AGM NOTICE

In accordance with the Club’s Constitution, this is a notice of the upcoming 25th Annual General Meeting of Herts Baseball Club.  The AGM will take place as follows:
 
DATE
Sunday, 5 December 2021

TIME
10:30am (AGM expected to end at around 12:30pm)

VENUE
This year’s AGM will be held online via Zoom. Club members will receive an email with details how to join the Zoom call.

JUNIOR MEMBERS
Under the Club’s Constitution, members under the age of 14 on 31 December 2021 are classified as Junior Members and do not have voting rights at General Meetings. Regardless of this, if you are under the age of 14, you and your parents are very much invited to attend the AGM, especially as so many of the parents of our youth members are involved as players, coaches, volunteers and members of staff.
 
POTENTIAL NEW MEMBERS
Although only 2021 club members have the right to vote at this AGM, the meeting is very much open to potential new members who are considering joining the club in 2022.  This is a good opportunity for new players, volunteers and members of staff to learn more about the club and meet its members.  If you fall into this category and wish to attend the AGM, please contact the club.
 
OBSERVERS
The meeting is also open to observers who are not members of the Club. If you fall into this category and wish to attend the AGM please contact the club.
 
AGM PACK
Ahead of the meeting, the AGM Information Pack will be sent out to 2021 members. It will include information such as the AGM agenda, 2021 report, financial statements, election details and more. 
 
ELECTION OF 2022 BOARD MEMBERS
In accordance with the Constitution, a number of Board positions will be up for election at the upcoming AGM either as part of the annual retirement of a third of the Board positions or because they are vacant.
 
The club is now inviting nominations for the following Board positions:  
BOARD POSITIONS (appointment duration in brackets)

• Treasurer (term ends 31st December 2024)
• Club Secretary (term ends 31st December 2022)
• Shop Manager (term ends 31st December 2024)
• Facilities Manager – Grovehill (term ends 31st December 2022)
• Welfare Officer (term ends 31st December 2024)
• Manager NBL (term ends 31st December 2022)
• Manager Single-A or Double-A² – Hemel Hempstead (term ends 31st December 2023)
• Manager Single-A or Double-A² – NW London (term ends 31st December 2024)
• Manager Single-A or Double-A² – NW London (term ends 31st December 2022)
• Head of U15 Baseball – Hemel Hempstead (term ends 31st December 2024)
• Head of U13 Baseball – Hemel Hempstead (term ends 31st December 2023)
• Head of U11 Baseball – Hemel Hempstead (term ends 31st December 2022)
• Head of U15 Baseball – NW London (term ends 31st December 2024)
• Head of U13 Baseball – NW London (term ends 31st December 2024)
• Head of Softball (term ends 31st December 2023)

Notes:

² The leagues which our teams will enter in 2022 will not be known until after the AGM. The Club may also decide to add or remove teams from the BBF leagues depending on the number of players registering for 2022. If the club enters fewer teams than expected, one or more of these board positions may be removed after the AGM.
 
Current Board members are eligible to stand for re-election. All members are invited to consider any of the Board positions and put their names forward for one or several of them. 
 
Being a Board Member is an excellent opportunity to be involved in shaping the future of Herts Baseball Club. If you are considering applying for any of the positions, but are unsure about it, you can get in touch with current or past Board members who can give you more information about what the role involves and what to expect if elected. If you require more information about any of the above Board positions please contact the club.
 
HOW TO CONFIRM YOUR CANDIDACY
If you decide to run for any of these Board positions please confirm your candidacy by posting a message in the Herts Baseball Online Forum (Click here to view). If you have difficulties accessing the forum with your username and password please contact the club.
 
NOMINATION PROCESS
Nominations require two votes – nomination and second.  Nominations of Board members can be received at any time, including during the AGM. Nominations can only be accepted from persons eligible to vote at the AGM. If you are concerned about the nomination process, members of the current Board would be happy to consider supporting your nomination and giving you the necessary two votes to be able to stand for election, so feel free to get in touch with current Board members. To nominate or to second a candidate, post in the Herts Baseball online Forum.
 
BOARD AND STAFF MEMBER REBATE
Ahead of the Board elections, a reminder that, in consideration of the time and effort which Board members give in performing their Board roles and which effectively means that they are unable to enjoy the full benefit of their membership, they will be entitled to a membership fee rebate. The Board reviews the rebate system from time to time. Here is an example of how it is likely to be applied during the upcoming season:

•  members of the Board are expected to be entitled to a rebate of around 50% or more of the respective membership fee payable by them during the year. 
• if one Board role is held by two or more individuals, such individuals can share the rebate between them as the burden of performing the role is shared between them.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
In accordance with article 14.3 of the Club’s Constitution “Additions to, or alterations of the constitution shall be submitted to the Secretary not less than 10 (ten) days before the date of the meeting. No resolution involving an amendment to the constitution may be proposed or amended from the floor of a meeting.” If any members wish to propose a constitutional amendment please send it by contacting the club by 23:59 on 25 November 2021, at the latest. You can find a copy of the Constitution on the club’s website (click to view).

The Basing Hill Ballpark project has been given a lifeline in the campaign to secure funding but the odds are still stacked heavily against it with the deadline looming.

In March, Herts Baseball Club came very close but missed out on receiving funding from the Mayor of London for the project.  Despite securing pledges from 125 other backers, the original crowdfunding target of £55,000 was just too far to reach without the support from the Mayor. 

That campaign’s deadline passed last week so it has now ended. All 125 pledges have been cancelled and no money will be taken from the bank accounts of those who made a pledge.

Over the last few weeks the club has been exploring ways to keep to the original timeline so that the playing field can be re-graded, levelled and the grass seeds can be planted this September, while the later stages of the project can be implemented when the club secures the required funding. If this cannot be done in time for the September grass-growing season, the project would be delayed by at least 12 months which means that the growing number of adult and youth baseball teams would have to play one more year on the same grass surface which is not fit for purpose.

The club has now launched a scaled down crowdfunding campaign on Spacehive with a target of £21,409 which covers this first phase of the project. 

It has pitched to the London Borough of Barnet who have just made a £4,000 pledge which has given the project a lifeline.

It is now up to the club to mobilize its members and fans as well as the community and businesses around Basing Hill to see if they can reach the target in the limited time that remains.

If the club succeeds, Basing Hill Ballpark will not only bring baseball and softball into the heart of the community but will also revitalise this small, but cherished, outdoor space. The park will become a family oriented setting with organised events for the whole community in a Covid-secure environment.

The campaign must reach the target by 16 August 2021.  The money pledged will be received by the club only if the project hits the target.  If it doesn’t, all pledges will be cancelled.

If the target is reached, work on the project is expected to commence in September and the resurfaced playing field and the new grass should be ready in time for the 2022 baseball season.

For more information about the campaign and to make a pledge, go to the Basing Hill Ballpark (Phase 1) project on Spacehive.

The Basing Hill Ballpark crowdfunding campaign has received a boost with the news that its pitch to the London Borough of Barnet was successful and they have made a pledge of £4,000 to the project.

Herts Baseball Club suffered a setback in March when they learned that they narrowly missed out on funding from The Mayor of London‘s Make London Fund.

Since then the club has been in discussions with businesses and organisations and, although the campaign is still far from its fundraising target, today’s news may have a positive effect on the discussions which are taking place with other potential backers.

The pledge from Crowdfund Barnet means that, to date, the campaign has received pledges from 125 backers amounting to £16,528 which is 29% of the £55,804 target.

Businesses, sponsors and other backers who may be interested to support the project can contact the club to discuss ways in which this could be a good fit and beneficial for them. They would have the additional assurance from the fact that the club passed the project viability verification process carried out by the independent organisation Locality, which was a prerequisite to pitch to the Mayor of London.