2017-12-31-annual-report - Riversdale Otters Amateur Swimming Club

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RIVERSDALE OTTERS ASC end of year summary up to & including 31/12/17 Registered Charity Number: NIC105302, 2 Lisnafin Park, Strabane, Co Tyrone BT82 9DQ

TEL: 07521 495059 Email: riversdaleotters@gmail.com www.riversdaleotters.com

Riversdale Otters ASC is in its best place since the emergency committee of myself and Sharron and our head coach, Martina, took over in 2014.

Membership is at capacity. We registered 30 competitive swimmers with Swim Ulster through the season & by seasons end we have had on our books 103 swimmers.
Competitive squad back to its 2014 level: over 30 in many sessions.
Junior/teaching section of the club re-invigorated by;
increased parent involvement through new volunteers
Augmented coaching team with the inclusion of three new members of the coaching team and new progression path identified.
• more medals won in open competition
Strengthened club identity through branding (gear) & greater social media presence.
• Land training
• 50m Training
Purchase of underwater camera equipment to improve stroke analysis.
Challenges going into 2018
The main challenge will be the prospective changes to pool availability which will in all likelihood affect current sessions in both their duration and days held. These changes are due to the restructuring of service delivery within the council’s leisure sector. These changes are unavoidable but I am confident that the committee and club will embrace the challenge they represent.
A further impact on the club will come through the requirement for the new Skills initiative being promoted by Swim Ulster.
Better strategic planning needed: finance, club development, coach recruitment, training and planning.
Lack of pool availability in the council district & Riversdale Leisure Centre limits on lane availability. Only on Saturday do we have all 6 lanes.
Need to reduce the workload on club treasurer/secretary and committee in general by using new technology and additional volunteers.
Need to involve more parents to meet our own needs and the demands of Swim Ulster.
Swim Ireland requirements on volunteers (vetting, training, GDPR, Go Membership) have been and will become more onerous.

Retention of members is poor, partly because our teenagers have become disconnected from the club as they become older and need to be incentivised through educational and volunteering opportunities and increased social interaction outside of the pool. Partly because we need to improve the junior programme and prevent logjam as well as improve how we deal with the waiting lists and communicate better.

Coaching

Improved structure in the junior club. Coach coordination, recruitment and training.

Communications

Potential development of a website, Teamer, Facebook

Fund raising

As well as identifying recurring grants volunteers needed to raise money to benefit current members through treats and subsidies.
• Interclub galas
• Sponsored swims

Jennifer Devenney, Chairperson, Riversdale Otters ASC, 09/01/2018