Christ Church Students’ Union help run and develop over 30 sports clubs at CCCU and we are very proud of #TeamChristChurch and the 1000+ members who play sport.
Whilst memberships in our sports teams have remained constant the Union have seen our funding from the university fall substantially over the past two years and whilst in the past we have been able to considerable subsidise our services this has become unsustainable.
This has led us to consider a new membership model for sports clubs from September 2017 to provide a transparent, club specific service, making it as student led as possible to empower our leaders to run their activities whilst developing key leadership skills. The Sports Exec Committee, a group of selected sports members, gave their feedback on this model and it has been approved by the CCSU Board of Trustees.
In general this will mean that clubs will decide what their membership price is, what it includes and have control over all aspects of their finances. Clubs will also be able to raise further funds through sponsorship and fundraising.
For some clubs their membership fees will rise whilst some will see them drop and this is based on what their real outgoings and ensure a ‘fairer’ system for all members. The cost to the members will be directly linked to the cost of the club, and the committee will have full control over how this is being spent, as well as the opportunity to bring additional income to the club to minimise the cost to the members.
All monies will remain within the club, unlike previously when all club funds went into a central pot, with any surplus at the end of the year going towards either extra equipment, being rolled over to the next year, or giving all members a rebate.
Clubs are to be consulted over the next month to decide on their membership structure and pricing.
We are conscious that based on our current funding model from the University we are likely to have the Union's grant significantly reduced yet again in a year's time, therefore we are introducing new ways of working to ensure we sustain all our services for all students whilst making it as transparent and student-led for you.