New member promotion for 2023 and other changes
EARLY BIRD membership for 2023 opens  1/11/22
The VMA committee has made the following changes.

  1. New members to join for $10 in their first year with the VMA
  2. Promotion for existing members introducing new members
  3. Second year members will have discounted membership
  4. Nominating venue
  5. Footprints distribution

Explanation

  1. New members to join for $10 in their first year with the VMA

With the club emerging from two years of disrupted/no competition as a result of the Covid epidemic individuals joining in 2023 who have never been a member of the VMA will pay a  membership fee of $10.

  1. Promotion for existing members introducing new members

If the new member is introduced by an existing VMA member and re-joins for a second year (2024) the member who introduces the new member in 2023 will receive a complementary membership for 2024.  The introducing member must be identified at time of registration of the new member.  An existing member is eligible for one complementary membership for the first new member they introduce in any given year.

  1. Second year members will have discounted membership

As from 2024 members who registered for the first time in 2023 will have a membership registration fee of $20.  In subsequent years (post 2024) the membership fee will be the standard membership fee for these members.

  1. Nominating venue

From 2023 when registering members will be asked to nominate their home venue as is currently done. There will be no nomination of a secondary venue as has been the case since 2018.  This will not affect the fact that members are eligible to attend any of the VMA venues. The nominated home venue is the venue that the member will represent in events such as the Browne Shield and other events that go across all venues that maybe introduced in the future. Venues running local events can publish their registration requirements.

  1. Footprints distribution

As the printing/collating/postage is not being managed by VMA volunteers but being subcontracted out to a commercial organisation the cost of sending out an individual Footprints magazine by post is well in excess of $10. As the club has been posting 68 magazines per issue during 2022 it means the club will have subsidised distribution by in excess of $3,600 by the end of the year.

On investigating membership it has been found that only 13 members out of 860 do not have an email.  Currently of those 13 only 5 have been receiving Footprints as they paid the extra $10.

It has been decided that only members who have no access to the internet/email will receive a complimentary hard copy of Footprints. All other members will be able to access Footprints by:

  • an email link sent out as is currently done
  • accessing Footprints from our website
  • access Footprints via Facebook
  • access Footprints via Instagram.

Ewen Wilson

Acting-Secretary VMA