Old Polo Thread

I’ve said this many times before but, for the newer folks… Manchester polo needs a robust and achievable 2012 plan built on contributions from all the current regular players - that plan needs executing by a smaller group of enthusiastic, reliable and committed people that utilise the strengths and abilities of others as and when necessary.

Within that 2012 plan ought to be the key areas of activity:

• marketing (identity/flyers/campaigns/merchandise etc);
• communications (website/MMS/merchandise etc);
• 'membership' (recruitment etc); funding (sponsorship/subscriptions; what we do with that funding etc);
• events/calendar (day-in/day out/tournaments/new player sessions etc).

A workable steering group might consist of a chair person/figurehead to represent the whole of Manchester polo within the national and global communities; someone responsible for the delivery of the communications elements eg. Marketing/communications (see above); a recruitment/membership person (probably combined within the chair person role for year one); and a funding/financials person.

I reiterate that this steering group’s mandate is ONLY to deliver an agreed members plan - any arising opportunities or issues that they regard as being positive additions to the 2012 plan need to be run by the larger collective (in an open meeting) in order to be added to the main plan. Of course all the regular players have the right to bring new ideas to the table as we proceed through the year – it’s up to the steering group to rationalise those ideas, ensure full approval from the membership and then devise ways of making sure ‘shit gets done’.

My advice is that we find three volunteers who are capable and willing to run this steering group on our behalf and that we give that group a full twelve months to deliver against a basic plan that we’ve all contributed to in the first instance. If everyone doesn’t participate in the building of that plan then the mandate doesn’t exist and it will fail. There’s only 10 or so of us, so it shouldn’t be beyond us as a group to make a plan happen quickly – it’s usually basic stuff.

After that 12 month period those positions can be reviewed and made ‘democratic’ – so that the steering group can be refreshed and a new plan for 2013 be created and delivered. One thing that really shouldn’t occur before a plan is created is that people go off and do individual bits and pieces expecting it to hold together and to be roundly supported, however self effacing and generous those efforts may be.

I appreciate that this is all dull, establishment golf club stuff, but evidence suggests that it works and, more relevantly, what we’ve done in the past doesn’t. We've had sporadic and frustrated attempts at growing the scene and, like solo breakaway riders in the tour, they always get mown down by life’s peloton! If you want to succeed this time - make a simple plan and entrust its execution to a smaller steering group, leave them to get it done and support them when they ask for help and contributions/volunteer for key tasks eg. creating flyers and websites; looking for sponsors etc.

My position throughout 2011 was not, as is recorded in the recent new year thread, ‘being happy to let the months/years roll by’ – quite the opposite. I remained a passive supporter of Manchester polo because my understanding was that approaches other than those I’d brought to the table in 2010 were going to be optioned. This patently did not happen and we’re all the poorer for that. If Manchester polo wants me to be an active participant then I’ll gladly be involved – however, if there isn’t a recognisable plan with a healthy mandate then I’ll remain a Manchester polo supporter on the sidelines, as I’m not on any egocentric mission, nor do I seek confrontation anywhere else than on court! ;-)