MINUTES OF THE WOLVERHAMPTON SHAMROCK CELTIC SUPPORTERS' CLUB A.G.M HELD ON SUNDAY, 8th JULY 2001 AT SEAMUS O'DONNELLS, WOLVERHAMPTON

PRESENT:

Committee Members:

The meeting was opened at 5pm by Peter Willis, who congratulated Celtic on a great season. He commented that the season as far as the supporters' club was concerned was affected by the number of matches rearranged for Sky TV.

SECRETARY'S REPORT:

Phil Kelly stated that the club membership stood at approximately 70 members at the end of the season. Because of the success of the team last season, Phil explained the problems he had getting tickets, but also stressed that the relationship we had built up with the Celtic Supporters' Association had lead to us being looked upon favourably.

On a more disappointing note, Phil commented on the poor attendance at club functions last season, especially the end of season party. He also stated that the lack of donations for raffle prizes for the party was particularly disheartening. He stressed that, for the club to succeed, it must receive more support from the members.

In closing, Phil thanked John Parsons for the professional job he had carried out as Treasurer. Special thanks also went to Peter Willis, Kevin Boyden, Andy Sutherland and Kanga for their work throughout the season.

TREASURERS REPORT:

John Parsons handed out the statement of affairs for the past season. The balance at the time of the meeting was £1784 representing an increase of £756 over last season. John was slightly concerned at the increased costs of correspondance with members, suggesting that future mailings be sent via second rather than first class post. John proceeded to take questions from the floor, and offered the chance for anyone to view the club bills and statements for the whole of last season.

COMMITTEE ELECTIONS:

The existing committee stood down with the exception of life time president Joe McClory who took the chair. He expressed his thanks to the outgoing committee for the job they had done over the past season. The following committee was elected by those present.

MATTERS ARRISING:

Phil Kelly raised the following matters for discussion:

Membership Costs

An increase in membership costs was proposed and accepted in order to cover the increased costs of correspondence. A reduced rate was offered for members who chose to receive their correspondance via email, in order to reflect the printing and postage savings. However a rate of £10 for adults and £5 for under 18's and OAP's was decided to be a fairer option.

New Payment Procedures

It was agreed that a payment deadline of 4 weeks before a match would be introduced. This was partly forced by the Celtic Supporters Association's decision to implement a 3 week deadline themselves. Payment of ticket money in advance as well as bus money was also approved due to problems Phil had collecting vast amounts of money on the day of a game. Also members calling off at short notice were stated as being a problem last season, and it was hoped that the new system would discourage this.

Ticket Availability

A new policy of first come first served was approved in the light of problems faced distributing tickets fairly for certain matches last season.

Methods of Payment

In order to implement the new changes, Phil outlined the following methods of payment:

Targeting of Matches

It was decided that the first club trip would be on the 8th of September to the match against Dunfermline. The match against Hearts on the 11th of August was thought to be too near in the future to run a club trip however Phil stated that he could get tickets for people interested in making their own way. For the Dunfermline match, the payment deadline was set at the 11th August.

Ticket Prices

Phil outlined the fact that match ticket prices were likely to increase for the coming season. He also stated that members who wished to obtain their own tickets were welcome to travel on the club bus. The fact that the bus company price had increased 3 times over the last season was also brought to attention but even after certain problems last season it was decided to stick with them for the time being. The adult price for the bus was agreed at £25 as last season.

Code of Conduct

Plans to introduce a code of conduct that must be signed and returned by each member were accepted.

Membership Cards

It was decided to issue new membership cards to members in the coming season as the existing ones had been in circulation for 2 seasons and there were problems obtaining more for new members.

Members Only

It was reiterated that only members of the club would be allowed to travel/order tickets from the club, however, the committee would maintain a sensible stance towards members of visiting clubs.

Televised Matches

Even with the change to Saturday evening Sky TV matches Kanga stated that matches would still be shown where possible. The potential problems caused by Wolves playing at home on the day of a televised match were also highlighted

Celtic Supporters' Association

Phil repeated his satisfaction with the Celtic Supporters' Association with regard to ticket allocation, and indicated our desire to continue to apply for tickets from them.

Website

It was commented that the website was going from strength to strength and that the site had received 5000 hits in the last 9 months. The fact that the site had been included as a link from the official Celtic web site was commended.

Club Badge

The badge submitted by Eddie Drummond was accepted as the offical club badge to be used on all future merchandise.

Any Other Business

Phil requested that anyone wishing to travel to the Champions' League Qualifier away leg should notify him on the day of the draw to increase the possibility of obtaining cheap flights.

Kevin Boyden reported on a good season as far as behaviour to and from trips, but reminded members of the club stance regarding drink.

Roz Harris appealed for committee meetings to be advertised more widely enabling club members to attend more frequently.

Stuart Fox generously offered to help the club with printing, having facilities to create T-Shirts, mouse mats, membership cards, and he presented the club with examples of his work.

MEETING CLOSED:

Peter Willis thanked everybody for their contributions and attendance, stating his pleasure at the number of members present.