ECF Membership Query

[Neill Cooper]

What happens in the following situiation:
A player joins a club in Autumn 2024 and plays in the club championships. They join the ECF in Spring 2025 so all isfine.
They play in the club championships in Autumn 2025 but then disappear and do not renew their ECF membership in Spring 2026.
Presumably the club will be liable for a game fee of £21.00?

[Roger de Coverly]

A player joins a club in Autumn 2024 and plays in the club championships. They join the ECF in Spring 2025 so all is fine.
They play in the club championships in Autumn 2025 but then disappear and do not renew their ECF membership in Spring 2026.
Presumably the club will be liable for a game fee of £21.00?

This is the ECF membership uncertainty principle in action. Had they joined as a Gold member in Spring 2025 and played in a Congress in Autumn 2025 they would be a member for that event, but not for a club championship or league match at the same time. So they are both a member and a non-member simultaneously.

[Mike Truran]

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/members ... s-2025-26/

Exemptions:
... Players who were ECF members at Bronze level or above in the relevant league season at the time all of their league games were played. Clubs are asked to check any game fee invoices they receive and bring to the ECF Office’s attention any instances of players who were not members as at 30th June but were members at the time they played all their games in the preceding season. For example, players who are not members as at 30th June 2026 will be expected to have been ECF members at Bronze level or above for all the games they played in the preceding 2025/2026 season. If players satisfy that condition, we will always consider a waiver for such cases when they are brought to our attention.

[Neill Cooper]

Thanks Mike, that is useful to know.

[Paul Cooksey]

I was pleased when this was documented as an exception.

I had a player who'd played eight league games when a member and one after his membership expired. I would have tried to appeal, but fortunately he renewed before the deadline.

[John Upham]

When I restarted league table tennis some years ago I was pleasantly surprised that each and every club I joined (to play in four evening leagues) insisted that I

1. Joined their club
2. Became a member of that league
3. Became a member of Table Tennis England (the ETTA some years ago)

It struck me as organised and competant and gave me an enhanced sense of belonging and comradeship.

Nobody was permitted to "walk in off the street" and play in a league match which I applauded.

cf league chess when I told that I did not have to become a member of the NGB until just before the season ended. That struck me as chaotic and disorganised. I guess many do not see these things as significant or important.

[Paul Cooksey]

If I was organising table tennis I'd ask for the money upfront too,