Save Our Chiltern League!

On 10 June the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Chiltern Cross Country League will meet to decide the future of the League. Without much needed new volunteering blood, the League will fold.

As one of the biggest participating Clubs we have an opportunity to save it from extinction!

See this note from the Chair of the League:

"Now we are at a challenging point.

The results position is already vacant.
Fiona Turner as secretary is not seeking re-election.
Richard Inchley as treasurer, fixture & officials coordinator is not seeking re-election.
They will actively support during a handover period but will not continue to perform their roles beyond the AGM.

As for me – clubs will decide at the Annual Meeting if they still want me or wish for a total change after forty years.

The Future Has To Be Different: Four people have maintained the organisation of forty clubs and now over a thousand athletes at each fixture in recent years. We have willingly spent countless hours for the benefit of many thousands of competitors but we must look to the future for the League to survive and flourish. Never again must it be just FOUR WILLING VOLUNTEERS.

Bill O’Connor, Chair, Queens Park Harriers.

The Club hopes to pull together a small sub-committee of volunteers to fulfil one of those crucial roles, thus reducing burden on any one individual. Please email [email protected] and [email protected] to help rescue the League and retain it for the challenge, enjoyment and fulfilment of Chiltern Harriers athletes.

You can find detailed role descriptions below.

Key Roles to be Filled for League to Continue

1. Fixture Coordinator - Vacant
- Liaison with potential host clubs to agree five venues and a match calendar.
- Advise host clubs of league match requirements and support as needed.
- Encourage clubs to consider new venues or revisit past venues.
- Generate club marshalling rota for agreed fixtures and ensure delivered

2. Treasurer (Nominee: Richard Hart Oxford City AC)
- Manage budgeting & finances of the league.
- Produce annual budget and accounts
- Proposing club subscriptions, invoicing and collection
- Processing payment to host clubs & officials for cost of venues & match expenses
- Processing payments to suppliers for annual costs of running the league
- Provide League advice regarding new capital expenditure and or outsourcing

3. Officials Coordinator - Vacant
- Agree a team of officials for each fixture that meets UKA & host requirements
- Budget & receive officials’ expenses and pass to Treasurer Including a Match Referee (min. L4 for senior races / where field is >200 ), Starter, Line Judges x 2, then dependent on agreed placing & timing results process

4. Registration Coordinator - Vacant
- Define process for team and individual registration (Initially CL Portal)
- Coordinate with external supplier for annual updating of portal
- Retain Team Manager login details and aid team managers as needed with Portal
- Organise printing of race numbers and allocation of these across clubs & divisions
- Hold unallocated numbers and supply these to team managers / clubs at matches
- Record replacement numbers, payment & manage these on the portal as required
- Manage guest registration
– allocation of numbers, online pre-payment & numbers

5. Results Coordinator (nominee Richard Pownall MMK)
- Define process for recording place and timing at each match & scoring system (initially based on existing equipment & processes)
- Coordinate people & systems for recording of results at each match
- Produce individual & team results by race, by division by match & season to date
- Publish provisional & final results, resolve any queries

6. Secretary - Vacant
- Maintain team manager & other club contacts database
- Oversee all communication to Clubs in the league
- Coordinate AGM agenda, support documentation & produce minutes
- Manage all central files of information to be shared with the organising team
- Write to Clubs prior to each season with pre-race preparation, each fixture, & AGM Chiltern League Provisional AGM 2024

7. Awards Coordinator - Vacant
- Select a supplier and order medals & trophies once per season
- Receive & check / pre-sort all awards to aid presentation
- Organise presentation and/or dispatch of all awards to clubs
- Provide support for clubs to order more awards inc. dispatch centres

8. Social Media & Website Coordinator - Vacant
- Oversee social media & website presence to ensure safe and appropriate content
- Update social media sites & website with news, fixture details & results
- Coordinate suppliers for maintenance of website, team email addresses etc.
- Support team communications
– to ensure data protection & effective methods

9. Chairperson (nominee Bill O’Connor QPH)
- Coordinate the organising team
- Act as a spokesperson for the league & liaise with UKA & England Athletics
- Chair AGM & ad-hoc team meetings
​- Arbitrate on issues or key decisions