Facility upgrades high on club’s list
New Clifford Park committee prepares to begin work
RACING: Increased membership numbers and options and upgraded facilities for punters are high on the list of priorities for the next Toowoomba Turf Club board.
The new club board was ratified at Thursday night’s annual general meeting with newly elected members Anthony Collins, Allen Volz, Andrew Catlow, Gerard Betros and Jason Ward set to take their place at the next club committee meeting early next month.
They will join Kent Woodford and Allen Gee, who have been returned as chairman and deputy chairman respectively with Ward taking over as treasurer. “We are now looking forward to getting back to operating normally as a club,” Woodford said yesterday.
“Our AGM last night went well where we announced an operating profit of just over $200,000.
“That was down on last year when we received a donation from Clive Berghofer while a reduction in Saturday meetings last year also affected our bottom line.
“We are happy to play our role in hosting Sunday meetings which bring a new and different style of crowd to Clifford Park.
“But Saturdays are our major trading day and the key to us maintaining a strong financial position.
“I think we had only 32 Saturday meetings last season, but that’s been boosted to 41 this year which we welcome.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the new board members. We’ve already spoken informally about some new ideas and innovations which we’ll look to work through when we get down to business.
“We’ve formed a sub-committee to update the constitution which is a little dated in some areas and needs addressing.
“We’re also looking at increasing our membership numbers which we can probably achieve through different forms of memberships.
“Plans for the renovation of our betting ring are already in place and will happen in the next 12 months.
“We are in a highly competitive market where we vie with pubs and clubs to provide firstclass facilities for punters.
“We want to give punters the best experience possible of a Saturday and that will be the focus of our upgrades. Our aim is to make Clifford Park a worthy alternative for Toowoomba’s racing and punting public.”
‘‘ WE WANT TO GIVE PUNTERS THE BEST EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE AND THAT WILL BE THE FOCUS OF OUR UPGRADES.
KENT WOODFORD