that's about it for me the last few weeks. I have been offline for a long time and that's too bad...
How are all of you doing? Hope you are doing fine and everyone is healthy and safe? Here we are all healthy too, my kids had to be tested a couple of times because some kids got Covid at school, but my sons where negative every time, so that's good.
A lot of things happened this last weeks, like I mentioned before I got a rough start at my new project and I have left the board from the soccerclub (which consumed a lot of my time). The last, the board from the soccerclub, I joined last November with the goal to help the club grow and professionalize more. It's a club of 1100 members, so it's not a small one. The same time I joined the board a new chairman was chosen. So I thought some fresh blood will maybe turn it in to some good development. Looking back this year thing were slightly different. The financial situation is horrible, and not only by Covid. Before Covid there was already about 20 thousand Euro's which wasn't paid by members of the club, the old board never took the time to get in touch with thise members of which some of them already had a debt with the club for more than a thousanf euro's.
So that was one of my main goals, to get that number to zero. Of course I realized that getting it to zero would be impossible because some members already have left the club and of course aren't going to pay anymore. It's quiet strange to send a letter in 2020 to a ex member with the message that he ow's the club money from 2017. That wouldn't stand in court neither.
So in a half a year I managed (together with the treasurer) to get the amount down by half, so we have collected about 10 thousand euro's for the club and made for about 3 thousand euro's arrangements with the members. So it was a good score.
While we were busy with the finance our president came up with some people, people already member of the club for years whom instantly wanted to do some things for the club. They came up with a financial plan and with demands which I couldn't relate to. For people who are not into the (amateur) soccer. At a club you have one or two selection teams (where the best players play) and the 'other' teams... Those guys, comming along with the chairman, were all peopl who supported, or parents from players tof the selection team. Their only intention is to get even more attention to that team of which I (and with me two other members of the board) thought they have already to much attention in privileges and financial perspective, for me it was time to think about the 1050 other members who have just as much, or even more, right to a solid club. So I discussed that in the boardmeetings, brought it to the agenda but without any result. The chairman made up his mind, although I think he was pushed forward by those other guys. So I asked myself the question "Is this where I want to put all my energy in, fighting against inequality knowing I will lose that battle"..... The answer is no, I did my best, didn't gave up but aren't comming any futher. It soaked up my energy and gave me negativity instead. So I decided to quit, and that's just what I did. The other two members also quit, so on paper there is now only the chairman... But I already heared he has some nice new candidates, fishes from the pool he already used.... So I am currious hw things are going in the future... I do whish the club will survive because it is a great club wit t lot of enthousiastic members.
So this was one of the things which costed me a lot of time, now getting rid of that I still have some struggles at my new project which, besides got me busy, also got me awake at nights.... Not a good development, will write about that soon :)
Have a great weekend,
Peter