ECF Rolling Membership - Club Views Requested

[Mick Norris]

As Joe played in the leagues during the season but would not be a member as at 30-June-2024, his club will be fined £16 (I think) by each league where he played over 3 games.

I don't think that is right, but now can't find the rules.

I think it is right, if I am reading this correctly Rolling membership examples

Player is a member at the start of the season, but membership lapses mid-season and not a member on 30 June –
Game fee charged unless exempt due to extenuating circumstances which preclude them rejoining (see ‘Example’ below and note at end). Clubs need to monitor player status towards the end of the season (or more often if they wish) to avoid game fees.

Example

1. A player who would usually renew their ECF membership in September decides not to renew in September 2022 and instead to wait until, for example, March 2023.

2. When the player rejoins in March 2023 they are treated as an ECF member for league and county season 2022-23.

3. If the player fails to rejoin by 30 June 2023 a game fee liability is incurred by default.

4. If the player fails to rejoin in March 2024 and does not do so by 30 June 2024 for a reason such as giving up chess, emigration, long-term illness, death etc, the organisation may apply for the game fee liability to be waived provided that the player was an ECF member for all the games played in that organisations events that they played up to March 2024. Where a waiver is granted the ECF Office will carry out checks on the playing status of the player in season 2024-25 and apply a retrospective game fee charge if appropriate. **

5. The player DOES NOT need to be an ECF member at the time he/she plays an individual league or county game – but the player DOES need to be a member as at 30 June (see above).

6. Organisations are free to stipulate that the player needs to be an ECF member in order to play in an event, but, as now, that is NOT a requirement imposed by the ECF.

7. Captains and secretaries can, as now, check on the player’s ECF membership status as frequently or infrequently as they wish. The ECF rating database shows expiry dates of current and recently expired memberships. These are displayed in the player profile and on the ‘by-club’ list.

8. If the player fails to renew until June 2023 ECF benefits such as ChessMoves, chess product discounts, JustGo Rewards etc cease after a month.

** Self-evidently if the player fails to rejoin in March 2023 and also does not do so by 30 June 2023, even for a reason such as giving up chess, emigration, long-term illness, death etc, game fee waiver will not be available if the player was NOT an ECF member for all the games in that organisation’s events that they played in season 2022-23. But that is no different in principle from the position as it currently pertains if a player fails to rejoin in September 2022 and also does not rejoin by 30 June 2023.

[Roger de Coverly]

2. When the player rejoins in March 2023 they are treated as an ECF member for league and county season 2022-23.

If they don't renew in March 2024, they are not treated as an ECF member in leagues etc. during 2023-24.

If they had taken out Silver or Gold membership or were given it for nothing, presumably they can play in Congresses until 31st March 2024. Thus they are treated as both members and non-members simultaneously.

[NickFaulks]

I think it is right, if I am reading this correctly Rolling membership examples

Yes, I now think that you and Ian are right. Call me old-fashioned, but I would still like to see the regulations which these examples exemplify.

[Mick Norris]

Might be worth pointing out before the AGM so the Governance Committee can clarify

[NickFaulks]

Might be worth pointing out before the AGM so the Governance Committee can clarify

Not sure it's for them, they don't write the regulations.

[Mike Gunn]

1. Although I am a member of the Governance Committee I haven't discussed the contents of this post with the other members: thus I am not speaking on behalf of the committee.

2. The Governance Committee does generally do the initial drafts of changes to the articles and bye laws which subsequently go to Council to be voted on.

3. It does appear to me that the sentence in Bye Law No. 1 (the Direct Members Bye Laws) "All Membership Fees shall cover the period from 1st September until 31st August in the following year, subject to the discretion of the Board to extend the period of membership for a new member who has joined during the months of July or August to 31st August in the following year." is out of date and inconsistent with new Rolling Membership arrangements and this sentence needs to be amended. I will put this on the agenda for the next Governance Committee meeting.

4. Otherwise it seems to me that the guidance given on charging game fee under Rolling Membership on the ECF website is clear. Although the June 30th rule is written with Bronze members and evening leagues in mind the same point applies to the 4NCL: you would have to be a Gold member on June 30th to avoid the game fee charge (unless you are not ENG).

5. My club (Guildford) insists that new members join the ECF and ECF membership is monitored throughout the year. Sometimes you get the odd player that slips through the net but it's not a big problem.

[Kevin Thurlow]

I suspect that some people feel the membership requirements are unnecessarily complicated, and that ECF expect(s) to be given the money whilst other people do all the work.

[Stephen Westmoreland]

Not an issue for us. We just keep checking but with most renewing in Aug/Sept, it is fine.

[Mark Howitt]

It may be a barrier for entry for some but for those serious about chess bronze is prob worth it.

[Andrew Craig]

You may have seen that the ECF has published revised guidelines on the Pay-to-Play (Rolling Membership) issue

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/pay-to- ... e-2023-24/

Unfortunately this doesn't clear much up with regards to the initial problem for clubs. Hopefully we'll see this discussed further in future ECF Council meetings.

Our AGM took place this week and we've chosen not to pass on the financial risk to our members this year, instead adopting an approach of the secretary (me) reminding players to renew membership in the month before expiry.
One thing we weren't sure of - would there be potential issues if we paid a membership (to prevent us being fined by 3-4 leagues at a greater cost) if the individual had not consented us to do so?
I felt we would put this into the terms of our membership, worded in some form and to the effect that by joining our club we could make payments on their behalf up to 12 months from taking out membership.