Hi all, sorry to drag over this again but the more I think about accepting the Hunslet offer yet staying at Morley the less it makes sense to me. Its essentially renting a house and inheriting the next door mansion, would you continue to rent and leave next door dormant? No, you'd move so why arent we?

If we accept the offer and stay at Morley what benefit do we get? We still need to pay subscriptions to cover the rent and it seems we manage to make a small profit from our current setup of £2 a week so we dont really need the extra funding. We are giving up the name and heritage etc for very little if we stay at Morley. The coaching sessions available would be the only positive to me.

By going to Hunslet the facilities are better, its free and we maybe able to attract some of the lasses from the girls teams that have recently signed up with Hunslet.

As I say sorry to drag it up again, I'm just not seeing the benefits to staying at Morley when theres a better and free alternative.

Indeed, all in jest.

The showers at Hunslet were nicer.

Did I miss anything else because I am not sure what else it was that was so much better than Morley? Certainly not the picth, probably not the light and certainly not as convenient.

I can live with getting down and dirty in the showers at Morley.

1.0 Present:

H Evers
S Johnson
S Grundy
I Johnson (part)
B. Whitley
M. Whitley
T Durant
A Marshall
J Hope
M Schlag
B Day
K Worsnop
K Horner
H Leacock
P Johnson (PJ)
G Allen (part)
A Harrison (part)

2.0 Apologies

3.0 Introduction

After returning from the tour of the facilities Sam welcomed the attendees to the meeting and briefly explained the proposed agenda.

4.0 Officers

Although no official titles have been allocated, Scott, Harry and Sam have been dealing with the finances, Morley rent, RFL, Tag Merit League, equipment, etc. There were no other volunteers nor nominees for the duties therefore it was agreed that they continue the good work.

5.0 Subs

Sam explained the problems last year with lack of funds and that Scott had paid some bills himself when the club could not afford it. It was agreed that this should not happen in future. The suggestion was that the subs be increased to £3 to build up a “float” in the accounts for any unforeseen expenditures and also for the presentation night, etc.
During the discussions it was agreed that the accounts were being closely monitored by Scott which should prevent a repeat of last year. Scott confirmed that the accounts were currently approximately £300 in credit.
It was proposed that the subs remain at £2 per week but are reviewed during the summer to ensure that this is sufficient, if Scott sees the accounts dwindling he will notify the members and the subs can be raised to £3 if necessary. This was decided by a majority vote.

6.0 Tag League

Sam explained the proposed changes in the Tag Merit League which was being taken over by the RFL. This would ensure that the rules were strictly non-contact, virtually as we play each week.

Gareth and Adam H left the meeting.

Discussions took place regarding the RFL proposed points system at Tournaments and the fees for each player. It was not clear whether the £10 fee covered all the festivals and also the insurance that we currently pay for. Sam, Scott and Harry to check with Tom Allen (RFL).

Teams are also encouraged to play friendly games as well as the tournaments/festivals. The Lost Loiners are planning to attend the Murrayfield tournament, Rochdale Festival and also are scheduled to play a friendly at Bridgend on the 10th April. It was agreed that we would not attempt to play at every one.

Scott, Sam & Harry are to get confirmation of tournament dates, venues and whether they are mixed sexes or not, as soon as possible, to plan teams and transport, etc. Scott explained that the Scorpions are playing against Hunslet on 22nd August and that if they wanted to play us that day it could be a curtain-raiser! It was agreed that Harry would contact Bridgend.

7.0 Hunslet Offer

Ian Johnson (Hunslet) was invited to address the meeting and explain the offer from Hunslet Hawks. The offer is described on the previous note to members (attached).
Discussions took place regarding the offer which highlighted the following concerns:
• The all-weather pitches would possibly be unavailable in snow and/or heavy frost.
• The travel distance from Bradford, Huddersfield and Halifax is greater and would make a 7pm start more difficult.
• The training pitch is a considerable walk from the changing rooms which potentially adds to the delayed start.
• If we moved to Hunslet and things didn’t work out would we have burnt our boats with Morley?
• We would have to change the club name and we have just spent a lot of money on a new kit!

Advantages were also discussed:
• Free training at Hunslet
• More options for pitches when flooded.
• Funding towards kit, equipment and transport to games
• Free use of function room for events, subject to availability
• Closer to Wakefield and Leeds therefore easier for some members

After some discussions and alternative suggestions the consensus was to vote on the proposal to accept the partnership with Hunslet Hawks for the next 12 months at least but still train at Morley and pay £2 subs. The annual rent at Morley will be paid in full by June and will be due for renewal in September. The situation will be reviewed in August. We would however hold a coaching/training session at South Leeds once every month, or so. This would enable us to compare the two venues and the travel situation, etc. The name Lost Loiners could be retained as a nickname if desired.

This proposal was agreed by a majority vote.

The meeting was closed by Sam who thanked everyone for attending.

Harry. Can you summarise that in just a couple of sentences please?

Thanks H. Apologies for the early departure but I have to have my fix of exercise to maintain this figure.

The above outcome sounds to me like an eminently sensible solution.