Latest Club Update April 25

An update for members of the Club and what is happening at the Club over the coming months.

Contracts

Our branch bank – Lloyds Bromsgrove is to close soon and with this in mind the Exec have decided that the time has come to go cashless. Whilst the vast majority of payments are, at the moment, received by card, the cost of holding cash by way of insurance and the bank charges associated with paying it in make this change inevitable. Implementation will be throughout May and from 1^st June onwards we will be completely cashless.

With this in mind, we have approached the firm who provide us with the EPOS Till system to enable an APP for members who can add funds to their discount card remotely without having to transact at the Club counter. This should save everyone time and help speed up the drink’s orders.

We have changed several important contracts and commenced new ones for the coming season 2025/26.

Our beer supply has been through Swallow Drinks for several years. We have sourced a new supply with Heineken Direct (HD). The move to HD should see a significant improvement to prices and give price protection in the future, notwithstanding increases in the NLW. A substantial amount of brand products will be made available to the Club most noticeably at the Sportsman’s Lunch on Friday 27^th June 2025

The Club has moved its supplier of soft drinks to Coke a Cola who have come on board providing important new fridges and dispensers together with an attractive opening product delivery which again should improve the look of the bar.

Catering at the Club has been problematical for several years and am pleased to advise you that we are in discussions with two catering firms to establish a professional catering contract ready for the start of next season. We hope to announce the results very shortly.

 

Pitches and Estate

Painting of the interior of the Clubhouse is well underway, there is still the changing rooms and toilet facilities to complete but this will be done in sections over the course of the next 12 months as funds become available.

The pitches themselves in particular the two pitches in front of the Clubhouse will receive more drainage work as well as reseeding and dressing.

The floodlights are a particular future expense as we move all our lighting to LED not only to save costs but also improve illumination especially on the pitches to the rear of the Clubhouse.

The Club has had for many years a problem with its water supply. In 1955 when we moved to Finstall Park the building was small and our water supply from the mains on Finstall Road was appropriate to that size of building. Since then, the Club has grown to more than five times its original size but fed by the same water supply. We are hopeful that funds and expertise will be sourced to commence and increase in the bore diameter of the supply pipe – not a simple job but one which is crucial to our continued development.

Annual General Meeting

The AGM is to be scheduled for the Wednesday 25^th June 2025 for 7:30pm at the Club – I hope you can all come.

Finally, we hope you can come down to the Club during the close season as the bar will be open throughout the summer.  Keep and eye out on social media as the times will be advertised on there.

 

Robin Davies

Hon Secretary

Bromsgrove RFC.