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National Federation of Anglers
Minutes of the Extraordinary General Meeting held at the National Water Sports Centre, Adbolton Lane, Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham NG12 2LU on Saturday 6th December 2008
Present
Terry Fell (TF) Chairman
Mark Lloyd (ML) CEO Elect of Angling Trust
Board
Mick Turner (MT) Director
Barry Sweet (BS) Director
Dave Harper (DH) Director
Eric Bootland (EB) Director
Lynda Lythgoe (LL) Director
Roy Retallick (RR) Director
Ken L Aske (KA) Director
Bob Dyer (BD) Non Executive for Business & Finance
John Mitchell (JM) Non Executive Director Development
Central Office Staff
Sandra Drew NFA
Julie Walkden NFA
Life Members
David Kent
Apologies
Alan Bates, Life Member
Lincoln & District AA
Shirebrook AC
Slaithwaite & District AC
Clubs & Individual Members in Attendance
Details in Appendix 1
Clubs in Membership as at December 2007
Details in Appendix II
1. Opening of the EGM and Introduction
Terry Fell, Chairman NFA
A letter from Pauline Ball, widow of the late Ken Ball was read out to wish everyone well for the EGM. Appreciation was expressed and it was noted to send Pauline good wishes from the NFA.
“A lot has happened since we last met. We set up the ADB to develop angling which has the same professional standard of other sports. Setting up the ADB has proven to be very successful, and child protection policies have been put in place.
The OCN resource has been taken into schools. The website has 6 million hits per year. We have put in professional staff at central office, and spent £40,000 on improving the NFA. We cut rates for clubs, and introduced £10.00 individual membership fees. We believe to move forward we need to move with one united voice and need a National Governing Body to represent anglers.
We tried to develop one body 10-20 years ago, which didn’t get off the ground.
Two years ago we started the process again and, at the time I didn’t think we would get this far.
But thanks to the commitment and hard work from all concerned, it looks as if we’ve almost achieved the impossible.
Salmon & Trout were involved from day one, but when they obtained charitable status they said they couldn’t defend angling, and withdrew. A decision was made to continue the process without Salmon and Trout and to also keep the game discipline within the unification process.
I make no apologies for today as I believe that this is the future for all aspect of angling.
Today is about having a stronger body to represent angling, and hopefully it will be seamless. As far as the NFA is concerned I am very proud of what we have achieved. Everything that the NFA has developed over the past four years is our gift to angling and to the new unified body. Without the NFA there wouldn’t have been any ADB, child protection policy and OCN.
I believe that Mark Lloyd will be a very successful CEO of the Angling Trust and we have every confidence in him.”
2. Presentation on the Angling Trust – Mark Lloyd, CEO Elect for the Angling Trust.
ML thanked everyone for attending the EGM. A presentation was carried out by ML.
It is not the end of the consultations, it starts here and we want to know your views today and for you to voice your opinions. We need to have a working, efficient organisation that will deliver what it says and it will succeed or fail, based on whether its members believe we are delivering what we say.
The Angling Trust will be made up of, ACA, NAFAC, NFA, NFSA, SAA, and FACT. The ADB will become part of Angling Trust next year after the Governance Assurance process with Sport England is carried out and we have achieved Governing Body Status.
We are hoping that once we have created the new organisation then other organisations will join.
The new organisation will be much bigger and we will do all the things that the current organisations do now, plus much more.
The new body will be high profile, and will provide one voice for angling. We need to get the message across professionally, as there are thousands of anglers out there who don’t know what we currently do, so we need to get the message out to them via the angling media and the national media.
The new body will be much more efficient and reduce the duplication of effort. Having one body we will be able to get new and better sources of funding and we will capitalize on this.
We held a Competitions and Performance meeting last weekend for all the disciplines of Competitions, and it was proven to show massive benefits by bringing it all together.
We want to be able to offer you all better membership benefits to join, so you get more back than you put in.
It has huge synergies bringing all the staff working together.
We will have professional staff in post, and I am very impressed by the NFA staff. Angling Trust will be a single point of contact for all angling.
We also need to bring young people into the sport, to get them out fishing in a safe environment, so child protection is imperative.
We also need to broaden the profile of anglers as 95% are male and we need to get more women and people of all backgrounds into the sport.
We need to promote angling to the wider public. For example,
BBC Executives need to be educated about angling and its benefits.
The general public needs to understand what we do and what quantifiable benefits there are for people of all ages.
We will run competitions and events, and will need to provide better sponsorship packages and greater prize money.
We also need to ensure that our National and International teams receive the recognition they deserve.
We also need to sell ourselves as environmentalists, as the Environment and Fish Welfare are huge issues.
Through the market research we have carried out as part of the development of the Angling Trust, it has been shown that there is a huge overlap between the different disciplines of angling.
By 2010 the aspiration is to have 100,000 members. If we could get these members onboard it would be a powerful tool to challenge the law makers.
We will be the Governing Body for all disciplines of angling.
There will be a professional press office, getting articles into the national press and to also reach non anglers.
We need to lobby at local, national, regional and international level.
The new organisation will have two separate entities within Angling Trust.
We have just finalized the Memorandum of Association and rules, and are in the process of drawing up an agreement between Angling Trust and Fish Legal. Members will be able to nominate and vote board members in and we will bring groups together to form Committees which will be manned by volunteers and supported by professional full time staff.
We will send out regular newsletters to clubs, and promote clubs via the Angling Trust website which is in development at the moment, and will be very useful for Junior Members.
We have a new insurance package with exceptional cover with Perkins Slade, which is better than any of the currently available packages and have got their best rates to cover all disciplines.
Rates of insurance will be available in the club leaflets going out to all Clubs in the next couple of weeks.
Clubs will have to be members of Angling Trust to fish in Competitions.
Angling Times are in strong support of the new organisation, and the angling press is excited about the merger.
The trade and press have indicated that they will place free adverts for us and we will be holding a high profile launch in January to attract mainstream media coverage.
I am confident that we will get the level of membership we require.
To do this we need to deliver, and be seen to be taking action where it matters, as words are all very well, but we need to ensure we do what we say.
We have a Fish For Free cardless loyalty programme, which will help reduce the cost of fishing, earning points each time you spend money at high street and on-line retailers. If you spend £800 at participating high street, online and angling retailers you can pay for an annual rod licence, and each individual can have up to 15 cards registered on the scheme.
The Fish 4 Free loyalty programme will be available on our website, along with the necessary links to participating stores and on-line outlets.
3. Question & Answer Session – Mark Lloyd, CEO Elect for the Angling Trust
Derek Brown, Worksop &District -When will the new club information be made available.
ML – Very shortly, we are just waiting for it to be printed and it will go out to all clubs first class post.
Stan Jefferies, Leeds & District ASA -Does the 10,000 members include members of all clubs.
ML – No they are meant to be individual members, but obviously the clubs do have individual members. We want the clubs to encourage all members to become separate individual members of the organisation. We’ve made club rates affordable.
Trevor Johnson, Milton Keynes AA- We are paying £10 already, is it going to cost £20 to fish Nationals?
TF – This is about a new organisation going forward, not just for one thing. We have to sell the benefits of being an individual member.
We may re-organize competition development and will be looking at National Championships for 2010, but it is too late for 2009 to offer changes.
Mike Straw, Mansfield & District AA-Why is it called Angling Trust? It is a poor title, and doesn’t reflect on anglers. It should have England in the title as ‘Trust’ is a sensitive word.
ML – It will be more than just a match-fishing body and the name reflects those other activities. We have to appeal to non anglers. People get used to names and logos in time.
Maggie Petch, Northampton Nene AC- We have about 92% of our anglers out there that do not fish competitions, but we haven’t heard anyone mention them. They already pay £10 as a donation which may be ok, and are already members of a club, so they will not want to pay £20 to join as an individual member, especially in this credit crunch crisis
ML – They can get £40/£50 back in benefits from joining the organisation.
Dennis Lemmon, Leeds & District - Have the press been invited to this meeting, and if not why?
ML – This is an NFA meeting. A press release will be circulated after the meeting.
DL - I also disagree with sending credit card details back on the new membership form in the post, people may be anti sending card details in as they can have details compromised.
ML – The forms are gummed to form an envelope to secure anyone’s credit card and personal details.
DL - What about adding £2.00 on the EA Rod Licence for memberships!
ML – We need primary legislation to do this and we will explore what opportunities there are. This would only be agreed to once the Angling Trust is up and running and well supported by anglers.
TF – We need to be an individual body to represent anglers. £20 gives public liability insurance. How many anglers out there have any cover at all?
Bill Harris, Godalming AS- I think that for the 3rd party insurance cover for individuals the membership package is worth the £20.00. Try and get it for less.
Delegate, Bolton & District -What will be done for Disabled anglers?
TF – We will work with the ADB to set up local Committees with the RDOs and to push this through to a higher level.
Delegate question- What impact will it have on the merger now Salmon & Trout have withdrawn?
ML – They have given up governing body status for Game angling, which we will now take onboard. There are a huge number of anglers who need to be represented and we need to fight and stand up for their rights.
David Kent, Life Member - Fish Legal seems strange to be stuck out on a limb. Will it be another expense to be a member of Fish Legal, as this could be a sticking point for clubs joining!
ML – We tried initially to get it as one subscription and, we want to make it as affordable as possible. Anyone who wants to join Fish Legal has to be a member of ‘AT’.
The ‘ACA’ membership have already approved the unification process.
Bill Harris, Godalming AS- I don’t think £20 is going to be a problem for anglers. Where will AT be based?
ML – There will be offices in Nottingham, the South West region for the Sea Anglers, and Leominster will have two AT staff and Fish Legal.
In the future I would like to have Centres of Excellence rather than regional offices.
TF –Nottingham County Council are giving us another one year lease at Holme Pierrepont, and we have expressed interest in the new site development.
Trevor Johnson, Milton Keynes AA- What votes will clubs have in future?
ML –£200 membership subscription gives you 10 votes. It is multiples of £20.00.
TF – It will represent what you pay. It will reflect pro rata per club.
Dave Turner, Nottingham AA- What will happen if clubs decide to only join AT and not Fish Legal because of cost?
ML – We circulated information to all our 880 ACA clubs, and once we explained the benefits then a lot of the clubs can see that they will be better off in the long term. Most of them will save more than the additional subscription fee on insurance.
TF – Mark has done a great job at turning the ACA around from the past.
Margaret Dolan, Individual Member- Are you going to circulate more information to Child Protection Officers?
ML – Yes and the ADB has provided more information recently, and we will be able to send information to clubs in the future.
Mike Straw, Mansfield & District AA- The paperwork sent out to members regarding the merger wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.
ML – All of the information will be available on our website and we will be more than happy to send any information out in future.
Delegate question- You might lose some members.
ML – We are going to have a very professional sales package in place and we have to sell it to anglers.
Bill Harris, Godalming AS- Everyone is going around in circles regarding costs. We have to give it a go. If we don’t go with it everything will collapse and the NFA.
Dennis Dolan, Todmorden AS - If you want to be a L2 coach you have to become a L1 coach first, but it is so expensive for people to become coaches.
Glyn Williams, NFA – Unfortunately it’s the UKCC procedures and requirement we have to comply with to move forward.
ML – There will be better resources to support you and we will develop further upon that.
Rod Bracey , ALS – Will we still get a free legal advice?
ML – We will be able to give more information available on the website and by newsletters.
Brian Turner , Rotherham & District UAF – We are still struggling to get the River Don on its feet after their problems.
ML – We’ve been campaigning hard to get waters better regulated and will be able to do much more as a unified body. We’ll be able to offer help to member clubs.
Club Delegate - We suffered a pollution incident years ago, and unfortunately the club members didn’t absorb the information that the insurers were informing them of. It is an important issue and you don’t know when you are going to need insurance.
Club Delegate – What happens to all the bodies’ existing monies?
ML – It will be there to give us a cushion for the future, and all funds will be transferred to the AT.
Club Delegate - What about the regions?
ML – The regions will stay as they are for the time being, but a review of the current systems and practices will be taking place to improve the current structure.
BD – Regions will still receive the same level of funding for 2009, which they received in 2008.
ML – There may be opportunities in the future to work with other Committees/working groups.
Antony Bielderman , Stockport & District AS – The target market should be through rod licence sales. There needs to be strong marketing in place.
ML – I agree with your aspiration and we will be looking at this. We will be sending out our membership leaflets with the Environment Agency’s rod licence reminder.
John Essex, Wreake AC – I’m an individual member and my club is a member of three of the organisations that are merging. Which organisation do we return the application to?
ML – An address will be on the leaflet to return it to, and it will be sorted out at that office.
Frank Lythgoe, Warrington AA – I had my doubts originally but there is only one way to go and that is forward, we need one strong body. It is now fragmented and not working and a waste of resources doing different things. It is the only way to go, and we can achieve more with one body.
Trevor Johnson, Milton Keynes AA – There is no other way to go, this is the way to go now.
TF, Chairman NFA – I’m staying on as a Director for a further three years. We will keep the NFA as a Shell Company for the time it takes the Angling Trust to obtain Governing body status from Sport England. If we remained as we were major changes would have had to have been made as we could not afford to continue in the same way.
4. Special Resolution
Frank Lythgoe, Warrington AA seconded the resolution.
Votes were shown and counted.
30 for
2 against
5. Closing Address
TF – Mark is committed to it and I’m confident it is going to be a good thing. This is an historic day as we move forward. This will be very positive for everyone, and I’m very proud of our clubs and members what we have achieved already.
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