Chair’s Message
Autumn follows summer, and the world of sport continues to inspire us – what an incredible achievement from the European Ryder Cup Team, and there have already been some amazing performances at the Rugby World Cup. It has also been a period of considerable success for many of the Roehampton Club individuals and teams in croquet, tennis and squash.
What I find just as rewarding though is the level of engagement and activity throughout all the sections, and at all levels and age groups within the club. We see this as an endorsement of many years of continued improvement and investment, but it remains a challenge especially given the increase in usage patterns post COVID across all sports. We have not looked to increase sporting capacity over the last few years and given space / planning constraints it will be extremely difficult to do so going forward. We will need to be mindful of these restrictions with future investment decisions.
Club Survey Update
We have received the results of the Member Survey, plus well over 100 pages of comments. We had over 1,500 (41%) responses, which we were delighted with, so thank you to all those who responded. The survey results are statistically significant to +/- 1.9% margin of error at a 95% confidence level, meaning the results would not vary more than +/-1.9% if the survey was answered by the entire membership 19 out of 20 times.
We had the complete range of positive and negative responses on all items, but the underlying message from the vast majority of members was clear and supportive. And a good mandate to work with.
◊ There is strong Member support for the refurbishment of the Member Bar / Decking area. The House Committee is interviewing potential design consultants we can work with. The intent is to expand and open up the space, making use of the incredible garden and golf course views. There is also an intent to increase the general social event provision around this investment. We were very encouraged by the success of the summer party, post the club tennis finals.
◊ There was also strong support to increase the Padel and Pickleball capacity, although Wandsworth BC Planners have restricted where we will be able to locate any hub. We will not be able to place them close to the existing Padel courts.
◊ The investment for golf practice areas, in the creation of an indoor golf centre and improved short game area, received over 80% member support. We are working through the designs with the planners and architects, as this is by far the largest planned financial investment and we have to make sure that is managed appropriately.
◊ The Clubhouse changing rooms and health club also received good support for investment within the next three years. The Health Club, along with the padel tennis courts, is the most used sporting space within the club, and we have asked the Committee to present its medium term vision for the provision. We will then look to present that to Members.
Click here for the summary survey report
Click here for the current Masterplan 2035
As we set out in the June Chair’s statement, we still need to secure planning approvals, and then approve final costings on all these projects. We need to continue to invest in our Club’s future and continue to get feedback from Members along the way. We are a 5,000-member club, so we all have to recognise we are working towards the betterment of the whole Club for all rather than any section or individual’s preference. Nevertheless, we have the capability to invest in several projects over the next three years without undue finance or operating risk.
Member Forum – Thursday 26th October, 2023
Member Survey and 3-Year Plan
The Board has done considerable work progressing the 3-year plan, and now we have the Member survey feedback we are keen to have an open discussion around this. We will host an open session to review the survey and likely next steps.
We recognise that there is always a balance here, as there are always going to be a range of perspectives, but we are keen to communicate in a very open and transparent way with Members. We will not always all agree, but we hope this will make sure everyone understands the rationale behind the decisions.
Subscription Increases 2024
It is hard to estimate where inflation will be going forward, and it has remained significantly higher than expected throughout 2023. We expect it will fall in 2024, however we anticipate the underlying wage, energy and food prices (the main club expenses) to remain elevated for the foreseeable future.
Given this the Board has decided to increase the subs by 7% for 2024. This is less than the current policy of RPI+ 1%, but we think it will reflect the various cost inflation rates affecting the Club’s operation over that period.
The Board has also agreed that there will be no increase in the annual levy, Member guest fees or subsidiary items such as lockers, battery charging bays, weekend golf passes, nanny passes etc for 2024.
There are also no planned additional increases in subscriptions or fees relating to the Masterplan 2035 investment programme.
Download the fees:
Membership fees 2024
Guest and Other Fees 2024
New Member Fees 2024
Club Foundation
The Club Board has agreed to evaluate the potential creation of a Club Foundation. The Club already gives a significant amount of support to the local community, but the Foundation would aim to provide greater structure and develop a longer-term strategy.
Croquet Section Success
Not to be outdone by our racquets’ teams the Croquet First Team retained their AC National Interclub title last weekend at Didcot. Many congratulations to the team captained by Tim Russell who beat Nottingham Croquet Club 5-2. Click here for the full report. Members can view the very impressive national trophy in the Clubhouse trophy cabinet.
