Update on club strip

The proposal for a new club strip was discussed at a meeting last night (2 July). While it seems there is good (but not unanimous) support, it quickly became obvious that it is not trivial to make the change, and that we should not do so without careful consideration.

There were two main concerns which we need to address. Firstly, whether we have the necessary support from members to make the change, and secondly, whether we can easily access supplies of the strip after the initial order.

To make sure we have support we will be conducting a survey over two weeks, starting from this Saturday. This will take the form of a questionnaire document which members will be asked to fill out and return (it won’t be onerous – there will only be one question). We will distribute the questionnaire via this web site, by email, post, and in person to make sure that everyone has access.

If a majority of respondents agree, we will continue working towards a new strip.

The second area of concern, ongoing supply after the initial order is more difficult. In a nutshell, custom clothing companies mostly do not like to supply small volumes. So while it will be easy to get an order large enough in the first instance, if a new member arrives and wants to buy the strip it may not be possible until there are enough people wanting replacements. On contacting serveral other clubs, it seems that they are faced with this exact problem.

We discussed several options, including keeping stocks on hand and sponsorship to reduce the financial burden on individuals. We will also be approaching other clothing companies to see what they can offer.

We want to make sure that we come up with a solution that is workable for the long term.

A few points worth noting for those who are not familiar:

• Our current strip is the white/yellow/green/red shirt combined with black knicks.
• This strip is registered with Cycling NSW.
• When competing in State sanctioned events, such as the Tamworth 2 day Tour, we are required to wear the club strip.
• If a competitor at a State event does not have a club strip, he/she can wear a white top with black knicks.
• For other races, including interclub events such as the Autumn Festival Criterium and Nemingah-Nundle, we do not have to wear the club strip.
• If we register a new strip, there is a changeover period of 2 years during which the old strip can still be used.

So we need to be mindful that in making a change that we do not disadvantage those members who compete at a high level.

Stay tuned to this channel for further developments.

Andrew Swan