ECF Finance Council Meeting 23 April 2022

[Roger de Coverly]

I asked Robert who is the director of membership question about this and this was his answer

Re your points, the member would become a member when he has paid and registered regardless of the 4 games. The league deadline will still be the 30th of June. So no real change apart from captains having to be slightly more vigilant regarding when a membership lapses.

I have to say it is still confusing. Suppose a new "student member" takes out membership on 1st June and then plays for their university in the 2022-23 season. From the point of view of the ECF and the league are they members in 2022-23 ? Would it be different had they joined in 2021-22 with league matches remaining?

[Paul Cooksey]

I'd prefer, for example, that someone paying for a membership mid-season gets a discount, or to offset against the next year

[John Reyes]

We need to remember this won’t started till the end of the current season,

So I’m thinking it will begin the rolling membership on the 22/23 season like the end of July as it need to be approved at the Meeting 1st and the roll out day is in xx/xx/22

[Graham Borrowdale]

I'd prefer, for example, that someone paying for a membership mid-season gets a discount, or to offset against the next year

That would seem to be consistent with the September renewal model, where you might give someone joining mid season something like 18 months for the price of 12.
Rolling membership, on the other hand, is just that, so you pay for 12 months and get 12 months benefits, as you would as a member of the RHS of something. For that to work, leagues would have to disallow non-members, on the date of the game, from playing.

[Mick Norris]

Isn't it more complicated than that Graham? If the non-member plays a league game on, say, 1 December, they still have up to 30 June that season to join the ECF at bronze level or above to avoid game fee

The Manchester League has made ECF membership compulsory from the 2022/23 season before playing, with few exceptions, but we hadn't needed previously to consider that someone's membership might lapse mid-season

[Andrew Zigmond]

This might already have been covered but it would be very useful if the ECF could facilitate membership renewals being made annually by direct debit - this would prevent a lot of members from inadvertently lapsing.

As an aside; and while it's on my mind; the ECF could perhaps consider making platinum membership available on a monthly direct debit. The reason would be that platinum membership spread across the year is nothing (it works out as £6.25 a month, the price of a bottle of plonk from the supermarket).

[Kevin Thurlow]

"(it works out as £6.25 a month, the price of a bottle of plonk from the supermarket)."

I now feel really bad about drinking even cheaper wine from Waitrose... (other supermarkets are available).

It is a good analogy of how inexpensive Pt membership is, but I will continue as an Au member.

[Hok Yin Stephen Chiu]

The Manchester League has made ECF membership compulsory from the 2022/23 season before playing, with few exceptions, but we hadn't needed previously to consider that someone's membership might lapse mid-season

Agreed - rolling memberships will face into issues like these. And, seems a pain to police; at the end of the day, it is really not very clear whether the onus is on the individual, club, or federation. With Universities, for example, many players get away with playing without membership, and often it takes months until it becomes clear, by which time the students in questions have left, or don't care; ultimately, leaving the club with a bill.

Andrew is right that direct debits could reduce the number of incidents, but it does not mean any less mid-season checking, if for example your federation is like Manchester. I for one, believe if one gets into a habit of setting up too many direct debits, it discourages individual financial prudence.

[David Sedgwick]

"(it works out as £6.25 a month, the price of a bottle of plonk from the supermarket)."

I now feel really bad about drinking even cheaper wine from Waitrose... (other supermarkets are available).

It is a good analogy of how inexpensive Pt membership is, but I will continue as an Au member.

I know nothing of this "wine" of which you speak.

However, a month's Platinum membership costs about the same as 20 cans of Diet Coke.

Make of that what you will.

[Andrew Zigmond]

To clarify an irrelevant point I'm not much of a wine drinker myself but I am the manager of a convenience store - you can get a bottle of wine for cheaper but £6.25 is roughly what you could expect to pay for an average bottle. I was trying to think of an example of what £6.25 might buy you but the point is, of course, that it's nothing really.

[Mike Gunn]

This might already have been covered but it would be very useful if the ECF could facilitate membership renewals being made annually by direct debit - this would prevent a lot of members from inadvertently lapsing.

This has been possible for a couple of years now.

[Paul Cooksey]

If I understand the additional note, 30th June becomes the key date to check membership for the proceeding league season. That does seem a significant improvement.

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-cont ... ship-2.pdf

[Roger de Coverly]

If I understand the additional note, 30th June becomes the key date to check membership for the proceeding league season. That does seem a significant improvement.

It's been that way for several years. It was found not possible to keep two membership years open, so the desire to start, say, 2021-22 overrode the desire to keep 2020-21 open.

I'm still puzzled thpough by the now you see it, now you don't membership status. Suppose a club player joins on 1st December 2022 as Gold or Silver. They are presumbly members for the purpose of tournament and 4NCL up to 30th November 2022, but not for any league, county or club games after 1st September 2022 unless they renew before 1st July 2023. Or is that conditional on not playing any games after 30th November 2023.

Leagues would have to raise the funds somehow, but would it not be simpler fior the payment model to follow the voting model and be based around charging the body doing the organisation?

[Angus French]

Have the Bronze Members' Reps sent a consultation message for the meeting? I don't seem to have received one.

[Andrew Zigmond]

The Gold membership "consultation" arrived yesterday, two days before the meeting so leaving a very narrow window for anybody wishing to send views to do so. It contained the statement that directors acting as membership representatives had an "insight", suggesting they will oppose the motion. It's worth noting here that the statement was initially sent from the wrong email address and the final line had a typing error, suggesting that it was done in something of a rush.

As I will now keep saying, it is time for members to be balloted properly on all council motions. If it can't be made binding initially and/ or the turnout is low then so be it but at least the opinions of ECF members will be known. I am strong supporter of Mike Truran as CEO (my choice - I believe that Mike has done a fantastic job) and yet I am currently represented on council by an individual who has a personal agenda against him and will ignore my views.