Members and Friends of Merrion
So much has been said and written about the pandemic and its influence on everyday life in Ireland. Everything we have done as a club over the last 18 months has had to take its impact into account, and it looks like we will be living with Covid for some time to come. However, for the rest of this letter I will aim to update you on cricketing matters and talk about some of our plans for the future.
On the cricket front we have come through the 2021 season well with both our Open and Womens Premier teams getting to their respective [first competition] finals. And of course, the Open 1st XI won the League Cup [which used to be called the Alan Murray T20 Trophy]. Overall, we managed to field six Open teams [one of these just for the first half of the season], three Womens teams [for the first time] and 12 youth teams.
While the numbers of senior playing members has fallen as a direct result of Covid we hope that we can grow numbers back to where they were before the pandemic quite quickly. The addition of an extra Womens team means that we have the highest number of women playing members ever. And, our youth numbers have already grown back strongly this year and are over 250 – boys and girls.
It has been hard to fit in the various social teams – the Taverners, Veterans and Cavaliers – but they have all managed to at least get some game time in the shortened season and we hope for more matches next year.
I would like to thank all those members, many new to the club, for joining up this year. It was the most successful ever in terms of subscriptions collected. There is still time for anyone who wants to maintain their links with the club to do so. The options are as a voting Pavilion Member [€165] or as a Social Member [€50]. Membership can be renewed or applied for online on the club website – https://www.merrioncricketclub.ie or simply post a cheque to the club.
As you may be aware, the club held a Special General Meeting in July. The main purpose of this meeting was to change the Club Rules to permit online General Meetings. This will allow the AGM to take place as normal (albeit probably virtually) before the end of October. There will be further communication on this at a later stage.
The other change in the Rules that was approved at the SGM was to increase the permitted number of Life Memberships. The Management Committee has subsequently approved the release of five Life Memberships at €6,000 each. This offer is open until the end of the year. The cost of Life Membership will be reviewed in 2022 in light of the overall level of membership subscriptions in the club. All monies received from Life Memberships will go towards reducing the Club’s mortgage which currently absorbs nearly €30,000 per annum in capital repayments and interest. Paying off the mortgage is the top economic priority facing the club at the moment. Please contact me or Eddie Lewis if this is of interest.
As we approach the end of the season it is time to reflect on future plans. A major nets project was completed this year and we are hoping to make further investments in the ground and at Bird Avenue next year. A Strategy Statement was published during the year, with input from focus groups drawn from across the club membership. The Management Committee is currently putting together an implementation plan across all the areas of club activities. As always, we are keen to get the views of members about what needs to be done, what changes to the way we run things are desirable and what priorities should be set. If you have thoughts on what has gone well during the season, or with ideas about how they would like things done differently, please e/mail your thoughts to info@merrioncricketclub.ie.
Finally, on the finance side. Merrion has managed to keep its head above water this last year. This has been in part due to prudent management, in part thanks to the various pandemic support schemes / grants that we were able to avail of, and mainly due to our members’ generous donations to our capital fund which allowed us to develop new practice facilities without dipping into monies needed for the day-to-day running of the club.
With many of the pandemic supports coming to an end, a key focus next year must be to find more support from business sponsors. So if you know any company that might be interested in partnering with the club in any way – booking events, sponsoring matches or teams, taking out advertising or becoming a corporate member – please ask them to contact us to explore how we might mutually benefit the company and Merrion. Anyone interested should contact Siobhan Forkin, at chairfinance@merrioncricketclub.ie.
Hoping to see you all in the club before the end of season.
President : Merrion Cricket Club
Email: president@merrioncricketclub.com