Forfar Curling Centre Club: Membership Proposal 2021/22.
Background:
The FCCC membership for playing curlers out of Forfar Curling Centre has been £2 ever since I can remember and has certainly been at the level for well beyond 20 years. Against the background of COVID financial pressures and ever-increasing communication and administrative tasks the current level of membership fee is unsustainable and requires an urgent review. This should come as no surprise to members as the subject has been considered on numerous occasions in the past however recent events have enforced this to the top of the agenda. The following proposal will also go some way to mitigate the need to increase curling fees for all this coming season.
Forfar is lagging behind most other rinks in Scotland who currently charge their members a membership fee. For example: Aberdeen £40 (rising to £50 if not paid by 1st October), Greenacres £50, Ayr £55 (£5 extra per session for non-members), Lanarkshire £45, Inverness £20, Murrayfield £20.
Objectives:
Our objective is not to place any significant additional financial burden on our curlers, indeed we want to start a facility where we can give something back to those who support the curling club. We also want to keep ice fees as low as possible with no increase for the coming season.
We have already witnessed many improvements and we want to ensure we can continue to develop and enhance curling in and around Forfar. COVID has brought forward a whole new range of challenges we must face. Which in turn means we must review the way curling at Forfar is administered and managed. Payment systems, online services, communications, health and safety considerations, are but a few of the items we are currently reviewing in preparation for the 2021/22 season.
Benefits of FCCC Membership:
When the concept of a membership fee was firstly considered the £2 level was set purely to cover the cost of prizes and trophy engraving since then costs and events have moved on with FCCC & FIS managing and administering a host of additional activities such as coached events, recording of game scores, online presence, social media presence, member communications, competition hosting, and much, much more. Furthermore we want to ensure we can maintain high ice standards and this requires constant upgrading of ice making equipment and of course a highly skilled ice team.
We want to keep improving and developing the curling facility in Forfar through such items as upgraded facilities, improved fresh air ventilation, live video coverage of games, online streaming, social events, individual member benefits, etc. Many rinks are turning to members for donations to support their development plans. We do not intend to do so but we do believe we should bring our membership fees in line, or at least more realistic.
As curling at Forfar works hard to recover from the COVID years we believe a strong membership structure is vital to give us something to build on. We are looking to members to show their support after what has been a testing time for many and help us rebuild.
Proposed Fee Structure:
Having discussed matters with the FCCC Executive committee we are proposing the following membership fees for the 2021/22 season: –
- FCCC Social Members Fee £5: Primarily for non-curlers who still want to support curling in Forfar and make use of the services.
- FCCC Full Member Fee £20: Primarily for playing curlers.
- Junior membership (under 21) fee £5 (subject to further disucssion with FYC)
- New Members in current season £10
Membership Benefits:
- FCCC Full Member Benefits:
- Pay members rate for curling
- 10% discount on curling equipment purchased via FIS
- Free member only coached sessions
- Membership card & newsletter.
- Members only social nights
- 10% discount on Frosty’s & Ice World Entry Fees
- Additional benefits to follow asap:
- Use membership card to pay for curling fees and bar & catering
- Loyalty card
- Pay curling fees in advance online
- Members only zone on website
- It will not be mandatory for curlers playing at Forfar to pay the new membership fee however non-members and visitors will pay an additional £1 per session with curling fees remaining the same as last season at: –
- Evenings & Weekends £13 (non-member £14)
- Daytime £10 (non-member £11)
- Junior £10 (non-member £11)
- Practice Ice £5 (non-member £6)
Summary:
In summary we believe this proposed structure is long overdue and fully warranted. The new FCCC membership fees will be adopted at the FCCC AGM in September, 2021 and will apply for season 2021/22. If anyone has any particular observations or comments, please send them to mike@fis.scot .
Adrian White, FCCC Chairman.