Notifications for payment of the 2026/2027 subscriptions will issue shortly via Pitchero and we would ask all members to promptly pay their subscriptions to assist the club with managing its cashflow. Full details of the subscription rates are included in the attached document and on the Pitchero payment product. There is also the option for members to pay their subscription over four instalments across the Summer.

Core membership rates will see a small inflation based increase of €10. The adult umpiring levy has been adjusted downwards by €20.

We are also asking all adult playing members to contribute €50 towards the development of our facilities at Park Avenue. For youth members, this development contribution is only paid once per family, not for each individual child.

We have works underway to deliver a series of developments designed to help every player Enjoy, Develop and Excel — the values that guide everything we do – and the small development contribution will help us deliver those projects. You can read more about our planned development works in our 27th April article (https://www.railwayunionhockey.ie/news/help-us-build-the-future-of-railway-union-2976586.html).

The subscription also includes your membership fee to be a member of Railway Union Sports Club and this year there is a bar credit for adult playing members of €10 which will be added to your personal Membership Card. We started distributing the Membership Cards to members at the very end of the season, so if you haven’t received yours yet, let your team captain know.

As we look forwards to the 2026/2027 season and seek to build on the success of last season, we want to continue to expand our membership and playing base. Members are reminded that there is the "Introduce a New Member" discount available to them, should they assist with recruiting a new adult member to the club.

We also want to expand our funding base and strengthen the hockey club’s finances as we are over reliant on subscriptions. If any member or employer can assist with sponsorship or fundraising, we can offer membership incentives to do so. We have a range of options to suit all budgets.

The main subscriptions for our adult members remain competitive compared to other clubs, based on the benchmarking review completed in recent years, and provide good value to members. Expanding our income sources will help ensure that we can continue to keep membership subscriptions competitive into the future.

For individuals returning to hockey after a break or those who might only be able to play occasionally, we offer the option of a "Pay per Play" subscription rate. This has been a positive addition in recent years and helps support growing our membership and keeping individuals playing hockey at the club. The Pay per Play rate for 2026/2027 will be a core payment of €175 plus €10 per game thereafter.

As part of our ambitions to grow our playing membership, we will of course be flexible in circumstances where it is appropriate to do so. Should you require some flexibility around the subscription options or have any questions please contact our Treasurer, Dara, at ruhctreasurer@gmail.com

Separate to the Railway Union Hockey Club subscription, members are reminded that they must also be members of Hockey Ireland in order to play hockey. Hockey Ireland will soon be opening their 2027 renewal facility at https://hockey.ie/membership/

Work is underway to put the necessary arrangements in place for next season - training, coaching and team management - and we will be back in touch during July to let you know about pre season training and practice matches.

On behalf of the General Committee