Membership Renewal

Debate directly related to English Chess Federation matters.
John Swain
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by John Swain » Fri Sep 25, 2020 2:26 pm

The latest membership ECF membership figures, as of 19 September, may be seen at:

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-cont ... s-2020.pdf

Angus French
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Angus French » Fri Sep 25, 2020 3:02 pm

John Swain wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 2:26 pm
The latest membership ECF membership figures, as of 19 September, may be seen at:

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-cont ... s-2020.pdf
Last sentence of Membership Renewal Analysis wrote:It therefore appears that while over-the-board chess is in abeyance we may well achieve no more than about 5500 members, which is roughly 45% of last year’s total.
The 2020/21 budget (approved at the Finance Council meeting in July) assumed membership fee income would be 80% (£160K) of the forecast 2019/20 figure (£203K). It now looks like the figure will be significantly lower.

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Paul Robert Jackson
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:17 am

John Reyes wrote:
Tue Sep 22, 2020 4:26 pm
Sean Parker wrote:
Mon Sep 21, 2020 9:18 pm
Paul Robert Jackson wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:33 am
Current Gold Member as well
.....just being optimistic that the ECF would share some up to date information with its members.
Fair comment.
i think they will published something before the AGM as no one know how covid will effect the ECF and now after boris announcement today, i don't think OTB will happen now in 2020!!
Sadly I expect an entire season to be lost, & even a delay to the 2021-2022 Season.
Many clubs will cease to exist in their current format & usual venues.

In my home town of Lancaster the venue for the club remains closed with no signs of reopening.
Paul Robert Jackson

John Reyes
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by John Reyes » Tue Sep 29, 2020 12:26 pm

Paul Robert Jackson wrote:
Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:17 am
John Reyes wrote:
Tue Sep 22, 2020 4:26 pm
Sean Parker wrote:
Mon Sep 21, 2020 9:18 pm

Fair comment.
i think they will published something before the AGM as no one know how covid will effect the ECF and now after boris announcement today, i don't think OTB will happen now in 2020!!
Sadly I expect an entire season to be lost, & even a delay to the 2021-2022 Season.
Many clubs will cease to exist in their current format & usual venues.

In my home town of Lancaster the venue for the club remains closed with no signs of reopening.
you have still online, but what about the lancashire county as no one has heard anything
Any postings on here represent my personal views only and also Dyslexia as well

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:15 pm

Paul Robert Jackson wrote:
Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:17 am
In my home town of Lancaster the venue for the club remains closed with no signs of reopening.
Is it still the Reform Club? Slightly surprising that hasn't reopened tbh.
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Simon Rogers
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Simon Rogers » Tue Sep 29, 2020 2:21 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:15 pm
Paul Robert Jackson wrote:
Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:17 am
In my home town of Lancaster the venue for the club remains closed with no signs of reopening.
Is it still the Reform Club? Slightly surprising that hasn't reopened tbh.
Perhaps Paul can travel to Barrow Chess Club to play you Matt. Unless you can meet halfway at Grange over Sands.
I think Lancaster still plays at the reform club but dropped out of the Blackpool and Fylde League many years ago.
Being a Lancashire player, I know there is a few issues with the Lancashire County Chess scene. You can tell because the website has not been updated. The last post on the website was the passing of Dick Collins at the end of April.

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Paul Robert Jackson
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:27 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:15 pm
Paul Robert Jackson wrote:
Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:17 am
In my home town of Lancaster the venue for the club remains closed with no signs of reopening.
Is it still the Reform Club? Slightly surprising that hasn't reopened tbh.
Looked very closed today.
Even the sign for Lancaster Chess Club has been removed.
Lancaster Chess Club does have a website.
https://lancasterchessclub.co.uk
No recent updates though.
Paul Robert Jackson

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Paul Robert Jackson
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:47 pm

John Reyes wrote:
Tue Sep 29, 2020 12:26 pm
Paul Robert Jackson wrote:
Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:17 am
John Reyes wrote:
Tue Sep 22, 2020 4:26 pm
i think they will published something before the AGM as no one know how covid will effect the ECF and now after boris announcement today, i don't think OTB will happen now in 2020!!
Sadly I expect an entire season to be lost, & even a delay to the 2021-2022 Season.
Many clubs will cease to exist in their current format & usual venues.
In my home town of Lancaster the venue for the club remains closed with no signs of reopening.
you have still online, but what about the lancashire county as no one has heard anything
John,
Have played a couple of games for Lancashire, but usually only play Congress Chess.
Lancashire Chess Association website has no recent updates.
Bolton & Manchester seem to have moved online.
Checking the Grading Database for Lancashire Clubs - Uptake of membership renewal is very poor.
Paul Robert Jackson

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Chris Goodall
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Chris Goodall » Wed Sep 30, 2020 5:32 pm

I would have thought that the ECF's clear financial interest in OTB chess resuming, disqualified them from taking a dispassionate view of whether or not resuming OTB chess is safe. It seems a bit like the situation at NASA in 1986, where the same person was in charge of making sure the space shuttle didn't cost too much, and making sure it didn't blow up.

Right now I can't, in good faith, encourage my league players to be Bronze members on the basis that there might be some OTB chess to play in. I wouldn't want to feel that the clock is ticking and I have to organise something before the end of the season, regardless of whether it's safe.

To the argument that they should be Bronze members just to support the ECF, I think they would be quite right to point out that there is a class of membership called Supporter.
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Paul Robert Jackson
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Fri Oct 02, 2020 10:07 am

Chris Goodall wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 5:32 pm
Right now I can't, in good faith, encourage my league players to be Bronze members on the basis that there might be some OTB chess to play in. I wouldn't want to feel that the clock is ticking and I have to organise something before the end of the season, regardless of whether it's safe.

To the argument that they should be Bronze members just to support the ECF, I think they would be quite right to point out that there is a class of membership called Supporter.
I cannot see any serious OTB chess being played in this country for 12 - 24 months, (maybe even longer).
& I doubt the Supporter's Subscription will raise enough funds.
Paul Robert Jackson

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Roger de Coverly » Fri Oct 02, 2020 10:17 am

Paul Robert Jackson wrote:
Fri Oct 02, 2020 10:07 am
I cannot see any serious OTB chess being played in this country for 12 - 24 months, (maybe even longer).
There's been a handful of small events which have been accepted for rating. But if OTB chess with participation in any sizeable numbers is effectively banned by Government diktat, what role is there for the ECF? Or for that matter Chess Scotland and the Welsh Chess Union.

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Paul Robert Jackson
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Fri Oct 02, 2020 10:33 am

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Fri Oct 02, 2020 10:17 am
What role is there for the ECF? Or for that matter Chess Scotland and the Welsh Chess Union.
A very good question.
Paul Robert Jackson

John Swain
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by John Swain » Fri Oct 02, 2020 2:17 pm

The following appeal has appeared on chess24.com

https://chess24.com/en/read/news/englis ... ur-of-need

jholyhead
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by jholyhead » Fri Oct 02, 2020 4:30 pm

Chris Goodall wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 5:32 pm


Right now I can't, in good faith, encourage my league players to be Bronze members on the basis that there might be some OTB chess to play in. I wouldn't want to feel that the clock is ticking and I have to organise something before the end of the season, regardless of whether it's safe.
If enough people take that attitude, you may not have to organise anything for many seasons to come.

It's not unreasonable to ask people to renew as a member today to ensure that there is an organisation to come back to when OTB chess does resume, whether or not that resumption occurs before the end of the current season.

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Membership Renewal

Post by Roger de Coverly » Fri Oct 02, 2020 4:41 pm

jholyhead wrote:
Fri Oct 02, 2020 4:30 pm
It's not unreasonable to ask people to renew as a member today to ensure that there is an organisation to come back to when OTB chess does resume, whether or not that resumption occurs before the end of the current season.
Local leagues and clubs can continue to exist and be revived, or not, regardless of the existence of a national body.

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