The Refresher’s fair helped to boost the membership of the newest clubs and societies at Queen’s. The Lacrosse Club for instance, recruited 20 new members. The ranks of other new clubs, including the Boxing club, the Softball club and the Ultimate Frisbee club, have also grown. The new groups seem to be doing well despite certain setbacks, such as problems concerning facilities and training times. In the case of the Ultimate Frisbee Club, the problem lies with the fact that few seem to have heard of the club, or indeed the sport. Although the new clubs have teams with vast potential, they face financial challenges.
BY CATHAL MCGUIGAN
At Queen’s, new clubs do not receive funding in their first year and they have many expenses, from equipment to advertising, to travel and event costs. This first year can really make or break a club. Recruiting and keeping members on a low budget, as well as creating fresh, appealing ideas for fundraising requires innovation and dedication. As a result, some clubs have found new ways to fund their sports. The Lacrosse Club have arranged an informal sponsorship with Rockie’s bar in the Odyssey. The Boxing club creators have invested their own money into designing T-shirts in a bid to raise cash. Clearly, it can be difficult for a new club to raise funds for themselves as fundraising events cost money too, with the purchase of prizes and so on. The leaders of these new clubs felt that there was little help available to them concerning the financial side of organising a club. For example, the Softball Club discovered that the Queen’s Annual Fund might have helped them. However, the club discovered this initiative only after the deadline had passed. Perhaps a more comprehensive source of information and guidance for new clubs, on financial matters and so forth, would be helpful. If clubs cannot find sufficient information on the Student’s Unions’ website, they are advised to email VP Clubs and Societies.
I would suggest that concerned clubs should have raised this with our newly elected VPCS before putting it on the gown website. The guy is only in the post and already you are trying to use the gown to pressurise him. If you took the time to email Niall I am sure he will reply. I did this and was quite pleased with his surprisingly informed reponse. (surprised because I got it quick and he knew things it has taken me a while to find out!)
I have good hopes for Niall and wish him every luck in the negotiations whith Queens. Hopefully you will support him rather than trying to make his job more difficult from day one.
No mention of the new societies that have started up this year? Its not all about sports clubs at Queens you know.
This article is by no means an attack on the newly elected VPCS, who has yet to take up his post. It is merely a comment on the challenges faced by clubs and societies at QUB.
Outdoor Enthusiast: Thanks for the support, and don’t worry, I have no reason to fear the Gown as I fully intend to be newsworthy for all the right reasons! I’m going to be working with Paul Courtney over the next few months to bring myself up to speed on the internal runnings of the C&S system and plan to hit the ground running.
I’ve spoken to the Boxing Club both at the Refresher’s Fair and during the past few weeks and they seem to be doing well despite the problems faced by every fledgling club – I wish them the best of luck in the intervarsities this weekend and look forward to getting them sorted with full funding as soon as they become eligible.
High Society – Don’t worry, I know all about it. It does tend to be clubs who are in more urgent need of startup capital, for the necessary equipment and coach fees, but societies also need help and I aim to be there to provide it
Of course if anyone has issues Paul Courtney is the man to contact, at su.vpcs@qub.ac.uk. I’ll be taking over that address from July but until then I’m using niall.vpcs@gmail.com
It is pressure which is not called for. He is well aware of problems facing clubs both old and new.
Societies do not recieve the same funding as sporting clubs…. unless you are muslim
I’m sure Niall will hardly feel pressured by an opinion article on The Gown website which was probably written prior to the election. Calm down for Godsake.
As I’m sure Niall is aware, one of the biggest challenges for new clubs and socs is having a space of their own.
Sporting clubs like GAA, Football, Lacrosse, Boxing etc as mentioned need facilities where they can train. Which currently costs them dearly. Similarly, Queens Radio need decent studio facilities.
The drama society is trying to make a real push to develop the professional element of the society in the last year. We’ve been neglected and ignored for years, at least the last four years since Ive been a student at Queens. It is only now through the concerted effort from sabbs like Shane B, Paul C and Laura H (and the threat from many students to leave the university because they are so dissatisfied) that the university is starting to take notice. Half the time you spend out trying (along with Sabbs) who to ask, Estates have a huge amount of control, but there is also the whole structure at the Student Guidance Centre. Sometimes I think nobody knows.
I think space for clubs and socs, esp Storage is a key issue, and I hope its one that is followed up on…
Foxy – storage at the SU and elsewhere comes under the umbrella of improving the facilities offered to C&S by the Union, PEC and the Uni as a whole. It’s on my manifesto and as such is on my to-do list!
I’m thinking of keeping a copy of the manifesto pinned up beside my desk, for the satisfaction of ticking off things once they get done. Might take me a while for some of them but I intend to get there in the end
Storage is one issue that does need addressed for sure, as is the difference in funding between Clubs and Societys but all credit to Niall even for trying. Its not an easy system to work with and you can never please everyone. Good Luck mate.
The purpose of this article is to highlight the problems faced in setting up a new club or society,not to apply pressure on the new su rep for more funding.It reasonable that the college wouldnt throw money at untested individuals, however the main issue we faced was understanding the college club finance systems.
Outdoor enthusiast: are you suggesting that we recruit a token muslim to help us get more cash?:)