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I will be writing to you towards the end of the month to invite you to renew your membership, but in the meantime wanted to explain a couple of changes that will be implemented this year.
After holding membership rates at the same level for 8 years, the committee has taken the difficult decision to increase the cost of Senior (adult) membership this year. Junior/Student membership, however, will remain unchanged and we have decided to extend the eligibility for the lower rate to all under 25s, irrespective of employment or educational status. The cost of Social (non-playing) membership will also be unaffected.
The reason for the increase in the Senior rate, other than the general inflation that has impacted our overheads, is that over the past few years the committee has been investing significant amounts in the maintenance, improvement, and renewal of club facilities and in subsidising new coaching programmes, particularly on the Junior side, to drive a post-pandemic regeneration of the club. Since the pandemic we have seen a significant reduction in the number of Junior and Student members and, in the interest of securing the long-term future of the club, we are actively seeking to reverse this trend.
While we have hitherto been happy to use our accumulated reserves to finance expenditure - including court resurfacing and repainting in 2021/21, new LED floodlights in 2021, fencing repairs in 2022, and the provision of a subscription holiday to all members in 2021/22 - the committee considers that it would be prudent not to run down the club's reserves any further, to ensure that we will have the funds in place for future major capital expenditure. This will include, in the relatively short term, the replacement of the fencing around the courts, a new shed and, in due course, the further repainting and resurfacing of the courts. Such items cannot be paid for out of our normal annual income.
In simple financial terms, we are currently spending around £4,000 a year more than our income and have spent over £40,000 of our reserves since 2019.
The committee therefore considers that a £25 a year increase in the cost of Senior membership should enable us to continue investing in the club and, in particular, encouraging Junior membership, without drawing down further reserves. We believe that even at the new rates, we offer much better value for money than any other comparable club in the area.
Furthermore, please be assured that the committee has not taken this decision lightly and will use its best endeavours to avoid the need to make further increases (over and above simple inflation, should that continue to be a material factor) over the next few years.
The 2024/25 subscription rates will therefore be as follows:
Seniors: £95 (£90 if paid by 1 April 2024)
Juniors/under 25s*: £35 (£33 if paid by 1 April 2024)
Family**: £250 (£230 if paid by 1 April 2024)
Non-playing individual: £10
Non-playing family: £20
*Junior rates are applicable to all those under 25 years old on 1 January 2024 and to Senior Members who claim means tested benefits.
**Family membership is only available when all the children in a family qualify as junior members i.e. are under 25.
This is not a request for payment. I shall be sending a further email about renewals later this month.
With best wishes
Carol Ellison
CASLTC Membership Secretary, on behalf of the committee