Hello everyone,

Last week the club held its AGM. Following this I would like to update you on some positive developments that are taking place that will help support the running of our club going forward.

New committee

At the AGM we elected our new committee. I am extremely honoured to be your next President. I would like to thank our outgoing President, David Hanley, and the rest of the outgoing committee for a fantastic year of contribution and achievement on so many levels.

I am delighted to announce that Richie Porter is our new Vice President. He was previously our men’s tennis captain and is a cornerstone of our annual Sandycove show. He is a man of many talents!

A huge thank you to each member of our new committee for volunteering. Please reach out to congratulate and thank them. Our new committee is as follows:

New sub-committees

At the AGM we also announced that we are establishing new sub-committees with specific responsibilities. Many thanks to all involved. These are as follows:

• A groundworks sub-committee will look into the potential redevelopment and refurbishment of parts of our clubhouse. This will consider upgrading changing room and bathroom facilities at ground level and other opportunities. David Hanley and Paul McMillan have kindly volunteered to be on this and it will be expanded in due course.
• Shelagh Cunningham and Jim O’Hanlon have offered to provide support and oversight for our TDO. They will have responsibility for allocating the funds that the club provides each year to support the development of tennis at both junior and senior level.
• Paul Fitzgerald and Paul McMillan, in conjunction with Amanda Chambers and Chloe Giacometti, will review opportunities to expand the club’s capabilities with Smart Club. This is our new technology platform that has transformed aspects of how we run the club.

Child Protection Officers

Ian Brady has kindly volunteered to be our new male child protection officer and Designated Liaison Person (DLP) replacing Keith O’Byrne who is required to step down having done the role for the maximum period allowed of five years. A huge thanks to Keith for this significant contribution. Many thanks to Natalie Flanagan, who continues to be our female child protection officer.

These roles are vital for the safeguarding and protection of our children and junior members and are required both by law and under the club’s constitution.

Other roles

Greg McDowell has assembled a large squad of volunteers to support him in the running of men’s tennis over the next 12 months. Many thanks to all involved.

We have a small army of volunteers to help us run our social events. A number of these are new to helping out and their contributions are extremely welcome. And we continue to have a large number of ever present club stalwarts helping out. There are too many names to mention!

We also continue to get an extraordinary level of support from a wide range of members that contribute to the running of our club in other ways. Our club is a thriving community and it is the spirit of co-operation and support for each other that is at the heart of its success.

Final note

For anyone interested in understanding the different aspects of how our club is run I would suggest joining our committee for a year or offering to help out in other ways. This provides invaluable insight and perspective on the club.

Please contact me or another member of the committee if you are interested in volunteering in any capacity or if you have ideas to share. Everyone and all ideas are extremely welcome.

I am looking forward to another great year ahead for Sandycove Tennis and Squash Club!

Colin Grant

President