New Brighton Rugby Club Annual Report 2013 (Volume 1) | Page 9

equipment and gear we have been able to do over the past few years. I am certainly seeing it
becoming more difficult to get these funds, so we need to be mindful of this with planning in
future.
From an overall financial perspective, the Club reported a deficit for the last 12 months
after two years of reporting surplus positions. This underlines the changes facing our game at
an amateur level. We are better off than a number of other Clubs given we own our land and
have some investment properties which generate income. The harsh reality is charity funding
is an essential element of our income stream otherwise we would not be able to function.
Club management continue to manage our costs as best we can, so I really appeal to all
members next year to support us for an hour or two each Saturday next season as this makes a
considerable difference to our income stream over the bar. Our initiative this year of
providing complementary food was really well received and kept members in the Club longer
each week. It was a cost we were willing to accept, and also makes the Club a responsible
host. We also grew our social membership numbers considerably this season and it was
encouraging to see a number of past members returning to the Club.
In early September, the Club constructed some offices in the old bar area downstairs and
now has Surf Life Saving NZ administration occupying this space. This is a good commercial
opportunity for the Club to generate some income from a space that would otherwise be
empty.
Work has also been completed to upgrade one of our three rental properties in Rawhiti
Avenue in an attempt to generate more return from this property. Planning is also underway
to consider different options for our remaining two properties, in an attempt to generate a
better return off these as well.
This year also saw the creation of an Academy focussing on building depth in our Colts
grade. This certainly paid off this year with a top four finish, and would not have happened
without the time and energy of a sub-committee lead by Dennis Cations, Scott Taylor and
Tony Hall and the sponsorship they attracted to run the programme.
Sincere thanks goes to Ian Penrose, for his management of the Go for Gold fundraiser once
again this season. Ian was able to sell virtually all the tickets this year, and this effort raises
valuable funds for the Club.
I would once again like to extend my thanks to Roddy Butt for his work this season. RDO
roles are an essential part of any successful Club given the pressure on volunteer times, and
we couldn’t achieve the growth and overall strengthening of our player depth without an
employee working on this for us. We are indebted to the NZ Community Trust who has
funded this position over recent years – this position would simply not be sustainable without
external funding.
A massive thanks goes to our new Bar Manager Roni Wood, and her staff for the efficient
operation of the bar and kitchen. We are very lucky to have a person of her calibre in our
Club, and we look forward to her driving the bar and kitchen for maximum return to the Club
in future.
Rawhiti Community Sport Project
Another year has passed with the RCSI project, and while we are some way off getting a
new building on the domain, a good amount of progress has been made in a number of areas.
March saw our second annual golf tournament, which was a successful day on the back of
securing sponsors for all 18 holes. Despite having a smaller than ideal number of participants,
it was a successful fundraising event for RCSI.