Chair’s Message – 2nd May 2024
Approaching one full year as Chair, I continue to believe our Club is in great shape. Participation remains elevated across all the sports and activities, and the waiting list to join remains strong. This is largely due to our long-term investment in our facilities and staff. I am proudly biased about the Club and its prospects, as I have mentioned in my previous messages, the Open Forum and will repeat at the AGM.
- This Club is positioned as one of the premier multi-sports clubs in the country.
- Our facilities and member usage of them are exceptional.
- It is a privilege to be a Member, and the membership is the Club’s biggest asset.
- We need to cater for a diverse range of levels, ages and sports, so we have to always think about the broader Club rather than just our personal or sectional preferences.
- We cannot rest on our laurels and need to consider appropriate future investment into our Club’s infrastructure as well as its membership and staff.
The following is an amalgamation of several letters and related communications that you will have received as part of the AGM and Annual Report process plus my monthly messages. I recognise people are busy and won’t have had the time to read them all, hence I have attempted to summarise some of the key things that we as a Board are currently focused on.
We continue to work through the designs and pre-planning work on the three upcoming projects, all of which have reasonably significant embedded risks. The Board has agreed that we should phase these projects so that we can better manage the financial and operating risk should we get a material issue. The two key areas where there could be surprises relate to the Clubhouse infrastructure, much of which is close to or at end of life, and whenever we dig down into the ground. We cannot eliminate risk, but we are very focused on how we best reduce it.
If you can, please try and attend the AGM – it’s on Thursday 23rd May at 7.30pm and papers have been sent out. The AGM is being convened to transact the statutory business required by the company’s Articles and the Companies Act. As is customary, there will also be short presentations from the Chief Executive on the revised Masterplan 2035 and from the Chair of Finance on the Club’s current financial position. These will be followed by a question-and-answer section, and questions for this are requested in advance to allow a full answer to be given at the meeting.
Please read the reports attached to the Accounts. They provide a detailed picture of the Club’s performance for 2023. As noted in my Chair’s statement, the Club has performed well once more, is in a healthy position financially and has a strong waiting list for prospective Members. With the uncertainty of the pandemic years to a large degree behind us the Board has created a three-year development plan to enhance communication with members and speed execution. This forms part of the Masterplan 2035 and intends to reflect the wishes of Members as outlined in the summer 2023 Member survey.
Election of Directors
We have five candidates for four vacancies on the Board of Directors. Biographical details for all five have been sent out and are on the noticeboard in Reception. Postal votes or votes in person are accepted so please ensure, as a shareholder, you cast your vote. Closing date is 15th May.
Overview of 2023 and first quarter of 2024
Electrification of Kitchen – Environmental and Clubhouse Upgrade
In March 2024 we completed the electrification of the kitchen to remove gas, making it more sustainable and benefitting from power generated by our solar panels. The project was important on several fronts as it saves energy usage, upgrades both our kitchen operational capability and the internal electrical distribution network while continuing the modernization of the Clubhouse infrastructure. This modernization is important, as the Clubhouse is over 50 years old and we need to make sure it is fit for purpose over the next 50 years. We anticipate the need to upgrade the air-handling, ventilation and electrical capability across the Club to underpin all our improvements.
Partnership with Pure Sports Medicine – Health and Wellbeing
In January 2024, the refurbishment of The Studio was completed by PSM. This included upgraded treatment rooms along with a new active rehabilitation space featuring focused high-spec Technogym equipment. It will allow the clinic to become CQC-registered which will enable us to introduce Sports and Exercise Medicine consultant services once complete. We have received very positive member feedback on the new look and it’s pleasing to see how Inga, Nicola, Ronél and Cristina have merged successfully into the new team.
Creation of a Three-Year Development Plan, Club Survey and Member Forum
We created a three-year development plan linking into the broader 2035 Masterplan. The intent was to increase our communication with Members and accelerate our execution given the current complexity in costs, staffing and planning approvals. Given we are a 5,000+ member club we knew there was a large diversity of opinions on most matters. To better understand member preferences we conducted a (i) member survey of the potential nearer term projects and (ii) held a follow up Member Forum in October 2023 after releasing the summary survey results.
Masterplan 2035 Project Update
Following on from the Survey and Forum we have made good progress on the three main development projects. We have worked on gaining planning approvals where necessary and on final tender costings and we are currently looking at risk mitigation strategies for all the projects.
Clubhouse – Bar, Terrace and wrap around decking
We aim to transform the appeal of the Club’s social areas in Q1 2025. DesignLSM has been chosen to lead on interior design working closely with the House Committee. We will look to walk the Members through the concept in the next few months to allow for input. We will need planning approval for the wrap around decking, which we hope to have some form of retractable roof for the terrace overlooking the gardens. If we secure approval we will look to start work on the Terrace in October and the Bar and Social areas next January. Given the need for support foundations for the decking, and to upgrade our facilities infrastructure we have structural engineers currently assessing this in detail.
Padel and Pickleball Hub on Courts 25 to 28
We are evaluating the construction of up to five more padel and six pickleball courts within the Hub. Design ideas have been generated with and without the key consideration of being able to construct and afford roof coverings. We have discussed the concepts with Wandsworth Planning and will receive their written feedback shortly. In addition, we are currently evaluating how we can integrate Renewable Energy generation into the project, which could involve Air or Ground Source Heat Pumps and solar panels roofing.
Indoor Golf Centre and SGPA
We remain in pre-app phase discussions with Wandsworth Council Planners and are cautiously optimistic as the current designs have received officer support. We hope to have satisfied the new BREEAM and Biodiversity net gain (BNG) regulations and make a formal application in the next fortnight and only then if we receive planning approval can we go out for formal tenders. If we are successful, the current expectation is that we would break ground in early 2025.
Community Engagement
The 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. Initially it would be a separate, defined entity and report into the Board. The governance and core objectives are being finalized, and the aim is to facilitate the Club and M ember support of our local community, with an emphasis on the Roehampton and West Putney wards. An important part of this plan will relate to the Clubs Inclusive Sport and Activity provision, both for Members and the local community. We have continued our support of Rackets Cubed, the charity hosted here and we actively contribute to the Roehampton Partnership and continue to support local community groups on the nearby Alton Estate.
Conclusion
I would like to conclude by thanking all our staff for their dedication and commitment throughout 2023/4 especially dealing over recent months with challenges from the wet weather. The Club we enjoy as Members would not be what it is without them.