The Board Report
December 2020
The Board Report is a summary of board meetings conducted by directors of the Aspley Hornets intended to provide information to club members every month as to the board’s workings.
This was the first meeting following the clubs 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM). It involved welcoming the new and re-elected Directors to the board.
President: Keith Hill (new, two years)
Secretary: Tim Gillespie (re-elected, two years)
Senior Football: Mal Lewis (new, two years)
Directors:
Brett Stenson (new, two years)
Damian Cavanagh (new, two years)
Matthew Tucker (new, two years)
Mick Trost (re-elected one year)
The board is excited to have a full contingent of directors to help achieve our goals over the coming twelve months.
Football Report
Our football directors and department are hoping for a full and uninterrupted season next year and everyone has been busy preparing for it. Our goal is to continue delivering opportunities for all players across the club at all ages and genders.
Given the breadth of the club, we have outlined the different segments of the club below.
Seniors:
- Recruiting for our 2021 VFL/East Coast team is all but complete. The coaches and staff are feeling confident about the strength of the list.
- The QAFLW team numbers are good, and our football department and coaches believe that we have built a healthy list for next year. The Season Launch will coincide with the opening game of the QAFLW in 2021, on Feb 27th.
- Our QFA team is still shaping up, and the club is looking to get the right balance between existing senior men and the young talent we are retaining within the club. The 2021 coach for the QFA is Michael Smith.
Juniors:
- Our volunteers are working hard to complete this year’s football yearbook, which is in a new format.
- Off-season development evenings have continued this year under the guidance of Jarrad Marsh.
- The football department has all its plans well in hand for next years program, including our marketing for registration day. This year, we will have pop-up stalls in three shopping centres, following the last year’s success at Aspley Hypermarket. Volunteers assistance gratefully accepted.
- Youth Pre-season will commence the week of Jan 20th.
Club Business
The board has been very encouraged by the continuing good patronage of the club in all areas. Despite the challenges throughout 2020, we’ve seen positive numbers in all areas since our re-opening and leading into the holiday season.
Our club membership is at its highest in a very long time and sits above 18,000. Membership numbers have grown based on mandatory membership to aide Danni and her team manage our Covid obligations. Despite that, we look forward to continuing our engagement with all members throughout 2021 as we look to grow our overall membership base.
The building committee is continuing its work to lock in the redevelopment timeline for the Café operations area. The board agreed to invest in improving the capacity of the Café following on from the increased patronage of it since the opening of the deck.
This redevelopment will see a modified counter area and increased kitchen and storage capabilities to ensure we can continue to grow in this area and handle the larger numbers being served there with a wide array of food.
At the Board Table
After reviewing the AGM this year, the board has determined that at future AGMs where a president has competition for their position, the board will elect, before the AGM, a board member not up for re-election to chair the meeting, as per the club constitution. We feel this will allow future AGMs to run without disruption.
The president and board have agreed to the new portfolios assigned to directors, enabling the club to continue developing. These are:
Commercial Operations Committee: K Hill, P Goeldner, D King, T Gillespie
Junior Football: B Dunlop, assisted by B Stenson and D Cavanagh
Senior Football: M Lewis assisted by M Tucker
Public Relations & Marketing: D King
Facilities & Management: M Trost
Sponsorship & Apparel: S Reeves
Community Engagement: D Cavanagh & B Stenson
Corporate Governance: T Gillespie
All board members are active in their portfolios and within other sub-committees and areas as needed.
The board will be conducting its strategic planning in early 2021 which will drive the club’s direction over the coming years.
Other Business
The board is pleased to advise that the Bus organised for members to go to and from Brisbane Lions games will continue. There are several seats still available for this, should any members wish to participate. Please contact the club secretary Tim Gillespie for more information.
The CAP committee is making good progress on the History Website that is being built for members.
The board recognises that it is here to ensure the successful management of the club for the members. Any member wishing to provide feedback for consideration by the board can do so by sending correspondence via the club secretary.