Lack of young(er) people at the ECF AGM yesterday

[Peter Hornsby]

At the ECF AGM yesterday there was hardly anyone aged under 40 which I think is a bit concerning.

(I think I was the youngest aged 30 but stand to be corrected on both points, and this is in no way a slight on older/more experienced participants)

Do people on here believe this is an issue, and if so what would be the best way to ameliorate this situation?

[Roger de Coverly]

Do people on here believe this is an issue, and if so what would be the best way to ameliorate this situation?

To the extent that people at the ECF AGM are selected by their local bodies, persuade said local bodies to appoint younger representatives. But that's not going to work unless there are younger local volunteers willing to attend.

It's a leftover from the Fischer era that there are a lot of active English chess players born in the 1950s and 1960s. That's likely to feed through into a meeting of their representatives.

[Paul Cooksey]

I think you'd expect younger people to be underrepresented in any voluntary body, but probably not by as much as in the ECF.

The ECF demographics are probably unusually challenging, with a wave of people now in their 70s who have been active volunteers over the past 20 years starting to stand down.

Current thinking in the ECF Board seems to be in the absence of a pipeline of volunteers more paid staff will be necessary.

[Clive Wismayer]

What was the agenda?

[Paul Cooksey]

Honestly Clive, I'm less interested in your thoughts than Peter's. If you go here you can read all the documents: https://www.englishchess.org.uk/about/e ... and-board/

[Richard Bates]

I think you'd expect younger people to be underrepresented in any voluntary body, but probably not by as much as in the ECF.

The ECF demographics are probably unusually challenging, with a wave of people now in their 70s who have been active volunteers over the past 20 years starting to stand down.

Current thinking in the ECF Board seems to be in the absence of a pipeline of volunteers more paid staff will be necessary.

Of course some(/many?) might argue that is a good thing (notwithstanding direct cost implications) if they see the current volunteer culture as being too skewed in that direction anyway - regardless of there being willing volunteers or not (at the highest level of the ECF anyway - clearly more local organisation has to be sustained by volunteers)

[Peter Hornsby]

Honestly Clive, I'm less interested in your thoughts than Peter's. If you go here you can read all the documents: https://www.englishchess.org.uk/about/e ... and-board/

Thanks for the suggestion to start a separate post on this topic Paul.

For what its worth I think it would be an idea to think how to motivate people in general to go to the ECF AGM. Perhaps a more social element could be involved like a friendly evening blitz tournament afterwards or something.

I understand there are rules about who can attend ECF AGMs but perhaps exceptions can be looked at if there ways to specially invite observers who might consider getting involved (not just younger people, women etc.).

As Roger says it all starts at a local level, so there does need to be consideration how to get younger people involved there as well.

My journey with the ECF started with a chance meeting with Phil Ehr who encouraged me to run for the NED role back in 2017, which I did and it was a great experience- although sadly my candidacy was damaged somewhat as some people thought I was his lackey/proxy.

Robert Stern then reached out to me a few years later at the Golders Green Rapidplay asking if I would consider serving on the ECF Governance Committee and I happily agreed and was voted in at the next council meeting.

I wonder how often conversations encouraging younger people to get involved take place along with giving them a bit of faith and confidence in the same way I was.

[Stephen Westmoreland]

It is not surprising as an AGM will typically need experienced organisers. Also, for the younger end, there are much better things to do!

[NickFaulks]

Perhaps a more social element could be involved like a friendly evening blitz tournament afterwards or something.

But then what would happen to the traditional drink afterwards? I got the last Tube home.

I understand there are rules about who can attend ECF AGMs but perhaps exceptions can be looked at if there ways to specially invite observers who might consider getting involved (not just younger people, women etc.).

That was how I attended my first Council meeting. The Chair ( the late Julian Clissold unless I misremember ) was most welcoming and said that he would recognise me if I wished to say anything relating to my work within FIDE. The only sour note was a snarky comment from Phil Ehr regarding my presence.

My journey with the ECF started with a chance meeting with Phil Ehr who encouraged me to run for the NED role back in 2017, which I did and it was a great experience- although sadly my candidacy was damaged somewhat as some people thought I was his lackey/proxy.

That was not the reason why I did not support your candidacy. I felt you had been advised poorly, because NED should never be an entry level position. I wish to see candidates have a history in a hands-on role ( Manager is good, too much emphasis is placed on the magic of being a Director ) before they start to opine on the performance of others.

I wonder how often conversations encouraging younger people to get involved take place along with giving them a bit of faith and confidence in the same way I was.

Often, I think, but when the understanding that actual work is involved kicks in they tend to realise that they are already very busy.

[Mick Norris]

It is not surprising as an AGM will typically need experienced organisers. Also, for the younger end, there are much better things to do!

Not just at the younger end

Trekking to London isn't attractive for many, so the availability of Zoom is an improvement

It's a bit catch 22 as well, would many want to go to a meeting where nearly everyone is their parents age?

[Andrew Zigmond]

While I certainly don't disagree that it would be good to see some younger faces at such meetings I would argue whether there is necessarily a demographic shift involved. I can't imagine the average age of delegates at the ECF (or BCF as was) thirty years ago would have been much younger, indeed it may even have been older. Perhaps more critically, if thirty years is used as a marker, you could do a rough analysis of how old those who attended yesterday were thirty years ago and what their involvement in chess (if any) was at the time.

In any case the AGM is largely an administrative necessity rather than a critical summit about the future of chess - I agree with the suggestion made by others that younger players and organisers may have had other uses of their time.

( the late Julian Clissold unless I misremember )

Digressing but is this correct that Julian Clissold is now deceased?

[NickFaulks]

Digressing but is this correct that Julian Clissold is now deceased?

Oh dear, terribly sorry. I had a different Julian in my mind.

[MJMcCready]

Well it seems to me the chess in schools project/initiative was at well in progress after WW2 but as the decades have rolled by, its tailed off. In the 50s my home town had its own schools chess league, and that's my home town not to mention the county as a whole. Is there one single town in Enlgand that has its own schools chess league? It's talied off as the decades have gone by post 70s in my opinion, so we have less coming through.

[LawrenceCooper]

Digressing but is this correct that Julian Clissold is now deceased?

Oh dear, terribly sorry. I had a different Julian in my mind.

Farrand?

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Is there one single town in Enlgand that has its own schools chess league?

There was a pretty good Oxfordshire Schools League running until the 2019/20 season. Matches were played after the school day and it could be very difficult to get children from one side of town to the other when the roads were congested. It tended to be easier for private schools as they were more likely to have a minibus and be able to use school facilities without filling in a mountain of forms. This is the sort of thing which really needs an extremely dedicated teacher willing to do lots of unpaid extra work rather than relying on parents or paid coaches.