PRESENT:

Committee Members:

Joe McClory
Peter Willis
Phil Kelly
Roy Simpson
Sarah Sutherland
Mick Murphy
Steve Thornton
John Parsons
Karl McAuley

Non-committee Members:

Apologies:

John Cassidy

1. Minutes of last meeting

The minutes of the last committee meeting were read and accepted as a true record.

2. Last Club Trip

a) Steve thought that in the whole the trip ran well. However, Steve agreed to talk to the coach company about the toilets, cd player and video.

b) John Parsons reported that the club made a profit of £124.

c) Secretary/Chairman reiterated the comments made about a very successful trip. Passed on grateful thanks to Steve for his efforts.

Matters arising from trip

Non-members – Non-members must either join the club or pay a non-members fee for the coach.

Refund of money for people who fail to turn up for trip – It was agreed that if people who have already paid fail to turn up on the day without any notice then they will be refunded their ticket money only and their coach fare will be forfeited. However, this may be at the discretion of the committee if there are mitigating circumstances.

Music – Steve has the unenviable task of trying to please everyone on the bus with his selection of music. To make things easier for him on the day of the trip it was suggested that the committee formulates a pre agreed agenda for entertainment on the bus which will give structure to the music/videos played etc.

3. Next Club Trip

The next club trip will be on 30th or 31st November against Motherwell. The club has been allocated 18 tickets for this match. Anyone wishing to travel should forward money to John Parsons ASAP.

4. Blackburn 14/11/02

Some members are intending to travel to Blackburn without tickets. If anyone is interested please see Peter.

5. Social Scene

a) View from John McGhee – John is happy for the supporters club to continue to meet at the New Inn. He announced that there will be two new big screens erected in the bar and in the lounge in the near future. He also addressed complaints he has received regarding the pricing of drinks in the lounge. He stressed that this was purely a business decision in no way aimed at “ripping off” the customers. However, as a concession he has generously agreed to charge bar prices in the lounge during live matches.

b) Race night – The race night will go ahead as planned on Friday 22nd November. To ensure maximum profitability we need to pre-sell as many races as possible. Peter has produced the race cards and these will be sold up until the evening. John McGhee agreed to provide a buffet. The event will be advertised in the Celtic View, club newsletter, via the website, via posters and in the Irish Post. Anyone interested in sponsoring a race should see Peter or Phil ASAP.

c) Xmas function – this was discussed but no firm details were arranged. It is proposed that the club has an informal get-together, date and time to be announced.

d) Dundee United – This match will be televised at the New Inn on 9/11/02

e) Auld Firm 7/12/02 – This match will also be shown live in the New Inn and John is hoping to also have a live Irish band in the pub.

6. Treasurers Report

The club balance currently stands at £1448. This figure includes a refund of £207, which we are owed by Celtic for tickets previously purchased. The club has so far taken £595 in membership fees. John reiterated his view that the club should not consider purchasing season tickets next year.

7. Newsletter

A newsletter will go out in the next week. Peter again invited any contributions from members.

8. Web-site

The committee congratulated Karl on the excellent work he continues to do to the web site.

9. Merchandise

Stuart Fox has been in touch with the committee regarding his role in the merchandise area. However, he is unfortunately incapacitated at the moment and is unable to contribute at this time. He hopes to resume his role within the club when he is recovered.

10. Any Other Business

a) Season books in the Lisbon Lions stand can now be traded in for full season tickets in areas of the ground with restricted views. It was agreed that the club would apply to change its season books and that Auld Firm tickets would be raffled off by the club.

b) John McGhee still has contacts through his “ A Taste of Auld Ireland” business for merchandise. He suggested that the club use our web site to target Celtic supporters worldwide with profits split between the club and John’s business. It was decided that a sub-committee be formed to discuss this further. See Phil or Peter if interested in sitting on this sub-committee.

11. Date and time of next meeting

To be arranged.