A summary of what’s on the Board agenda following its meeting on Saturday 21 August 2010.

Topics & Summary of Discussion

CEO Report

The Board noted that the International Season had been completed and that a review of the season was being undertaken with the National Squad Coaches initially, and this would be followed up with input from clubs.  It was noted that this review would also feed into a review of the staffing structure in the Player Development area.

The resignation of the East-Central Regional Coordinator and the importance of moving quickly into recruitment noted, due to the pressures of the upcoming season.

Annual Plan and Budget

Following on from the discussion at the previous meetings regarding key objectives, the Annual Plan and measures were discussed and agreed by the Board.  It was agreed the plan should be submitted to sportscotland for investment consideration.

Volunteer Group Review

The Board discussed the principles by which the structure of volunteer groups should operate alongside professional staff.  It was agreed that the volunteer structure was vital to the ongoing delivery of basketball in Scotland.  It was further agreed that in general, the Volunteer Groups should be repositioned to support, advise and challenge  the professional staff, but that the staff had to be accountable for the delivery of the plan. 

It was agreed that it was critical for staff to lead through consultation and that there should be a closer link between the volunteer groups and the Board.

Annual General Meeting

A bye-law was adopted to allow the Board to consider resolutions from clubs and put these to the Annual General Meeting, in line with the wishes of the Board and Membership at the previous AGM. 

The ongoing work by legal advisor Ed Watt of HBJ Gateley Waring, was outlined to the Board and it was agreed that the Governance Review should be considered at length at the the next meeting.

It was agreed an advance communication should be sent to member clubs with details of the above changes, an outline of proxy voting, details of the process for nominating to the Executive Board and Chair positions and a general AGM update.

AOB

The Board noted their sympathies to Pasquale Riggi of Pecten BC, who is the father of the 3 children who recently died in an incident in Edinburgh.

The Board agreed that a proposal from Glasgow Rocks relating to entry to English National Leagues would be considered at the next meeting.

These would be adjusted and checked by legal advisors following submission of nominations

A summary of what’s on the Board agenda following its meeting on Saturday 25 June 2010, focused on early preparation for the 2010 Annual General Meeting.

Topics & Summary of Discussion

Date of AGM

The AGM date had been provisionally placed in the calendar for Sunday 7 November.

It was agreed this date was acceptable. 

Chair Selection Process

It was agreed that the previous job description, including the competencies required by the chair, was appropriate

Whilst it was agreed that the Board supported the nomination of the Chair, it was agreed that, in line with the time frames of the Articles, nominations for suitable candidates for the Chair would be invited from clubs.

It was agreed that supporting evidence against the identified competencies should be requested to be included in the AGM papers.

Nomination for Board Positions

It was noted that there were 3 Board Positions up for election at the 2010 AGM. 

It was agreed that the intention of each eligible Board member to re-stand should be established and Board Members should consider any other candidates.

It was agreed that nominations from the membership would be sought using the same process as previous years. 

Resolutions

A process for considering resolutions from clubs was discussed.

It was agreed that the process should be drafted, adopted as a bye-law and communicated to the membership well in advance of the AGM to provide clarity.

The Board agreed that, following the completion of the Governance Review by our Legal Advisor, the Board would make resolutions to amend the Articles in line with the Governance Review (including the 2006 Companies Act)

It was agreed that the Proxy Voting forms used for the reconvened AGM in 2009 were appropriate. 

These would be adjusted and checked by legal advisors following submission of nominations 

Proxy Voting

It was agreed that the Proxy Voting forms used for the reconvened AGM in 2009 were appropriate. 

These would be adjusted and checked by legal advisors following submission of nominations

A summary of what’s on the Board agenda following its meeting on Tuesday 18 May 2010

Topics & Summary of Discussion

Registration Process 

An outline of the issues with the implementation of the new database during the 2009-10 season was provided, which meant basketballscotland were not in a position to provide accurate registration income.  It was agreed that the focus should be turned to ensuring the database and registration process was operational for the beginning of the 2010 season. 

CEO Report 

The Board noted the appointment of Chris Cleary to the West Development Coordinator position and wished him well in this important role. 

Following the resignation of George Valentine as FIBA Instructor, the Board approved the appointment of Chris Dodds to the position, based on the recommendation of the selection panel. 

The Board discussed the GB Joint Camps and agreed their importance, while noting concerns over timing.  It was agreed that these should be built in to future programming and discussions on timing should be undertaken to provide maximum value to the Scottish programmes. 

Annual Plan

The Board reviewed the progress over the first two years of the Strategy and the challenges that remain. 

The Board agreed that the following should be the key focus of the coming years plans:  

• Improvement of administration processes (particularly registration process) and communication
• Development of the Regional Competition Structures to provide depth in basketball.  That this should take precedence over under-23 or “second division” tournaments in Senior Basketball as a measure to bridge the gap between junior and senior.
• A review of competitions pathways
• A continued focus in the officiating area
• The generation of additional income and the review of budgets with a view to tackling potential future funding decreases.
• Piloting of Primary School Basketball participation programme

Additionally, the Board agreed the following targets if resources permitted (to be reviewed following budget production and staff work planning):

• Finalisation of a clear facilities strategy and recommendations
• Regionalisation of the National School Cup Competitions
• Extension of the piloted u14 development tournament
• Play off format for national leagues (although resource limitations were noted)

Finally, it was agreed that supporting a number of clubs to develop towards a 6-national-league-team model would have a significant impact on the player pathway.  It was anticipated that this would not be able to be resourced immediately, but was a desirable outcome.

British Basketball

The Board noted the establishment of a Technical Appointments Panel involving representatives of each of the home countries to appoint referees and table officials to GB games (those not appointed by FIBA Europe) and to advise on development

It was noted that new FIBA Instructor Chris Dodds would represent Scotland on the panel.

Other Business

The Board noted that the National League Officiating fees had not increased since 2004-05 season.The Board approved an increase based on the inflationary rate since the last increase.

It was agreed that the rate should be reviewed every 2-season rather than larger increases over a longer period.

The Board briefly reviewed recommendations from legal advisor Ed Watt in relation to the Articles and changes in line with the 2006 Companies Act.

A summary of what’s on the Board agenda following its last meeting on Saturday 6 March 2010

Topics & Summary of Discussion

Photography and Video

It was agreed that following the implementation of an updated policy for the National League, basketballscotland should consider how it can advise and support the Regional Associations in this area

Articles of Association

The Board agreed that legal advice is to be sought on bringing the Articles of Association up to date with the 2006 Companies Act and agreed to consider recommendations at its next meeting.

CEO Report

The CEO updated the Board on the challenges with the registration process and the need for additional time to be dedicated to this important process. The Board approved a recommendation to put in place a Membership Secretary to address this issue.

The Board was informed, that due to unforeseen personal circumstances the Cadet Men Head Coach was now unavailable to attend the European C Division Championships.

The Board agreed that the coaching team should be maintained for the remainder of their contracts as they are valued coaches.

The Board was made aware that a process of “sounding out” coaches currently within the programme, who may be available to take the reigns on a short term basis. The Board asked the CEO, in conjunction with the Head Coach to implement an appropriate solution.

The Board was advised on the 2010 budget shortfall due to the cost of flights to enable the Senior Women’s programme to compete in Euro C in Armenia.

The CEO was pleased to report that FIBA Europe had agreed to cover the shortfall to allow the Senior Women programme to compete.

Strategy Overview

The Board received an update on progress made against The Game Plan for Basketball.

The Board agreed that the Strategic Direction was right – in particular the focus on developing a pathway from grass roots to performance.

The Board considered that in the current climate consolidation and the improvement of quality and sustainability of programmes should be the focus.

The Board considered that a clear view of priorities within The Game Planfor the coming year, alongside an update on progress against Performance Indicators should be presented to the next meeting.

Volunteer Groups

The Board agreed that the Volunteer Structure needed to take account of the professional staff and Board roles and not be viewed in isolation.

The Board also agreed that a “one-size-fits-all” approach would not be efficient and each area should be reviewed to find an appropriate solution.

The Board agreed that an Operational Framework be produced and the current volunteer structure be invited to contribute via a forum involving the staff and Board (targeted for the upcoming off-season).

British Basketball

A brief update on British Basketball activity was provided including the opponents for this Summer’s fixtures and the ongoing recruitment of a Head of Commercial and Business Operations