Junta Letter to the Flock (December 4, 2008)

Dear Wild Geese Flock,                                                                                                                   

The purpose of this communiqué is to provide the membership of the Wild Geese with a State of the Flock Address, review the 2008 Year and to tee up our exciting 2009 Calendar Year and plan for the future.   Before we drill down here are some key dates and events to keep in mind:

State of the Flock Address:

First, on behalf of the Wild Geese we wish to thank all of you for your engagement, contributions and support in 2008 and we look forward to continuing our great traditions in 2009.  Thanks to Matt Downs for the great schedule of matches this past spring and fall.  The Wild Geese retain our stellar record on the field as fiercely competitive;nbsp; and off the field as one of the more social and organized old ruggers groups around.  Thanks again to Wayne Harrison for our new jerseys.  This past year also witnessed the birth of a new Old Boys team; the French Embassy Roosters!

Our November  tournament was  a great example. We had enough players to run three games in a round robin fashion.  A great time was had by all and we contributed the spark to encourage groups like Western Suburbs, PAX River, the Roosters and others to continue to grow and keep the old boy spirit alive.

Recently, a group of the informal leadership of the Geese convened to reflect on the activities of the past year, the club needs and the future direction of the club. To follow are some important items to reflect on.

Who Runs the Geese and What the Heck is the Junta?

The Wild Geese is a virtual, informal collection of kindred spirit. 

There are:

• no officers,
• no bylaws,
• no formal bureaucracy.

The Geese are led informally by a group who volunteer their time to support the club.  This group and the process are open to whoever wishes to contribute. Over the years there have been the same core recurring group who participate. 

The group operates by consensus and convenes periodically to discuss club matters. 

That group is affectionately referred to as the Junta. Recently, the Junta expanded to include some of the newer members of the club. The Junta is currently made up of the following people: Matt Downes; Rick Devens ;Roger Chaufournier ; Michael Fortier; Larry Jannes; Henry Breton; Brian Collins; Cam Dunlop and Barr Snyderwine .

Thankfully, many others have contributed their time including Don Cotchen, erry Cave, Tim Harrington among many others.   The Junta has evolved and individuals joined the Junta out of their interest and passion supporting the club.  All serve as ambassadors of the Geese in a variety of venues.

In our recent meeting it was suggested that greater transparency to the membership on how the club functions and some of our current plans would help continue to reinforce the positive direction we are heading.

Mission of the Geese

In a discussion of our Mission it was noted that most of the Founder’s have stopped playing by this point with a few exceptions. Some of the founders who were engaged early on have also commented that there may not be a reason to stay on the email list since so much of the activity is focused on current players most of whom are now strangers.  We felt it important to clarify our view of the mission of the club to encourage all members, old and new, to stay engaged.  Our draft mission is as follows:

The Wild Geese RugbyFootball Club is a community of physically active 35 and older men and their families sharing the physical and gentlemanly tradition and spirit of rugby with each other and their families.

We welcome feedback and suggestions on this mission. 

Principles We Hope to Preserve

The Junta identified four key principles we hope to preserve as we move forward. They include:

• Welcome all New Comers
• Remain family friendly
• Retain our Informality

Our goal will be to provide venues for people to remain engaged in Rugby and as members of the Wild Geese irrespective or their location, age and ability to play.  Our active playing side will obviously be the core of what the club does. However, strategically we are aiming to provide additional mechanisms for the club and members to remain engaged with the team and ugbycommunity with an aim of retaining a long term view for the Club.

Goals for the Next Five Years

The Junta recognized there were key activities that were necessary to sustain the club including the following elements:

• Sustaining 4-6 games a season (8-12 a year)
• Playing touch summers and winters
• Continued recruitment to grow the club
• Annual gathering for Club (Christmas or post holidays)
• Maintain Gosling Park as our home base
• Retain Our Club branding including our jerseys, new shorts and socks

In addition to these core elements, the following goals were developed:

• Sustainable dues structure
• Support a tour every few years to bring the Geese together
• Raise $5-10k a year for a common cause (Youth Rugby) was proposed
• Perpetuate touch rugby as a player pipeline for our sport
• Grow dues paying members to at least 40 a year
• Grow the club to ensure viable numbers to support a playing team and support the additional goals
• Encourage growth of the 35+ age bracket
• Sponsor an Annual Tournament

Where do the Dues Go?

It was clear from our gathering that most are clueless on the financial mechanics of the club and where dues go.  First, it is important to acknowledge that there are a small cadre of people who really have helped keep the glue together through their direct financial commitments and their time and energy. These include:

In terms of annual expenses our needs breakdown as follows:

This year there have been some additional extraordinary expenses including the following:

Our dues structure is $75 a year.  That breaks down to less than $10 per person per each fifteens game.   Our dues are for a calendar year. In 2008 so far year to date we have 30 people who have paid dues.  Our goal is at least 40 a year.  It appears we will end the year just about break even.  As a result, we will really depend on dues for 2009 which will be due in by March 1 2009 to support our obligations.  Dues do not cover CIPP fees to USA Rugby nor do they cover catering of our home events.

Hosting Teams

Part of the success of our home games has been our field (thanks to Jonathan Warner) and the generous contributions of our players for food for our home matches.  We have benefitted from kegs provided by Brewers Alley of Frederick for our home matches and Jeff Arendt and Jonathan Warner have always coordinated these libations on our behalf.  However, we really need people to make a conscious effort to bring hamburgers, hot dogs, buns or appetizers (e.g. chips) and water to the home matches.  We have had a few matches where a couple of key people who normally bring a generous contribution weren’t able to be there and we ended up with slim pickings as a result.  Whatever is left over that is salvageable goes into a freezer in Jonathan’s root cellar for our next match.  Keep those burgers and dogs coming!

The Grey Goose

We would like to find ways to keep the alumni engaged without overwhelming anyone with the weekly flow of emails around matches.  As a result, we hope to launch soon a separate list for alumni or those who want the periodic news and not the day to day soap opera of the routine email.   This new list serv will provide announcements of upcoming tours, special events, and periodic updates from the club.  You are welcome to stay on the routine Yahoo group list. Stay tuned!

Commitment to Youth Rugby

It is important to note that members of the Wild Geese family have been very active contributing to the community through youth rugby programs.  The Wild Geese contributed financial support this past year to the PRU Select Side Youth Program and the Alexandria Youth Program.  In addition, we have proven to be a breeding ground of coaches for youth programs in the area including:

Wild Geese Foundation

One of the issues that as been kicked around for a while is the desire of some to establish a legacy of the Wild Geese.   There have been two causes that have been put forth worthy of efforts to form a Foundation. The first is to raise enough capital to establish a rugby complex in the ashington area that would be a permanent home for rugby.  The second cause is Youth Rugby.  A decision was made to try some modest fund raising efforts as a precursor to launch of a Wild Geese Foundation to support one or both of these causes.  Look for more information in the future.

Upcoming Tours and Tournaments

The Junta recognized that special vehicle for keeping the Geese engaged are tours.  In 2009 we will be supporting a team in t. Lauderdale in February as we have the past five years. Brian Collins is organizing that tour.

An experiment was tried on November 16 as an Old Boys Ruggerfest.   One of the key issues is the dwindling number of teams in old boys at anbsp; time when many routine clubs have players ready to migrate to old boys.  We are targeting ways to try to grow that 35+ age bracket of players.  We hope to sponsor an annual old boys tournament in D.C.  This weekend’s tournament was a beginning.

Plans have also begun for another international tour.  Suggestions have included Argentina, Bermuda, Ireland and the Golden Oldies in Sydney in 2010.  Mike Fortier and Roger Chaufournier are working on the plans for the next international tour.

Annual Party

The Junta discussed plans for an annual party.  This year, the Winter Holiday Season Gathering will be held on Thursday, December 18 at 7:00 at Bistro Doc located at 518 10^th Street, NW in Washington D.C.  A modest amount of appetizers will be provided but expect a cash bar.   Plans are underway for a family gathering In January on a Sunday afternoon concurrent with touch rugby.  Look for more information in the near future.

Winter Touch Rugby

The winter touch rugby program begins Sunday, January 11 2009 at 1:00 at Potomac Elementary School in ethesda.

Summary

We hope this information has proved to be of interest and helpful.  We look forward an exciting 2009.  We welcome any ideas or suggestions and will keep you abreast of next opportunities to engage or contribute to the team.

SIGNED - The Wild Geese Junta