2011; a new season, a new beginning. To those of you that are new to the Club, welcome; to those of you who are going around again, great to see you all again.

This year is set to be a bit of a new experience for a lot of people, but for those who took the time to attend the AGM and helped to shape the future and the direction we are shaping it should come as no surprise.

Usually, at the start of the season, we have problems settling on numbers and teams. This year at the AGM we discussed and endorsed a strategy to alleviate this; I have included an excerpt from the AGM handout which I think covers this new policy. Only the future can gauge if it is the right strategy and weather it had been correctly implemented, but we need to give it a go and work with it and together work through it.

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"SPIRIT THAT IS PRODUCED BY WINNING IS EASILY OBTAINABLE , FICKLE AND DAMAGING "

THE SOLUTION IS EASY, IN THAT YOU NEED TO WORK FOR YOUR SPOT – EVERYONE HAS AN EQUAL CHANCE TO PERFORM AT THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL.

AT THE START OF THE SEASON TEAMS ARE IMMEDIATELY CUT INTO 28 MAN SQUADS – A and B , C and D train as groups .

COACHES AND INJURED WORK AND MONITOR THE WHOLE GROUP.

WHILE ONE TAKES A DRILL OR SKILL SESION THE OTHER CAN CRITIC AND APPRAISE THE WHOLE GROUP WITH OUT BEING DIRECTLY INVOLVED.

USE CHECK SHEET TO VIEW AND ANALYSE – SKILL LEVELS, ERROR RATES, ATTITUDE TO REFORM, PUNCTUALITY, ATTENDANCE OR PARTICIPATION (WHAT EVER IS DEEMED THE KPI OF THE COACHING TEAM AT THAT SESSION).

EVERYONE IS COMPETING FOR THE TOP 14 EACH WEEK THE REMAINDER ARE IN THE LOWER SQUAD.

COMPETITION WILL BRING OUT THE COMPETITIVE EDGE AND DEFINE THE GAP BETWEEN THE ONES WILLING TO APPLY TO THE STANDARDS SET, AS OPPOSED TO THE PERCEPTION THAT WHEN PICKED YOU ARE ENTITLED TO STAY IN ONE GRADE.

BENEFITS TO ALL LEVELS

ADMIN – SQUADS ARE SET EARLY EVEN IF THE ACTUAL TEAMS HAVE NOT BEEN SETTLED

- THUS AVOIDING THE BOTTLE NECKING THAT WAS CAUSED IN PREVIOUS YEARS

- PLAYING ROSTERS ARE ESTABLISHED AND UNIFORM NUMBERS ARE SET

COACHES – GET TIME TO REFLECT AND ANALYSE WHILE BUDDY TAKES DRILLS

- FREES UP MORE TIME FOR PERSONAL ONE ON ONE STUFF

- NOT DOING IT ON YOUR OWN

- STANDARDISED METHODOLIGY

PLAYERS – ACROSS THE BOARD KNOW THEY MUST PERFORM NOT JUST APPEAR

- BY ANALYSING AND DISECTING ERROR RATES AND DEFICIENCIES MAKES STRONGER PLAYERS

- EVEN THE INJURED ARE KEPT ACTIVELY INVOLVED BY DOING STATS , THIS INCREASES THE AWARENESS LEVELS

- HARD WORK WILL BE REWARDED.

- INCREASES THE INTERMINGLEING THROUGH OUT THE TEAMS.