English Chess Forum

Ernie Lazenby wrote: In the main list is Andrew Martin- Director of Coaching.

Not correct. Andrew is Manager of Coaching.

Ernie Lazenby wrote:Taken direct from the ECF official Webb site list of officials- Junior chess officers

Charles Wood. Chess for schools project manager- Junior Development and Sales Manager

I think someone should explain that job description; is it to sell the project? if so is that not the junior publicity officers job?. Please let us have 'Sales'
explained; are we actually selling something tangible?

David Bentley. Junior publicity officer

Richard Haddrell. Controller, ECF national schools chess championship.

In the main list is Andrew Martin- Director of Coaching.

(i) At which meeting was the post of Chess for schools project manager-Junior Development and Sales Manager created and approved?

(ii) what imput has David Bentley had into the publicity for the project

(iii) We know that Andrew Martin has not had involvment in the Chess for schools project- a strange state of affairs

I was given the title of Junior Sales Manager by Claire and Martin so I could get sponsorship for junior events/ECF as a whole back in Aug Sept 07, something that I am still working on. Then Chess for Schools came along and I ended up with two titles. Sponsorship is involved in both. Which meeting? no idea.

Ernie Lazenby wrote:Charles perhaps you could help me out a little;

In other posts you say you got money out of the John Robinson trust for junior events and then you say you are looking for sponsors for junior events.

Its very confusing when we have a trust with many tens of thousands of pounds in it apparently to be used for junior events?

Why is this confusing Ernie? The John Robinson Trust has alot of money in it. But in the current financial climate it generates a relatively small amount of money (after allowing for protecting the capital from inflation). If the ECF spends the capital, then in future years there will of course be less money left and eventually there will be none.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense to seek sponsors for junior events. In fact, if the ECF had £10m cash in the bank, it should still seek sponsors for all events, junior and others!

Ernie

From the April MCF Council Meeting:

"...to the John Robinson Fund ... The Trust is administered by trustees, who are appointed by the ECF and can be sacked by the ECF. Other than that, however, the ECF's role in the acceptance or rejection of bids is purely advisory. Of course, the ECF's advice is often taken, but the ECF's support for a bid is no guarantee of its success.

...the trust has an annual income of about £40,000. This varies according to interest rate changes and so on, but the figure is usually about the £40,000 mark. Out of this £40,000, the trustees must, as a condition of the Trust, make a substantial contribution to the junior prize fund at the British Championships. The trustees have also committed themselves to paying for online coaching for the ECF junior squad, paying for junior coaching at the British Championships and providing a prize fund for the Junior Grand Prix. These ongoing commitments mean that the available amount for bids such as ours is only about £7,000."

Manchester put in a bid for £4,000 before we realised how little money was available, we have reduced this to about a quarter of that figure

Mick

Ernie Lazenby wrote:Sean you seem keen to chastise me at any opportunity well thats okay I am a big boy and can handle myself..

Not at all. But when you make inaccurate assumptions that can easily be put right, I'm happy so to do.

Ernie Lazenby wrote: BTW The ECF is not as far as I am aware a properly constituted 'savings club'..

I'm not aware that anyone, certainly not me, has suggested that the ECF is a savings club.

Ernie Lazenby wrote:Charles perhaps you could help me out a little;

In other posts you say you got money out of the John Robinson trust for junior events and then you say you are looking for sponsors for junior events.

Its very confusing when we have a trust with many tens of thousands of pounds in it apparently to be used for junior events?

Sorry I can't find a question. So your saying the British Junior Counties Schools Event should not have it own sponsor, or what you want to see is all the John Robinson Fund money used there (maybe) so areas that are just setting up junior development can't access the fund.

Sorry Ernie it makes no sense.

Am I looking for more sponsorship? yes! Why? because we need it!

Statement: a large percentage of schools are going be developing juniors all at once in each area of England. Some areas finances are a bit thin. Do you want the ECF to support them?

Ernie Lazenby wrote:If the ECF keeps on accumulating money into various trusts and does not spend it is that not a 'Savings club'
.

No Ernie, it's not!! If any business receives one off income it can either put it into reserves, using the income to finance future activities in perpetuity. Or it can spend the cash now. Thats fine, but what do you do when the funds run out? We have already seen that problem in relation to the International budget, and we are about to see it again when the Banwell legacy runs out of cash.

To spend anything but a small portion of the capital from the John Robinson legacy would be grossly negligent in my opinion. As it is, these funds will be available to support junior chess in the future, not just the present. £500k may be alot of money, but its not an infinite sum.

In my opinion, the ECF would be far better concentrating on reducing its costs (such as management services) rather than increasing its reveues.