Tuesday 10 April 2018, saw members of Fossoway Curling Club vote and approve plans at their AGM to change our traditionally male-only membership. From this day on, Fossoway Curling Club will be a mixed club, welcoming both male and female members.
We have always been a friendly and welcoming club, and we've enjoyed many friendlies with female clubs over the years, but for historical reasons (like most clubs in the area) we've previously only offered membership to men.
President Andy Macpherson thought this was an outdated idea and detrimental to our attempts of recruiting new members, so he proposed this change mid-season. The past few months have witnessed lots of discussion and debate, not least regarding how it may affect our sister club, Fossoway Ladies, however our members felt this change could benefit all.
By opening our membership to everyone, we no longer segregate the community and we become more family friendly. Fathers and daughters, mothers and son, male and female partners, will all be able to play together as part of our club. In the past they'd have either had to play in separate clubs or with an alternative mixed club. By voting to become a mixed club, we now offer an extra choice for people in that position.
Meanwhile for our existing male members, the new female members will boost the camaraderie that we share during games and add to the diversity of our club. There's an immediate increase in our membership numbers for next season, and we've doubled the target audience of potential members. Next season we will hopefully increase the number of teams in all our competitions for the first time in several years, and from there on we will hopefully continue to grow.
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Following this news at our end of season AGM, we are now using the early off-season to recruit new members, both male and female.
We have Rink (team member) and Pool (substitute player) memberships available (with FREE membership for your first season), and we can be flexible with the number of games you are scheduled to play throughout next season.
If you want to commit to playing regular games and your lifestyle affords you the evenings or weekends to play, Rink membership is your best choice. You'll be drawn into a set team (or teams) for the upcoming season, and prepay for your games to benefit from a VAT discount (20%).
If however your lifestyle doesn't afford you the time or money to play regularly, Pool membership would suit you better. You will be listed as a substitute, and Rink members will contact you if they need cover for any particular games. When the game is prepaid (like the majority), you will be rewarded with a free game. Occasionally the game won't be prepaid and you'll have to pay to play, but as a Pool member you have no obligation to play. So it's up to you, and you could potentially go an entire season developing your skills without spending anything. Isn't that a perfect excuse to give curling a try with Fossoway?
We have always been a friendly and welcoming club, and we've enjoyed many friendlies with female clubs over the years, but for historical reasons (like most clubs in the area) we've previously only offered membership to men.
President Andy Macpherson thought this was an outdated idea and detrimental to our attempts of recruiting new members, so he proposed this change mid-season. The past few months have witnessed lots of discussion and debate, not least regarding how it may affect our sister club, Fossoway Ladies, however our members felt this change could benefit all.
By opening our membership to everyone, we no longer segregate the community and we become more family friendly. Fathers and daughters, mothers and son, male and female partners, will all be able to play together as part of our club. In the past they'd have either had to play in separate clubs or with an alternative mixed club. By voting to become a mixed club, we now offer an extra choice for people in that position.
Meanwhile for our existing male members, the new female members will boost the camaraderie that we share during games and add to the diversity of our club. There's an immediate increase in our membership numbers for next season, and we've doubled the target audience of potential members. Next season we will hopefully increase the number of teams in all our competitions for the first time in several years, and from there on we will hopefully continue to grow.
---
Following this news at our end of season AGM, we are now using the early off-season to recruit new members, both male and female.
We have Rink (team member) and Pool (substitute player) memberships available (with FREE membership for your first season), and we can be flexible with the number of games you are scheduled to play throughout next season.
If you want to commit to playing regular games and your lifestyle affords you the evenings or weekends to play, Rink membership is your best choice. You'll be drawn into a set team (or teams) for the upcoming season, and prepay for your games to benefit from a VAT discount (20%).
If however your lifestyle doesn't afford you the time or money to play regularly, Pool membership would suit you better. You will be listed as a substitute, and Rink members will contact you if they need cover for any particular games. When the game is prepaid (like the majority), you will be rewarded with a free game. Occasionally the game won't be prepaid and you'll have to pay to play, but as a Pool member you have no obligation to play. So it's up to you, and you could potentially go an entire season developing your skills without spending anything. Isn't that a perfect excuse to give curling a try with Fossoway?