1. Present

Stoolball England Management Committee members:

• John Price (Chairman)
• Kevin Hilliard (Vice-Chairman)
• Kay Price (Secretary)
• Rick Mason (Website Administrator)
• Michael Ledwich (Insurance)
• Barbara Fitzpatrick (Marketing/Publicity)
• John Fitzpatrick (Umpires).

Leagues and associations represented:

• Chanctonbury Ladies Stoolball League: (Vic Laker)
• Coastal Ladies Stoolball League: (Pat Wyatt)
• Mid Sussex Mixed Stoolball League: (Rick Mason)
• Surrey Ladies Stoolball Association: (Michael Ledwich)
• Sussex County Stoolball Association: (Kay Price)
• Mid Division (SCSA): (Daphne Hunt)
• North Division (SCSA): (Keith and Doris Younger, Barbara Fitzpatrick and Sybil Voller)
• West Division (SCSA): (Kevin Hilliard)
• Sussex County Umpires Association: (John Fitzpatrick)

Apologies for absence:

• Shirley Reed (President and Wessex Friendly Group)
• Trevor Parsons (Treasurer)
• Richard Emsley (West Kent Ladies Stoolball League)
• Toni Wheatley
• Mike Hearn (East Division, SCSA)
• Chantelle Bennett (North Division, SCSA).

Before the start of the meeting, John Price told members about the death of a well-known stoolball player in Sussex, Wyn Roberts from Ashington Stoolball Club who recently died in Worthing Hospital and members of Stoolball England had attended her funeral at Worthing Crematorium. He also reported that another long-serving stoolball player from East Preston Stoolball Club, Kaye Turner, was very ill with cancer and all present asked that their best wishes be sent to her.

2. Minutes of previous meetings

Minutes of the Extraordinary General Meeting (proposed Barbara Fitzpatrick and seconded by Rick Mason) and the General Committee meeting (proposed Barbara Fitzpatrick and seconded by Kevin Hilliard) were signed and unanimously approved as a true record.

3. Matters arising

As a result of changes to the Constitution which included the name change to Stoolball England, approved at the Extraordinary General Meeting, a new logo has since been approved and has been well received.

4. Treasurer’s Report

In the absence of Treasurer, Trevor Parsons, the financial report was presented by Vice-Chairman, Kevin Hilliard. He reported a surplus for the period of £492.98. Income from sales amounted to £1,272 and there was an excellent result from the coaching course run by Melissa Mantle at University College, Chichester where 43 students achieved Level One status producing an income of £1,100.

At the conclusion of the course, successful students received a Level One Certificate plus a Coaching DVD pack and stoolball rule book. In the coaching pack, one DVD deals with coaching the game of stoolball, the other DVD has skills and drills which are suitable for any striking and fielding game.

5. Insurance

The Insurance Officer, Michael Ledwich, reported that he had finally heard from the insurers and could confirm that there would not be an increase in the Public Liability premium this year, it would remain at £41, and the Personal Accident Insurance premium would be £2.50 per person (without specs) and £3 for insurance including specs, as before. Therefore, he could report that the renewal invitations would be going out next week (commencing 30 March). Michael also emphasized how important it was that he was notified of any changes in postal address or email addresses so that invitations would not go astray.

6. Website

Rick Mason, the Website Administrator, spoke about how important it was for clubs to put their fixtures and ultimately their results online. People are looking at the Stoolball England website all the time.

Anyone looking to join a club can see the fixtures of a club local to them and know that a club exists locally and when that club will be playing so they can visit and see them in action. If clubs can then create a page of information about their club, with a club contact name, which can involve an address, telephone number or email address, there is a direct line of contact for new players to get in touch.

Following on from the fixtures and results, it also means that league tables are available and this provides interest for a wider audience and means less work for the league secretary in generating and updating these tables.

7. CRB checks

John Price, the Stoolball England Welfare Officer, reported that, through the auspices of the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR), we can now conduct our own CRB checks via The Media Group in Nottingham. In the past, Stoolball England have been happy to accept CRB checks carried out by other sporting bodies or authorities provided they have at least 6 months left of the three year period. However, it is encouraging that we can now add CRB checks to the list of activities we can undertake.

8. Stoolball England activities since the Annual General Meeting

A summary of the activities undertaken by members of Stoolball England was circulated to everyone at the meeting.

1. In addition to the name change of the governing body and new logo, a working party met during in October to carry out a thorough review of the rules; an application was resubmitted to Sport England with the aim of achieving recognition of Stoolball England as the governing body of the game; having gone through an approval process, we can now carry out CRB checks; and Year 7 lesson plans, created by Melissa Mantle and Connie Chapman, have been circulated to over 150 secondary schools (state and independent) in East and West Sussex, West Kent, East Surrey and East Hampshire.
2. Through attendance at NGB meetings at the CCPR in London, with the Sussex County Sports Partnership (SCSP) at various locations in Sussex and a similar body for Surrey, Active Surrey, Stoolball England have worked hard to publicise stoolball and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all these bodies for their help and support during the last year.
3. In Horsham we are running a coaching “test market” programme for primary and junior schools in the area which is being supported by Horsham District Council’s sporting arm, Horsham Leisure Link, and we were fortunate to secure funding from “Sport Unlimited”. Our aim is to develop this programme throughout Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Hampshire in particular where there are exit routes from schools to local clubs.
4. Stoolball overseas is getting a foothold, particularly in India, with a lot of interest from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Locally, Stoolball England, assisted by Aldrington Stoolball Club, are having a stand and designated playing area in Preston Park as part of the Brighton and Hove “TAKEPART” fortnight of sporting activity and there is going to be the first ever inter-school Sussex under 14s girls’ stoolball event taking place in Brighton (Waterhall) at the beginning of July.
5. What else is in the pipeline? Both the publicity tri-fold leaflet and the coaching manual are nearing completion and should be printed shortly. Together with our two DVDs, we are building up an impressive armoury of support materials. There has been a lot of interest in the Club Accreditation Scheme and a number of clubs have decided to use the funding streams provided for us by the Sussex County Sports Partnership to fund equipment and kit.

9. Feedback from affiliated members

For North Division, SCSA, Sybil Voller reported that the fixtures were made for the season and all the pitches were satisfactory. She went on to say that one of her clubs, Bluebells, had submitted an application to become an Accredited Stoolball Club and they were hopeful of becoming the first club to receive this award from Stoolball England. She cited the value of advertising in local leisure centres and schools when clubs numbers are short.

Doris Younger from East Grinstead Stoolball Club spoke from experience when she told of the hard work involved in finding new players and how happy they were when players were successfully recruited from the local hockey club.

Chanctonbury Ladies Stoolball League (Vic Laker) reported that the fixtures for the season had been completed and circulated. They had elected a new Secretary, Alan Kirby, and their league tournament would be held at Steyning on 5 July.

Coastal Ladies Stoolball League (Pat Wyatt) told the meeting she always felt full of enthusiasm after coming to the General meetings, but that there was not the same degree of enthusiasm in the clubs in her league. A date for their tournament had not been decided yet.

Mid Sussex Mixed Stoolball League (Rick Mason) reported that their Annual General Meeting was due to take place shortly but to date their fixtures for the season had not been circulated.

Sussex County Umpires Association (John Fitzpatrick) said that their Annual General Meeting was well attended and the recent rules review was discussed. However, as a body they were disappointed that a debate on the controversial “catch” rule had been delayed to allow further discussion. He also felt it was important that Stoolball England should create some umpiring qualifications because there was a good standard of umpiring in all the countries and they needed to set some standards.

10. Any other business

There was no further business to discuss.

Date of the next General Committee meeting: Sunday 27 September 2009, 10.30am for an 11am start at venue to be arranged.

The meeting closed at 1.20pm.

Kay and John Price, 22 April 2009

1. Present

• John Price (Chairman)
• Kay Price (Secretary)
• Trevor Parsons (Treasurer)
• Rick Mason (Website Administrator)
• Barbara Fitzpatrick (Marketing/Publicity)
• John Fitzpatrick (Umpires).

Apologies for absence:

• Shirley Reed (President)
• Kevin Hilliard (Vice-Chairman)
• Michael Ledwich (Insurance)

2. Minutes of the last officers’ meeting

The minutes were signed and approved as a true record.

3. Matters arising from the last meeting

1. Japanese TV Company - unfortunately we learned that this visit had been postponed for the time being
2. Major League Baseball - the latest news from Sam Marchiano is that the Major League Baseball DVD on the origins of baseball is due for release in the near future
3. Coaching Manual - a few more photos are needed to complete this document and then it will be ready for printing
4. Trifold leaflet - final changes are being made and then the leaflet will be ready for printing
5. Stoolball England websites - Rick Mason has purchased all available Stoolball England websites
6. Sporty Kidz update - a meeting was held with this coaching company on 28 January and we hope to work with them on future projects. They are very keen to work with us and would like to take a Level 1 coaching course.

4. Correspondence

1. Hillwood College, Kandy, Sri Lanka - Stoolball England were surprised and delighted to receive news from this college in Sri Lanka, especially because W.W. Grantham visited them in 1928 and a picture which appeared in the Sussex County Magazine is featured in our green “History” booklet. They still have an area in the college called “the stoolball Court” and are anxious to start playing the game again. Equipment and a DVD have been sent and were thankfully received.
2. Google Statistics and Alerts: The statistics for February were not available at the time of the meeting but Stoolball England had been notified about several new pictures featuring stoolball which had been placed on the internet recently.
3. Requests for information about stoolball have been received this month resulting in two new mixed teams and three schools interested in starting the game.

5. Treasurer’s Report

Trevor Parsons reported a surplus for the month of £620 and the first equipment sales for the new season were banked. In the two current accounts, there is a total of £16,662, however, during the next two months, there is a great deal of new equipment to be ordered and, as reported below, a number of other projects, badges and shields to be financed. Trevor was congratulated on producing a clear and concise statement of account.

6. Printing quotations

Since the last meeting, a number of quotations have been obtained for documents and projects which Stoolball England have been working on during the winter and which will need to be printed during the next few weeks:

• the rule book
• trifold leaflet
• coaching manual
• t-shirts for the coaching initiatives
• business cards
• letter headed paper
• continuation sheets
• club accreditation badges
• plaque for successful clubs

7. Insurance

In the absence of Michael Ledwich, it was not possible to provide an update on the Insurance premiums for the 2009-10 season, but this will be available at the General Meeting which is being held at the end of March at Cowfold.

8. Club Accreditation

The first application had been received from Bluebells Stoolball Club who play in North Division and are affiliated to the Sussex County Stoolball Association. As previously mentioned, quotes are being obtained for a plaque and individual badges for successful clubs and their members.

10. Rules Review

During the last six weeks, Rick Mason has been thoroughly reformatting the rules of stoolball and at this meeting members of the Management Committee were asked to comment on the final few pages of queries which had been raised. In most cases, rules were moved from one section to another for the sake of clarity and with a few more changes, the final draft should shortly be ready to go to the printers.

11. Any other business

1. It was reported that, due to a delay at Sport England, it was not possible to let the meeting know where Stoolball England had been successful in their “Sport Unlimited” application to fund the Horsham Junior and Primary Schools initiative
2. It was also decided that Stoolball England should apply for more funding through “Awards for All” so that equipment and other necessities can be purchased to support the Horsham Coaching initiative and other similar projects, for example the TAKEPART scheme in Brighton & Hove in June.

Date of the next meeting: Sunday 29 March 2009, 10.30am for an 11am start at Cowfold Cricket Pavilion.

The meeting closed at 11.30pm.

Kay and John Price
22 March 2009

We would like to thank everyone who joined in with our Rules Review group to help us put the revised rules together. The 2009 rules apply up to and including the 2011 season, after which another review will be carried out to see whether we need to update them again.

The choices for supper are:

• fishcake and chips
• sausage and chips
• vegetarian spring roll and chips
• fish and chips (costs £1.50 extra)

Soft drinks, teas and coffees will be available to buy, but please bring your own alcoholic refreshments.

Present

• Shirley Reed (President)
• John Price (Chairman)
• Kevin Hilliard (Vice-Chairman)
• Kay Price (Secretary)
• Trevor Parsons (Treasurer)
• Rick Mason (Website Administrator)
• Barbara Fitzpatrick (Marketing/Publicity)
• John Fitzpatrick (Umpires)

Apologies for absence:

• Michael Ledwich (Insurance)

Minutes of the last officers’ meeting

The minutes were signed and approved as a true record.

Matters arising from the last meeting

1. Active Surrey: Stoolball England attended the NGB Forum at Guildford on Wednesday 15 January and two coaches in training attended a 1st Aid Course at Guildford on 18 January
2. Japanese TV Company: no further news on their proposed visit to England in February
3. Stoolball in Pakistan: no further update has been received
4. Governing Body Application to Sport England: the final document updates are being made and the application will submitted in February
5. CRB application to The Media Group: Helen Murdock has been providing some valuable help to Stoolball England in the preparation of this application and it will be submitted in February
6. Stoolball equipment: samples of bats and balls have been received from a new supplier and these will be tested in the next few weeks. Subject to suitability, a preliminary order of 250 balls will be ordered.

Correspondence

Sussex County Sports Partnership

Stoolball England attended the latest NGB Forum meeting at Hailsham on 16 January 2009 and updates were given on the Community Sports Coach Scheme, Sport England strategy, School Sport Coaching Programme and funding bids via Sport Unlimited. Presentations were made by Jess Cook (EFDS Regional Manager) and Jackie Wood (Sussex Disability Multi Sport Coach) and by Shelley Meyern on the TakePART festival which will run from 27 June to 12 July 2009 in the Brighton area. A list of workshops taking place from January to June and the latest e-newsletter were received.

Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR)

• daily newsletters
• Policy Update January 2009
• a list of workshops for February
• a notification about the CCPR 37th National Conference on 6 May 2009 which is being held in London.

Stoolball England attended the latest Games and Sport Meeting on 20 January in London where excellent presentations were made by Phil Smith from Sport England and Richard Saunders (Chair of the County Sports Partnership Networks) and an update on BingoLotto which is due to be restarted later this year. NGBs will be provided with further update in due course.

Horsham District Council

Information received in their “Strive for 5 Community Involvement” scheme which will take place between 25 April and 4 May in sports centres in the Horsham area as part of the governments “Change4Life” national campaign.

Google Statistics and Alerts

The statistics for December 2008 have been received and a Google alert advising us that stoolball was due to be played in Augusta, Maine as part of a weekend’s activities remembering the games brought over to America by the Pilgrim Fathers.

E-mail request for information about stoolball received from a College in Essex. The Sports Co-ordinator has been sent a copy of the Year 7 lesson and plans and a copy of the rules of the game have been posted.

East Sussex Sports Development Awards

An information pack has been received and potential candidates will be considered.

Home Office

The latest newsletter has been received on Vetting and Barring with fresh information on the new Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) initiative which is being introduced from 12 October 2009. This scheme will run in conjunction with the current Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. The difference between the two is that an ISA check will reveal if the person is registered and able to work with children and/or vulnerable adults and a CRB check will reveal if the person has a criminal record or if there is any relevant non-conviction information.

Treasurer’s Report

Trevor Parsons reported a deficit for the last month of £65 which is normal at this time of the year due to lack of sales activity during the winter months. During the transition period, Stoolball England currently has two cheque accounts which contain £16,352.56. During the next two months, Stoolball England will be reviewing their levels of stock and reordering as appropriate.

Coaching Manual

The text of this manual has been completed and some photos added. However, it has been identified that a further 10-15 are needed to complete the document. These will be added as soon as possible and in the meantime, Stoolball England will be assessing the best way to publish this manual.

Rules Review

In the absence of Michael Ledwich, it was decided to contact him and find out whether he was in a position to complete the review.

Logo/Bi-fold leaflet/website/business cards

• Logo: In response to a request at the meeting in December to create a new logo for Stoolball England, Rick Mason made a presentation of the two new logos he had created. Both were excellent logos, but finally members of the meeting voted for the second example. Rick was congratulated for the quality of the two logos and for the amount of work that has gone into this project. Rick also agreed to produce a document setting out the “house style” as regards letter headed paper, business cards etc, for everyone to follow.
• Bi-fold leaflet: Following approval of a new logo, Kevin Hilliard agreed that the leaflet could be finished and made available for printing.
• Website: It was agreed that it was a suitable opportunity to make a change to the name of the website to www.stoolball.org.uk. Rick agreed to purchase the relevant “Stoolball England” names.
• Business cards: This is another area where progress can be made with the approval of the new logo and the text can incorporate the proposed new website name.

Sporty Kidz

Stoolball England held a meeting with James Adams and Rob Outen two Associates from Sporty Kidz who are multi-sport coaches and have a number of part time coaches on their staff. They concentrate on promoting school sports, primarily in the Brighton area, at all times of the day (from 8am through curriculum time to after school clubs) and they are very keen to help us spread stoolball. Sport England are meeting up with Sporty Kidz again on 28 January.

Competition Managers

Stoolball England met up with Becci Allan, a Competition Manager with the responsibility for stoolball. Since our last meeting in November, Becci has been in contact with the other eight Competition Managers in Sussex and as a result was happy to report that, with Stoolball England support, a Sussex Girls under 14 Schools Tournament will be held on 2 July 2009 in the Brighton area. The date is within Brighton’s TakePART festival and it also falls into the National School Sports Week proposed by the Youth Sport Trust.

Indian Stoolball Federation

The ISF has forwarded some sample equipment, bats, balls, scorebooks, rule books and photos for Stoolball England to approve. The Indian group have made excellent progress and the game should go well there.

Any other business

• A newly produced book about Southwater has provided Stoolball England with some interesting history on one of the early stoolball clubs in West Sussex.
• It has been noted that one of our stoolball bat manufacturers, Newbery, has a change of ownership.
• We have asked Hunts County Bats for a quote for stoolball bat key rings
• A recently produced book about William Winstanley has an excerpt on stoolball circa 1650.
• Shirley Reed was approached by the Petersfield Post for some comments on stoolball which were then printed.
• Trevor Parsons wished to pass on his thanks to everyone for all they are accomplishing for Stoolball England.

Date of the next meeting: Monday 23 February 2009 at 7.45pm.

The meeting closed at 10.50pm.

Kay and John Price, 27 January 2009