Prerequisites

[andrew martin]

We all keep talking of changes which will move English Chess forward.

Here is my short list of absolute prerequisites.

1) Stop arguing about trivial matters

2) Present a united front.

3) Abolish the ECF rating system and move to ELO rating

4) Abolish adjournments completely. Chess games must be played to a finish in one session.

5) The top players must start to act as good role-models, inspiring our young players to want to
carry on playing chess. Too often the best players are perceived as selfish or lacking in charisma.

Must be more. if so, what ?

Andrew

[Nigel Wright]

Perhaps more could be done to secure funding to provide wages for board members in order to attract younger (and dare I say it, better) Directors, who can do that as a job instead of having to juggle around their normal job of which causes them to not have time to do the Directorate properly. Question is, what can be done to secure said funding? Is it possible to release some of the funds currently held in stasis by the ECF and other trustees?

[Sean Hewitt]

Perhaps more could be done to secure funding to provide wages for board members in order to attract younger (and dare I say it, better) Directors, who can do that as a job instead of having to juggle around their normal job of which causes them to not have time to do the Directorate properly. Question is, what can be done to secure said funding? Is it possible to release some of the funds currently held in stasis by the ECF and other trustees?

To pay for the first executive post (presumably the CEO) you would need circa £50k per annum. If you tried to fund this out of monies held in trust the ECF would go bust pretty quickly.

There are only two ways this could work. Firstly, that the new incumbent raises sufficient additional revenues (either via sponsorship or commercial activities) to make the role self financing. This is possible, but would require a punt on behalf of the ECF for 2 or 3 years and could see it out of pocket to a six figure sum with no tangible benefit.

The second would be to cut some existing cost - which would presumably be "Management Services" although could come from elsewhere. However, assuming that the office provides some valuable services, these jobs would then need to be farmed out to a new posse of volunteers.

Its not an easy problem to solve, but its another situation where council will never agree a consensus to go forward!

[Nigel Wright]

Can we not just scrap council altogether then?

[John Upham]

It would have to scrap itself!

Can you imagine those with perceived power relinquishing it as a matter of principle / democracy?

Come back in 20 years time and see if Council has become a more useful body : I doubt it will happen.

John

[Nigel Wright]

Is staging a Chess Coup out of the question? Just think of the publicity...

[Sean Hewitt]

Can we not just scrap council altogether then?

Only if you can get council to vote for it!!

And whilst that is true (if rather flippant) the Football Association Council (which was remarkably similar to the BCF) did vote to divest most of its powers to the executive board. The Turkeys really did vote for Christmas!