Membership Renewal

Debate directly related to English Chess Federation matters.
TimWall

Re: Membership Renewal

Post by TimWall » Thu Oct 15, 2020 12:40 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:
Sat Oct 03, 2020 11:34 am
Ian Thompson wrote:
Sat Oct 03, 2020 11:19 am
I thought the ECF ran the British Championships on behalf of the British Isles Chess Coordinating Committee (BICCC).
It's actually the BICC. The word "Chess" does not appear in the official title.

As regards your statement which I have quoted, that was not the case up to 2017. Allegedly it is now, as a new BICC Agreement was adopted in 2017.

However, virtually no-one knows the content of the 2017 Agreement. The ECF, traditionally responsible for publishing the Agreement, have persistently declined or refused to do so for over three years. The obsolete 2007 Agreement is still published in the ECF Documents section of the ECF website.

A question for both the candidates for the position of Director of Home Chess, should they happen to read this:

If you are elected, will you commit to publishing the BICC Agreement 2017 as a matter of urgency, before the end of October 2020?
Hi David, yes - thanks for your question. If I'm elected as Home Chess Director, I will commit to publishing the 2017 BICC Agreement as a matter of urgency by the end of October 2020.

This is an important issue and I support full transparency by the ECF in its relations with the other national federations in the British Isles.

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Paul Robert Jackson
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Sun Oct 25, 2020 1:52 pm

Michael Farthing wrote:
Sat Oct 10, 2020 3:18 pm
Paul Robert Jackson wrote:
Sat Oct 10, 2020 10:30 am
Roger de Coverly wrote:
Sat Oct 10, 2020 10:19 am
Would you speculate why that might be? Would it be that continued government restrictions make it impossible or at best unattractive to organise events in the usual manner? Or is it that enforced inactivity will have provoked a mass retirement from active play?
A mixture of both.
Up to 24 months of Government Restrictions (which will include travel), & the continuing closure of venues.
The time it will take for people to return to socialising in a more "normal way".
I think the last is an exaggeration. There will be some that will not be happy resuming. There are others who, had there not been Government restrictions, would never have stopped and will resume immediately. Resumption may be at a lower level but I think it will happen as soon as it is allowed.
Looks like UK Government Restrictions are going to roll into next year.
Scotland & Wales have already made references to there being some form of restrictions continuing to remain in place throughout the first half of 2021.
Wales even talking of "Full Lockdown's" in February 2021.

This will take us to close to A Year with no OTB Chess for the Average Member.
Paul Robert Jackson

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Paul Robert Jackson
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Fri Mar 05, 2021 11:47 am

So here we are a year down the line with no "Real Chess"
Does the ECF have a plan to encourage Renewal of Membership's later in the year?
Surely if the uptake is the same as last year, which in real terms is the same as Member's leaving the ECF
.....regrettably the ECF could cease to exist.

Personally I do plan to renew my membership.
Paul Robert Jackson

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Chris Goodall
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Chris Goodall » Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:06 pm

Paul Robert Jackson wrote:
Fri Mar 05, 2021 11:47 am
So here we are a year down the line with no "Real Chess"
Does the ECF have a plan to encourage Renewal of Membership's later in the year?
Surely if the uptake is the same as last year, which in real terms is the same as Member's leaving the ECF
.....regrettably the ECF could cease to exist.

Personally I do plan to renew my membership.
They won't cease to exist. Worst case, they licence the British Champion title to a commercial tournament and they make the decision to fund only women's international chess and not men's, which would be media gold. In fact I pledge right now to take out Platinum membership if that happens.
Donate to Sabrina's fundraiser at https://gofund.me/aeae42c7 to support victims of sexual abuse in the chess world.

Northumberland webmaster, Jesmond CC something-or-other. Views mine. Definitely below the Goodall Line.

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IM Jack Rudd
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:10 pm

It wouldn't be difficult to send an Open team to international events even on no budget; I'm sure five players could be found who would be willing to self-fund. Probably not five particularly strong players, but hey ho.

Ian Thompson
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Ian Thompson » Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:25 pm

IM Jack Rudd wrote:
Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:10 pm
It wouldn't be difficult to send an Open team to international events even on no budget; I'm sure five players could be found who would be willing to self-fund. Probably not five particularly strong players, but hey ho.
That could be a money making exercise - the 5 highest bidders get selected for the England team. Anyone who was a junior in recent years will be familiar with the concept of buying a place in the England team with little regard to playing strength.

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Chris Goodall
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Chris Goodall » Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:50 pm

Ian Thompson wrote:
Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:25 pm
IM Jack Rudd wrote:
Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:10 pm
It wouldn't be difficult to send an Open team to international events even on no budget; I'm sure five players could be found who would be willing to self-fund. Probably not five particularly strong players, but hey ho.
That could be a money making exercise - the 5 highest bidders get selected for the England team. Anyone who was a junior in recent years will be familiar with the concept of buying a place in the England team with little regard to playing strength.
This forum doesn't support RuPaul's Drag Race reaction GIFs, so I'll settle for :mrgreen:

It would be a particularly strong team for certain values of strong. As I said upthread, Blackthorne Russia are a below-average team in 4NCL Div 1b, but would be an above-average team at an Olympiad. If we were talking about paying full-time salaries to players with a shot at a World Championship title match, it would be different, but no-one took up chess because they saw England reverse into 5th place in Georgia.
Donate to Sabrina's fundraiser at https://gofund.me/aeae42c7 to support victims of sexual abuse in the chess world.

Northumberland webmaster, Jesmond CC something-or-other. Views mine. Definitely below the Goodall Line.

John Swain
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by John Swain » Tue Mar 09, 2021 12:32 am

The Board's minutes for the meeting held on 22 January 2021 have been published:

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-cont ... .3.2-1.pdf

It is encouraging to hear that membership is slowly increasing and that ECF funds would be sufficient to last until at least 2022, given present levels of expenditure.

Angus French
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Angus French » Sat May 15, 2021 12:50 pm

I see that new memberships and renewals which are acquired between now and the end of the current membership year (31 August) will also be good for the 2021/22 membership year. So: as many as 15.5 months for the price of 12 months. Announcement here. Good move from the ECF!

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Paul Robert Jackson
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Mon Jul 19, 2021 4:50 pm

Having received my ECF Membership Renewal email
....I plan to renew my membership.

I presume the ECF has emailed the members who chose not to renew last year.
Paul Robert Jackson

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Mon Jul 19, 2021 7:21 pm

"I presume the ECF has emailed the members who chose not to renew last year."

We'll never know.

I renewed, just in case I actually play a game one day.

J T Melsom
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by J T Melsom » Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:46 pm

I've been talking to a friend who didn't renew last year, and he hasn't heard from the ECF. He then mumbled something about the data having been sold to Dido Harding. Is one person sufficient sample size to answer Paul Jackson with confidence?

Brendan O'Gorman
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Brendan O'Gorman » Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:49 pm

Does anyone ever ask the ECF?

J T Melsom
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by J T Melsom » Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:52 pm

Brendan

I think you may have spent too long in the sun. :)

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Paul Robert Jackson
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Tue Jul 20, 2021 10:03 am

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Mon Jul 19, 2021 7:21 pm
"I presume the ECF has emailed the members who chose not to renew last year."

We'll never know.

I renewed, just in case I actually play a game one day.
I am making the presumption that if ex members are not reminded to join following their absence last year
& club reopening's taking their time, depending on location & potential restrictions at venues
....renewal uptake could be quite slow.
Paul Robert Jackson

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