Club Survey Results are in!

Our club survey shows a strong sense of community and appreciation for the club’s welcoming atmosphere, committed volunteers, and dedicated coaching staff. Many of those who responded to the survey, highlighted the friendliness and positive environment for players of all ages, particularly praising the quality of coaching and the club’s inclusive, family-oriented spirit. The club is widely viewed as a valuable social hub that fosters teamwork and connection across different sections, from youth to vets.

However, several recurring themes point to opportunities for improvement. You frequently mentioned a desire for better communication, both in promoting upcoming events and in sharing club decisions more transparently. Many suggested increasing social events and family-friendly activities to draw members in beyond match days, as well as improving the attractiveness of facilities to encourage private bookings. Other suggestions included more consistent upkeep of facilities and broader outreach to schools and local businesses to strengthen community ties. Overall, while the club is celebrated for its spirit and coaching, there is a clear appetite for more proactive communication and richer social programming to keep members connected year-round.

Executive Response

This season we are keen to improve areas of the club that matter most to you. Being a team of volunteers ourselves, we appreciate that every suggestion cannot be acted upon, for just a sheer matter of time. However, we want to move to a place where members can feed back to the executives of the club, and have an easy route to answers and be given the transparency and discussion members and parents need, by using the feedback form on the website (www.hoverugbyclub.co.uk/feedback), your whatsapp groups, or contacting your chair representative directly we want to foster a free flowing line of communication throughout the club. This is also why these club surveys are key, to allow the leadership to build a picture of what matters most to you. Below is a list of the most bought up improvements that you feel the club needs to make, and here is what how we are addressing them.

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Among these charts, we also received nearly 100 written feedback responses... We've taken the 5 most popular points from all responses to address for you below.

Better Clubhouse facilities & Cleanliness

This year we are planning a series of fix it days throughout the season to ensure that we keep on top of repairs and maintenance of the club. With available funds still tight, we rely heavily on the generosity of members for their time and dedication to help with these days. On match days we work on a volunteer basis, asking all teams to do their bit to keep the changing rooms as clean as possible for the next team coming in. Future plans to update the clubs facilities are now being bought to the table, information on which will be released in due course later in the season.

Repair of equipment

Currently we are spreading what funding we have frugally across the club, ensuring teams have kit and equipment as equally as possible. An initial clean up and sort has been done of the equipment shed, and we are looking at ways to repair the tackle pads that we have at a lesser cost than replacing them. That said we are busy selling socks and are about to launch bobble hat sales, the profits from which will be going to buy new equipment where it cannot be repaired.

Cheaper kit for the youth

We understand that children grow at sometimes, an alarming rate, leaving them in and out of Hove branded kit very quickly. We already have second hand kit available to buy at the club, please ask at the bar for more details on this, there is also a 2nd hand kit exchange whatsapp group, which has been promoted in the Announcements of the club whatsapp to help parents buy, sell and exchange kit to ease expense.

Better Communications

Sadie Graham is now in place as the clubs contact for communications, many of you may have seen the changes that have already been put in place to not only spread internal news but also push marketing through our social media channels. 

The club has a brand new website, that will eventually completely overtake our old pitchero site. Due to current contracts, we need to remain taking membership payments through pitchero for this season, but this will be gone completely come next season, and a new, seamless membership payment system, with it’s own member login area will arise. Tom Ramirez and Sadie are working on the ongoing process of improving the new website’s SEO (search engine optimisation) and reducing the old website on Google. This is a lengthy and ongoing process. 

Newsletters are a big focus this year, we now have a new e-newsletter that goes out at the beginning of every month, we also have a printed “Knock on News” that comes out mid month with more news for the members, this is available both online and in print in the clubhouse. 

We are looking to purchase a new community and “whats on” board for the entrance, to keep members abreast of what’s going on and what’s available at the club. 

A new “News” whatsapp group has been created, so those who have volunteered to feed news and photos of their team can drop information to the comms team quickly and efficiently, meaning now that social media has taken a huge hit of focus, as we open up the main instagram for the club to all sections, promoting every team. However this heavily relies on those in sections feeding news into this new group.

We are taking feedback very seriously this year, and are encouraging anyone with ideas, feedback, improvements or queries to visit: www.hoverugbyclub.co.uk/feedback all feedback is important and will be responded to and gratefully received to help us make a better club for all. 

A new Club Community Directory website is now live and accessible on the main menu of the new website, built by Abi Radford, head of sponsorship, this website gives members a directory of trusted services and businesses available to use affiliated with the club. If you would like your business to be a part of the new directory website, at a discounted introductory rate, please email Abi on sponsorship@hoverugbyclub.co.uk 

Pitches

We started work back in April on the pitches. First thing was to give the pitches (except pitch 2, fertiliser doesn’t work well on mud) a bit of feed. 

Pitch 3: 

This was heavily compacted leading to significant drainage issues, hence the big water craters. We rotavated these areas loosened the surface, top dressed and turfed.  

Pitch 1 & 2 

These were seeded a little later than I wanted to but as a team, we managed to keep the pitches watered and the seed came through quite nicely. We sprayed selective weedkiller, this was because knot grass and plantain were taking over the pitches. The pitches have been fertilised with a slow release fertiliser, we will be reseeding soon with a drill seeder.

Part of the maintenance plan, we are going to aerate. This won’t impact play but we want to get some air into the ground. This will help root growth and also alleviate the heavily compacted ground, to help improve the pitches for less maintenance in the future. We will be “top dressing” (mix of sand & soil for heavy ground) - which helps root growth, drainage and providing a heavier base. Weather depending we will keep on-top of aeration throughout the paying season. The focus for now is P1 and P2, with the plan that next year and the following we have given them a good head start to therefore we spend less on them and focus on p3 and P4. 

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A message from club Treasurer Jason Stott

Financial governance remains a top priority as the Clubs executive team works diligently to deliver balanced budgets that address all playing and asset infrastructure needs. Our goal is to ensure financial stewardship and stability for the present and future.

This season, we are focused on automating, consolidating, and streamlining our financial activities, with ambitious plans to enhance the club on multiple levels. We have implemented month-end finance reports to increase transparency for executive budget holders, who are committed to providing best value and maximising income returns.

Additionally, we have introduced a reforecasting process, allowing us to reassess the draft budget at the end of Q2, January 31st. This will provide a clearer financial position, especially as our income and expenditure peaks during the early months of the playing season.

Last season (2024/2025), the club achieved a breakeven point with a turnover of approximately £330k. These accounts have been audited and filed at Companies House. For the current season (2025/2026), we anticipate a rise in income and expenditure by around £70k, closely monitored as 50% of our income comes from the bar and functions. I encourage everyone to utilise our excellent facilities and subscribing to membership, which can be paid monthly. Further details are available in Appendix one below. 

Appendix One

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Club Improvements

1. Charity Status.

We are nearing completion of our application for charity status. As a registered charity, the club would be exempt from corporation tax on most income, benefit from business rates relief of up to 80%, and qualify for Gift Aid, allowing us to claim an additional 20p for every £1 donated. This status will also provide access to a wider range of grants and funding opportunities, enhancing the club’s long-term sustainability.

2. The Future of the club

We are in the process of resubmitting plans for a clubhouse extension, which received council approval in 2018 but was delayed due to the pandemic. Our staggered approach seeing changing rooms, main extension then veranda terrace, more details to be provided at a later date. Prior application can be found at Simple Search and reference BH2018/01445.

3. Tea Hut & Air Raid Shelter Renovations

We are addressing the urgent renovation needs of The Tea Hut and the Air Raid Shelter, both valuable heritage structures within Hove Recreation Ground. Over the years, weather exposure and wear have led to issues like water ingress and timber decay. Refurbishing these buildings will ensure they remain safe and secure, allowing the club to maintain necessary storage and operational space. Once plans and permissions are in place, we will develop a fundraising strategy for this project.

4. Solar Power

In our commitment to sustainability, we are exploring the installation of solar panels to generate renewable energy. This initiative could save us approximately £5,000 annually, protect against rising energy costs, and allow us to sell surplus electricity back to the grid. The investment would benefit our players, facilities, and community programs while attracting potential grants and sponsorships.

As these plans are not included in the draft budget for 2025/26, we will seek additional funding through corporate sponsors, grants, and internal fundraising efforts. Our team is already enhancing our branded merchandise, including old kits, club socks, and soon-to-be-available club bobble hats, sliders, and blazers for honoured members. A new club website is also in development to drive funds and provide more flexibility for essential equipment purchases.

A working party has been established to facilitate these initiatives, guided by key officers and the executive. We look forward to seeing you at the club this season and welcome any engagement on these topics. 

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We would like to take this opportunity thank every volunteer at Hove Rugby Club who puts in hours of work every week, from leadership to coaches, team managers, photographers and kit washers. We wouldn't be Hove without you.

Thank you to all the members, parents, VPs, life members, supporters and social members for your continued support of everything we strive to achieve both on and off the field.

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