FEDERATION OF BRITISH GREYHOUND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION (FBGOA)
Minutes of the annual general meeting held at Oxford Stadium on Sunday 25th April 2010.

1. Apologies were received from Poole, Belle Vue, Sheffield, Arthur Hammond and Ray Brand.
2. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.
3. Matters Arising: The previous minutes item 4(d) had recorded the concerns of FBGOA that one “practitioner” would not fully represent the importance of Owners, Trainers and British Breeders to the Sport and it recorded that certain assurances to the late Chairman “that at least one independent director yet to be appointed would have an ownership background”. That assurance had, as yet, been unfulfilled.
   
   Subsequent to the previous annual general meeting in February 2009, at a meeting of the management committee held in October 2009 it was agreed to form a small sub-committee to be known as the Chairman’s committee which could be quickly convened to discuss the Federation’s response to urgent issues. This committee would consist of the Chairman, the Secretary and the Hon. President, which arrangement proved to be useful during the problems associated with the change of practitioner earlier this year.
4. Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer presented his statement of income and expenditure and balance sheet. The combined cost of our information outlets (Greyhound Star and Website) was discussed and it was noted that they were by far the largest items of expenditure. Members felt that the monthly FBGOA information in the Star was a quite important method of communication but that the cost should be monitored in view of the reduced funding expected this year. The accounts were approved.
5. • The Chairman gave a verbal account of his period on the Boards of both GBGB and BGRF as it affected his role as practitioner for the stakeholders and in particular, his input on behalf of Owners and Trainers in respect of keeping costs to a minimum in respect of registrations, micro-chipping and transfer fees which latter item had been secured free for new owners of greyhounds registered within 56 days of their first registration.
   • Members were brought up to date with new appointments recently made to the GBGB Board which had been previously published in greyhound press coverage and press releases.
   • The BGRF prize money budget for 2010 had occupied a great deal of time throughout the latter part of 2009 and the early months of 2010 both for the Chairman and his management sub-committee which had discussed numerous options in an effort to provide a method of lessening the impact a 15% reduction in BGRF PM would have on Owners and Trainers. Our submission highlighted the impact that closures, reductions in meetings and bad weather in January already had affected track PM and in turn the BGRF element.
     
     (A subsequent GBGB press release on 26th April showed a reduction of 50p per runner to graded racers and the removal of the grant to open race runners for the remainder of 2010, leaving a budgetary figure of £2.025m remaining in BGRF PM). It was considered that this outcome was the best we could have hoped for in the circumstances and it was one of the options previously discussed in committee).
   • The Chairman stated that as matters stood, the Board position for the practitioner on the BGRF could not be filled in his absence by a deputy from FBGOA due to a technicality within the Fund’s own constitution. The Chairman would seek to find a solution to this situation at the earliest opportunity to avoid being unrepresented in the event of his unavoidable absence as Practitioner at Board meetings.
   • In connection with representation, prior to and following the death of Stuart Locke-Hart, efforts to combine Owners and Trainers interests had taken place to consolidate representation of the single practitioner on the GBGB Board, firstly by nominating trainer Norah McEllistrim with John Haynes as her alternate. Following Norah’s resignation as practitioner, and the re-appointment of JH in her place, a new approach was sought in the formation of a joint committee of FBGOA, GTA and the British Breeders Forum, and to that end the first joint committee meeting was held on 1st March 2010, followed by a meeting on 8th April, and the next would be held on 20th May.
     
     This committee would discuss issues and policy to put before their respective organisations. One of the issues being actively pursued is to try to secure a second practitioner on the GBGB Board in view of the perceived imbalance which exists at present.
   • In connection with our closer association with Trainers and British Breeders, it was agreed at the second meeting to invite a Trainer from GTA to join the FBGOA management committee and to this end; John Simpson was invited to stand for election together with Bob Gilling representing the Breeders to fill vacancies occurring.
6. Revisions to Memorandum and Articles of Association: The Secretary explained that this was mainly one of tidying up references to organisations which no longer existed. The main change was item (b) which sought to widen the scope of the management committee representation to take advantage of expertise in aspects of greyhound racing other than in ownership. The committee membership would still remain a maximum of ten. Motion passed.
7. Election of Officers and Committee: Within the constitution of the Federation it is permissible to elect the Chairman for a period not exceeding three years. The secretary proposed that a three year term at this juncture would be appropriate for FBGOA and that it would send out the right signals for continuity. The motion was therefore proposed and seconded and John Haynes was elected Chairman until the annual general meeting of the Federation in 2013. (This in no way affects the resignation or removal of the Chairman within this period under the rules of the Federation).
   
   Vice-Chairman: Owing to the resignation of Ray brand from the committee, this post was available for election. Committee member Terry Veasey had been approached and had agreed to be nominated as Vice-Chairman and was duly elected.
   
   Secretary: John Waldron agreed to stand for another term and was duly elected.
   
   Treasurer: John Alcock agreed to stand for a further term and was duly elected.
   
   The Secretary reported that the following members of the management committee had resigned either for personal or business reasons in the past year, Mike Nightingale, Ray Brand, and Kevin Phillips. The following members of the management committee agreed to continue and were re-elected; Paul Koller and Arthur Hammond. Bob Gilling and John Simpson were nominated, seconded and duly elected. There remained two vacancies on the management committee.
8. A.O.B. The Secretary was tasked to write to Ray Brand thanking him for his years of service as Vice-Chairman and in particular his supply of prize money and other statistics, which he had agreed to continue to supply as and when required by the Federation to support presentations to meetings. The Secretary would also write to the General Manager of Oxford Stadium thanking her for their hospitality in hosting the meeting, the Treasurer would enclose a donation towards the retired greyhound fund there.

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 13.15 p.m.