper, again due to pressures of time constraints with work and home.

3^rd XI (5 annual subs paid) – The brutal analysis is that the pattern of the second half of 2004-05 continued, with the team struggling all season to avoid relegation. That only one regular player was available for the final game of the season said it all, and the side struggled with availability all season.

Despite that, cup results were good, with a long run in the AFA Cup and winning the London Old Boys Cup, but these shouldn’t mask the league record.

Phil Stewart also steps down, after a particularly trying season of scrabbling around for players.

4^th XI (7 annual subs paid) – after a couple of seasons of over-achievement, the 4ths pre-Christmas continued the exact same theme, looking like potential title winners, and putting the club in danger of being charged with running a stronger 4^th team than 3^rd team. Post Christmas, the team collapsed, losing seven games on the spin at one stage.

Availability was a constant and continuing issue, with the side regularly short on numbers. Much of the credit for the papering over of these cracks over a number of seasons should go to Dan Willoughby, who now steps down as skipper as he moves north to Nottingham. With Dan leaving I feel the Accies have lost one of best team captains in the club’s history, and we owe him a particular vote of thanks.

5^th XI (14 annual subs paid) – A mixed bag of a season, with consistency never achieved. The side conceded too many goals, and probably started the season too focused on the bigger picture of trying to win the league title, rather than individual games.

Nevertheless, this was probably the most stable and settled Accies side, slightly short on natural defenders (a common complaint from third team downwards) and by far the best in terms of administration.

6^th XI (10 annual subs paid) – In one sense a side showing movement in the right direction, but not reflected enough in results. The turmoil of previous seasons showed signs of disappearing, but the squad still needs to be bigger, and with more flexibility. Liason with the 5ths and 7ths was good, and if we can get a few pairs of younger legs integrated into the side, the team should settle down and challenge for promotion.

7^th XI (4 annual subs paid) – Effectively this team was rebuilt during the season. Too many of the old 7ths were interested only in playing for a clique, and when a few disappeared at the start of the season, they disappeared too, though a few moved up to higher teams which suited their abilities.

Danny McConnell took over as captain in October, and throughout the season brought in new players, and a few older ones who’d been passed over in previous seasons in favour of better players who ought to have been playing higher up. As the season progressed a core slowly came together, and next season there ought to be enough of a core of players suited to the standard of 8 North that results next season should pick up significantly. Yours truly steps down as skipper for next season.

Optimists – The Veterans effectively died this season. Availability continued to decline and the team played no friendlies, and lost their one cup match in the London Old Boys Cup.

Danny Goldman remains keen to breathe life back into the Optimists, and we’ve entered the LOB Veterans Cup, but the real key is whether a dozen (ideally more) players “of an age” want to play Veterans football – at present most of those who are eligible are choosing to play for the league sides.

Golden Boot – The Golden Boot was shared by Max Lovell and Lloyd Vanson, the latter beneficiary of a late recount of goals and a dodgy decision to allow goals from an expunged game at the start of the season to count. The Golden Gloves were comfortably won by Mark Dawson, who shared his talents between the 2nds and the 1sts and played a key part in the late season surge for survivial.

AFA Cups – I should also report that during the season we lodged a protest about the AFA Intermediate Novets Cup. Kew Association cancelled their 2^nd team game but still played their 6^th team, and knocked us out of the AFA Cup. We protested this, as far as a Board of Appeal to the AFA, unsuccessfully. Sadly the AFA Rules didn’t seem to cover the situation, and the AFA had little concept of the Spirit of the Competition. 

There is also some discussion at league level about changing the regionalization to ease issues in the south. One suggestion is that the North should be extended to include clubs such as Parkfield, Challoners and Kolsassians. The second, perhaps less appetizing for us would be to re-designate us as a Western Club. I should be grateful for comments and thoughts from all concerned at the AGM.

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The Secretary’s report was accepted. It was particularly noted that in some teams promptness of players last season had been particularly lacking, and this was felt to be related to the lack of overall numbers (the threat of making latecomers start on the bench was hollow when numbers were tight.

The regionalisation aspect was considered, and whilst we prefer to remain considered as a Northern Club it was noted that our membership generally live all over London, and different people would probably welcome/not welcome any changes. This was not a major issue for the club.

Financial Statement

A copy of the balance sheet and accounts is attached. It was noted that the season surplus was £1500, but this was mainly due to the imbalance of home and away games (we played 16 more away cup games than home games, due to the vagaries of cup draws, with a consequent impact on finances).

The club’s cash balance stood at £6000, the reserve figure identified as a target back in 1998 as our requirement to have at the end of the season. This £6000 enables us to pay our AFA, AFC and LOB affiliation fees (about £1000) and our pre-Christmas pitches at Shenley (£4000) and still have £1000 to cover kit, balls etc. All of these bills are basically due before we kick a ball (and collect a penny).

The irony of this improvement of finances was that it came in the face of a serious drop in subscription income. Only 48 annual subs were collected (one would expect 100, which is a shortfall of £1250). Furthermore the system of players paying their AFA fines on the day for cautions was, in the main, ignored and on a couple of occasions teams didn’t collect match fees. Probably a further £500-£1000 went astray through subs/fines not paid, and features a few serial offenders who when chased claim they always pay their fees!

Furthermore we’d agreed that we’d charge a fee for pre-season training (£5) but this was often not collected, further placing a drain on the collective resources

Subscriptions

In light of the above, it was considered whether a re-structuring of subscriptions was in order.

The annual subscription was introduced in 1998, in the main because of a cash-flow issue as the club was broke. With the club having achieved a £6000 surplus that was now irrelevant. Furthermore, the annual subscription had continually proved difficult to collect, evidenced by last season’s numbers.

It was proposed we consider three options:-