What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Debate directly related to English Chess Federation matters.
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Charles W. Wood
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What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Charles W. Wood » Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:22 am

I do not understand why Martin Regan is held upon high, the only person who has told me he did anything good himself was Cynthia in the ECF office who pointed out that he made some brochures for sponsors (Which cost some-one some-thing (But knowing MR it will have been his printing firm)).

So heres the question: What good did Martin Regan do for the ECF?

Answers below.
Charles W. Wood
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Carl Hibbard
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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Carl Hibbard » Tue Dec 30, 2008 7:09 am

Charles W. Wood wrote:I do not understand why Martin Regan is held upon high, the only person who has told me he did anything good himself was Cynthia in the ECF office who pointed out that he made some brochures for sponsors (Which cost some-one some-thing (But knowing MR it will have been his printing firm)).

So heres the question: What good did Martin Regan do for the ECF?

Answers below.
I think it was more the possibility of change from the status quo rather than anything concrete
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John Upham
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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by John Upham » Tue Dec 30, 2008 7:15 am

Charles W. Wood wrote:I do not understand why Martin Regan is held upon high, the only person who has told me he did anything good himself was Cynthia in the ECF office who pointed out that he made some brochures for sponsors (Which cost some-one some-thing (But knowing MR it will have been his printing firm)).

So heres the question: What good did Martin Regan do for the ECF?

Answers below.
Shouldn't Walsh be asking his own questions? :lol:

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Carl Hibbard
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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Carl Hibbard » Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:51 pm

John Upham wrote:Shouldn't Walsh be asking his own questions? :lol:
Not called for John - this particular topic should be open for debate although I am keeping a very close eye on this one in case it descends into farce

But Charles you could have worded the question better as a genuine request and not a general slag off which is how it starts to read if I am honest :!:
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Carl Hibbard
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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Carl Hibbard » Tue Dec 30, 2008 5:04 pm

Martin Regan wrote:Vastly improved communication with members.
A bit questionable this one...

HOW :?:
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Claire Summerscale
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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Claire Summerscale » Tue Dec 30, 2008 5:06 pm

Well said Martin.

I would also add that Martin helped me enormously as junior director and without his assistance my position would have been untenable.

Claire Summerscale

Matthew Turner
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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Matthew Turner » Tue Dec 30, 2008 6:12 pm

I think Martin overstates his case

But since you ask....
In the 18 months we saw:

Almost £160,000 of new sponsorship flow into chess.
Really?

The groundwork for the launch of an English Championship.
Not sure about this

The launch of an English Seniors Championship.
Yes, pretty good

The foundations of a schools programme that eventually will be used for Chess in Schools (with or without the sets)
Dubious, I still see nothing coming out of the ECF to rival the free chesskids.com

The shake-up of the way in which the National Schools Championship was marketed, leading to the first significant increase in entries for a number of years.
Yes, excellent increase in entries

An end to the split between the NCCU and the ECF.
Temporary, at best, I suspect

Vastly improved communication with members.
Yes, I personally certainly felt that was the case

The beginning of commercial deals with chess publishers .
I haven't really seen any evidence of this

The most professional marketing material we have ever produced.
I haven't seen these, but the marketing didn't really seem to improve

An improvement in our relations with our international players – ditto the chess press.
Yes, very good

A great improvement in credit control of Game Fee.
Not sure about this, still seems to be some big debtors out there

Cost savings on printing, publishing and meetings in the order of £7k a year.
Well done

Transforming the return to the ECF from the PIF
Sounds good, but perhaps only time will tell how wise financial decisions are?

Indentifying and winkling out a £34k ECF fund that had been allowed to stagnate.
Yes, very good, there are too many disparate pots of money within the ECF

Creating, in my view, one of the best training programes for young elite players in Western Europe.
I don't think so

Oh and keeping Game Fee and membership rises below inflation.
Is this permanent? Just the result of the JR funds?

All of this was entirely down to directors and officers and other volunteers...I just enabled.

Martin was OK, but didn't stay the course and he left the ECF in a mess. I don't think he should be applauded, but equally I doubt he should be villified.

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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Matthew Turner » Tue Dec 30, 2008 6:37 pm

Martin,
Can you identify some of this £160,000 of new sponsorship?

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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Mark Howitt » Tue Dec 30, 2008 7:50 pm

Maybe a little bit of hyperbole with 'the best training system for juniors' but overall I think Martin performed better than the current incumbent and deserves some praise for that. The ECF still needs new young blood.

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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by David Haydon » Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:15 pm

Yeah it does....cuz the ecf sucks..

Matthew Turner
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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Matthew Turner » Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:06 pm

Martin,
I am somewhat mystified by this sponsor for the English National Championships. They are giving £100,000, but want no publicity - great, altruism at it's best. However, the money doesn't go directly into chess, 80% of it goes into the PIF for a later date. I find this all very strange. I have no inside knowledge, but could you just confirm whether this money is actually from the John Robinson fund?

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Ben Purton
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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Ben Purton » Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:16 pm

Whilst the vast majority I do agree with here and that is great.


The best training for juniors even if a view , its not subjectively wrong , its just not true. The dutch > British by too much
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Mick Norris
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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Mick Norris » Wed Dec 31, 2008 9:40 am

Matthew Turner wrote:Martin,
I am somewhat mystified by this sponsor for the English National Championships. They are giving £100,000, but want no publicity - great, altruism at it's best. However, the money doesn't go directly into chess, 80% of it goes into the PIF for a later date. I find this all very strange. I have no inside knowledge, but could you just confirm whether this money is actually from the John Robinson fund?
Matthew

The sponsor wants to keep his/her name out of it, fair enough - I understand it is not from the JR

I can confirm that here in Manchester we discussed with Martin the possibility of staging an English Chess Championship - a stand alone event completely separate from the British - which for various reasons we have been unable to make progress with yet (one reason being that chessplayers love to criticise, but very few actually want to help do anything)

The money going into the PIF for such a future event, whether in Manchester or elsewhere, is a good thing - one of the points of launching an English Championship would be to ensure that it is not a one-off, but becomes an annual event (not necessarily at the same location)

And to answer the original question, my answer would be give us some hope, which since the resignations is in short supply
Any postings on here represent my personal views

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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Matthew Turner » Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:13 am

Mick,
Of course a sponsor has a right to anonymity if they wish. However, years of dealing with the ECF/BCF have taught me to be sceptical. It is a big coincidence that £10,000 a year goes from the John Robinson money to the British Championships. Lets imagine that £8,000 of this was paid into the PIF each year for ten year to establish an English Championships. At the end of ten years the £80,000 could launch a Championships or it could be quietly forgotten and the money repaid to the JR fund. However, in the meantime the money will have earnt circa £100,000 in interest for the PIF - enough to pay a lot of office salaries. Anyone clever enough in the ECF to think that one up?

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Charles W. Wood
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Re: What did Martin Regan Do?????????????

Post by Charles W. Wood » Sun Jan 04, 2009 1:57 am

John Upham wrote:
Charles W. Wood wrote:I do not understand why Martin Regan is held upon high, the only person who has told me he did anything good himself was Cynthia in the ECF office who pointed out that he made some brochures for sponsors (Which cost some-one some-thing (But knowing MR it will have been his printing firm)).

So heres the question: What good did Martin Regan do for the ECF?

Answers below.
Shouldn't Walsh be asking his own questions? :lol:

J.
No, this was my question. I haven't talked to GW since October. It was a question asked to see what you all thought. Gerryoctracy and Reganites alike.
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