ECF Membership Reform

[Andrew Zigmond]

Unless there's a change of board membership, ideas the board want to implement have a habit of coming back repeatedly regardless of their rejection.

Government legislation (good and bad) tends to work the same way.

The ideal model for the ECF would be a choice between monthly direct debits or a flat rate yearly (or multiple year) payment that was less. The downside would be that administration would be harder - but not necessarily unworkable.

[Ian Thompson]

One point that doesn't seem to be addressed is the point of renewal. The ECF switched to a fixed renewal date of 1st September with League seasons in mind. Those joining for Congresses in the Spring and Summer quite rightly said that they didn't get twelve months of benefit for twelve months of fee and the ECF went back to rolling membership for Silver and Gold.

How would Leagues cope with players who were members only for part of their season? Or with unified membership, would the ECF implement a strange scheme where if you join on 1st January you are a member for the whole year of tournaments, but for leagues only from 1st September the previous year to 31st August that year.

Why would that point be addressed when the proposed changes to the membership scheme would not alter the current situation? If you read the ECF's explanation of rolling membership under the current membership rules it doesn't depend on membership category. There is no mention of membership category in the document.

[Roger de Coverly]

Why would that point be addressed when the proposed changes to the membership scheme would not alter the current situation?

The practical effect of Bronze membership is that it starts on 1st September and finishes on 31st August in the following year. That's notwithstanding the misleading expiry dates on the ECF grading data. It's going to come back and kick the ECF sometime in the near future particularly for those who join the ECF after the end of the League season. Can the ECF credibly tell someone who joined on say 1st June 2024 after the end of the local league season and hadn't played that previous season or indeed ever that they aren't members for the purposes of games played in leagues between 1st September 2024 and 31st May 2025?

[Kevin Thurlow]

"as one of his more distinguished club colleagues"

The other club colleagues are considerably more distinguished.

[Dragoljub Sudar]

As mentioned before, I would prefer to see Bronze and Silver merged to encourage Bronze members to try Congress chess, but the board seems not to have even considered this option.

Anyway...

Under the current system Bronze members who pay £9 extra to play in a Congress are automatically upgraded to Silver but may choose to revert to Bronze next season. This gives a normally Bronze member the flexibility to play in more than one Congress one season and choose not to enter any in the following season.

However, if I have read it correctly, any grandfathered Bronze member, if upgraded during the season to the Single membership (for an extra £15), will not be able to return to Bronze next season.

The notes suggest that grandfathered Bronze members may pay £9 to play in a Congress. Does that mean the Bronze member will not be upgraded and may renew as a Bronze member the following season?

This also suggests that if a grandfathered Bronze member wishes to play in two congresses one season and revert to non the following season, this season he/she will have to pay £9 for each Congress he/she plays in, just as a non member currently has to.

[Ian Jamieson]

As mentioned before, I would prefer to see Bronze and Silver merged to encourage Bronze members to try Congress chess, but the board seems not to have even considered this option.

Anyway...

Under the current system Bronze members who pay £9 extra to play in a Congress are automatically upgraded to Silver but may choose to revert to Bronze next season. This gives a normally Bronze member the flexibility to play in more than one Congress one season and choose not to enter any in the following season.

However, if I have read it correctly, any grandfathered Bronze member, if upgraded during the season to the Single membership (for an extra £15), will not be able to return to Bronze next season.

The notes suggest that grandfathered Bronze members may pay £9 to play in a Congress. Does that mean the Bronze member will not be upgraded and may renew as a Bronze member the following season?

This also suggests that if a grandfathered Bronze member wishes to play in two congresses one season and revert to non the following season, this season he/she will have to pay £9 for each Congress he/she plays in, just as a non member currently has to.

My understanding which could be wrong - the paper just says pay to play could be reviewed at the same time not how it might be changed - is that once you play one Congress and are updated to silver you would cease to have any grandfathering rights. I have said in my feedback that this would mean that I wouldn’t play any congresses in future (or at least ECF graded congresses - there is also the complication of FIDE congresses and non-ENG players) and if other people followed me, the run-off of bronze membership could take longer than envisaged.

[Gareth T Ellis]

quote"Unread post by Dragoljub Sudar » Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:19 pm

As mentioned before, I would prefer to see Bronze and Silver merged to encourage Bronze members to try Congress chess, but the board seems not to have even considered this option."

I proposed this at the Finance Meeting but it was out voted for the short list to be considered by the board.

[Angus French]

quote"Unread post by Dragoljub Sudar » Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:19 pm

As mentioned before, I would prefer to see Bronze and Silver merged to encourage Bronze members to try Congress chess, but the board seems not to have even considered this option."

I proposed this at the Finance Meeting but it was out voted for the short list to be considered by the board.

Can you say why you did that Gareth, given that:
a) you were a Bronze members' rep at the time of the meeting (a position you still hold);
b) Bronze members were not consulted by their reps in advance of the meeting; and
c) feedback from Bronze members on two previous proposals before Council to merge Bronze and Silver categories was strongly against?

[Mick Norris]

The NCCU will be proposing merging bronze, silver and gold at a price of £25

I wonder what the bronze reps would make of that

Not sure if this would mean there are the same number of reps as at present

[Roger de Coverly]

The NCCU will be proposing merging bronze, silver and gold at a price of £25

Wouldn't that mean cancelling some of Malcolm's budget?

[Ian Jamieson]

The NCCU will be proposing merging bronze, silver and gold at a price of £25

I wonder what the bronze reps would make of that

Not sure if this would mean there are the same number of reps as at present

I’m not a Bronze rep but as a Bronze member I’m opposed to it.

[Mick Norris]

The NCCU will be proposing merging bronze, silver and gold at a price of £25

Wouldn't that mean cancelling some of Malcolm's budget?

I'd understood it was revenue neutral

[Roger de Coverly]

I'd understood it was revenue neutral

I supppose it's the ultimate endgame of the process started with the Northern Membership Scheme of cross subsidising the most active players from the least active.

[NickFaulks]

I'd understood it was revenue neutral

The calculations in support of that claim will make interesting reading.

[IM Jack Rudd]

It's one of those situations where if we knew the shape of the demand curve for ECF membership, we would know a lot more than we do now. But finding it out is tricky.