ECF Supporter

[Roger de Coverly]

The ECF have announced a new scheme.

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/federat ... angements/

The ECF Supporter category will cost £5 per year and it will include benefits, such as receiving the ECF members’ eNewsletter. It is hoped that this new category will be attractive to social chess players and chess supporters.

What it doesn't say is whether being a "ECF Supporter" makes any difference, financial or otherwise to the social player playing their first ever league game, or their first ever Congress. Isn't the eNewsletter already available from website for anyone to download?

It a surprise that the ECF think the costs of collection are so low that it's worth bothering to collect £ 5 a head. The same applying to juniors. I must have imagined those comments that the ECF office is exceptionally busy during the membership renewal season.

[NickFaulks]

It a surprise that the ECF think the costs of collection are so low that it's worth bothering to collect £ 5 a head.

My guess is that you will only be able to sign up online.

[Roger de Coverly]

My guess is that you will only be able to sign up online.

There's still the cost of inviting and processing a renewal. Is it going to be at the anniversary of joining or on the membership year of 1st September to 31st August?

[JustinHorton]

I am a bit confused as to why this falls into Chris Fegan's area of responsibility.

[John McKenna]

Perhaps it was en prise and so he took it en passant.

[John Upham]

This matter is under discussion in another place

[JustinHorton]

In which place Chris Fegan reckons Benjamin Franklin said "nothing ventured, nothing gained".

[Richard Bates]

Some people will find any excuse to complain.

[Nick Grey]

Why not just sign up anyway for a fiver? I think we all missed a trick this month in an absence of social chess activities with WCC pub/wine bar.
Leaving work too late to play club chess, but will love a social chess fix instead.

[Roger de Coverly]

There's a bit more in the recent minutes.

DT outlined the full list of proposed benefits for the new supporters category as follows:
▪ Access to the newsletter and the newsletter archive (which will be moved to a members area of the site);
▪ Offers from sponsors as for members;
▪ Access to the grading database if this is included in the members area of the web site as part of the move to monthly grading.

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

I thought it had been resolved that hiding your publicity material ( newsletter) and one of your primary services (grading) behind a paywall was not the best means of gaining visibility for your organisation.

[NickFaulks]

I thought it had been resolved that hiding your publicity material ( newsletter) and one of your primary services (grading) behind a paywall was not the best means of gaining visibility for your organisation.

The latter half is of course precisely the FIDE idea which the new administration immediately got rid of, to general approval. Makro is gone, but his spirit lives on.

[Angus French]

The current version of the membership list (dated 26 Jan) has 11,046 members of which 4 are of the category ECF Supporter.

[Ian Thompson]

There's a bit more in the recent minutes.

▪ Access to the grading database if this is included in the members area of the web site as part of the move to monthly grading.

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

I wonder if there are any other examples of chess federations restricting access to their grading/rating list to members only. If so, how common is it to do this?

[Angus French]

I think member-only access to the online grading database would be a bad idea for the reasons indicated by Roger and Nick. But also, as a frequent user of the facility, I'd hate to have log-in every time I wanted to check someone's grade or whether they had a Grade Reference.

[E Michael White]

It a surprise that the ECF think the costs of collection are so low that it's worth bothering to collect £ 5 a head.

Gift aid ?