ECF Director elections for 2012/13

[JustinHorton]

I would be prepared to draw a line under the financial questions over Sheffield (as much due to poor accountancy as anything)

It's useful to remember that CJ de Mooi is not a sixteen-year-old on work experience. He is an experienced individual who has worked a good deal in the entertainment industry. The existence of invoices cannot possibly be a mystery to him, nor can the existence of reasons to complete them properly, nor can the need to obtain receipts for money disbursed.

[Peter Turner]

I think you have done a great job whilst you have been International Director Lawrence. Nobody could have been more conscientious and hard-working.

Your hard work and dedication has been appreciated and much admired. You will be a great loss to the ECF but delighted you will again have some time to begin organising chess events.

All the very best for the future.

[David Pardoe]

It is a great shame that we seem to loose talented people who can contribute greatly to the ECF mission..
because they find themselves over worked. Maybe we need to boost the number of posts on the ECF board to enable this work to be managed more sensibly.
Possibly by creating more `support roles/deputies` or adding more regional representatives..
Running the ECF is definately a team task that requires more `hands` to get things ticking..
The last thing the ECF needs is volunteers who find themselves on a 24/7 shift....

PS..thanks for your earlier comments AB... keep up your good work...

[David Sedgwick]

I think you have done a great job whilst you have been International Director Lawrence. Nobody could have been more conscientious and hard-working.

My sentiments exactly.

Thanks for the vote of confidence but I definitely need a complete break from what to me became a 24-7 job but can easily be done by someone else in a lot less time. I also want to spend less time on ECF admin and dealing with difficult foreign organisers, registering players and teams and create new tournaments of my own. I hope people do apply though as it can be a rewarding job and on the whole players seem to have appreciated my attempts to improve things albeit I've achieved far less than I hoped when I took on the role.

That's precisely how I felt when I stood down as BCF International Director in 1999, but with one important exception. I felt I needed a break from all chess administration and I dropped out more or less completely for some years. I'm delighted to hear that you still have the motivation and energy to organise your own tournaments and I look forward to working with you again at the Big Slick International 2013, if not sooner.

[Ernie Lazenby]

Getting back to the elections. Perhaps one of the most important considerations is this;

Should Mr De-Mooi get elected again, hopefully not, what will be the position with regard to Lara, Alex and David Welsh in respect of the British Championship. Surely the members would rather have that team than someone who has not exactly covered himself in glory and thats being kind. Unless peace breaks out big time I cannot see how they could work together.

I suspect that if members at the AGM are given a stark choice our loyal stalwarts would prevail and rightly so.

[David Pardoe]

One possible option might be to split the President role and appoint CJ as President of the `Professional sector`, and appoint Roger as President of the `Domestic Sector`.
This might help keep the club together as one united body and ensure a strong representation for both wings at the top table.....

[David Robertson]

One possible option might be to split the President role and appoint CJ as President of the `Professional sector`, and appoint Roger as President of the `Domestic Sector'

Romans tried it. Didn't work

[Jonathan Bryant]

This might help keep the club together as one united body ....
(my emphasis)

English chess is a 'united body' at the moment? That strikes me as a rather fanciful idea.

[John Upham]

English chess is a 'united body' at the moment? That strikes me as a rather fanciful idea.

What would be your criteria for describing English Chess as 'united' and can you point to any times in its past when you would describe it as such?

[Jonathan Bryant]

(A) Something that isn't like what we've got now. It wouldn't include, for example, a President who is directly antagonistic to significant sections of the English chesser rank and file (and vice versa).

(B) Not sure, possibly not - which would rather enhance my point, I think.

[Gavin Strachan]

Instead of throwing large chunks of money at one or two single events would it a more prudent action to have a long term strategy of getting more new chess players knocking on the doors of clubs and congresses? Perhaps this could be achieved through some sort of media strategy or the chess in schools charity. If you have more players who now have to become members then in the long term you would generate more money. Sounds too simple. When CJ came in I was hoping this may open a media door chess to get it on TV in a positive manner.

[Andrew Zigmond]

Getting back to the elections. Perhaps one of the most important considerations is this;

Should Mr De-Mooi get elected again, hopefully not, what will be the position with regard to Lara, Alex and David Welsh in respect of the British Championship. Surely the members would rather have that team than someone who has not exactly covered himself in glory and thats being kind. Unless peace breaks out big time I cannot see how they could work together.

I suspect that if members at the AGM are given a stark choice our loyal stalwarts would prevail and rightly so.

This has occurred to me as well and it is a very important question. Obviously Mr de Mooi may be hoping that Lara and Alex step down voluntarily (Lara may not wish to be involved after the way various people - not just de Mooi - have treated her over the last twelve months and they are perhaps not as well placed to run an event on the South Coast). Another point; nobody has yet thrown their hat in the ring for Chief Executive - somebody openly sceptical of de Mooi could yet be elected unopposed on a pledge to keep him on a tight leash (perhaps not putting it so bluntly). Would the President accept this?

[Andrew Zigmond]

I suspect his vanity and arrogance would be a significant factor in him not accepting that.

He may have no choice if no pro CJ CEO candidate comes forward. The only thing he could do would be to make life so frustrating for his colleague that he resigns in disgust. He wouldn't be the first ECF President to use that trick.

[Andrew Zigmond]

I would be prepared to draw a line under the financial questions over Sheffield (as much due to poor accountancy as anything)

It's useful to remember that CJ de Mooi is not a sixteen-year-old on work experience. He is an experienced individual who has worked a good deal in the entertainment industry. The existence of invoices cannot possibly be a mystery to him, nor can the existence of reasons to complete them properly, nor can the need to obtain receipts for money disbursed.

My point was that accountacy has never been the ECF's strong point and this was the case long before the current board got involved. When was the last time the ECF submitted a set of properly audited accounts (okay, don't answer that)?

[Ernie Lazenby]

That being so why was it allowed to go on and on for so long. Is council irrelevant, do'nt they care.

Sadly unless we start to take ourselves seriously no one else is. We talk about being a national federation with international reps and numerous grandious titled commitees/officials but in reality we are a fairly inconsequential organisation that apprently just barely gets bye year on year.

Quite some years ago I advocated a paid CEO be given the authority to run the show correctly. I accepted some time ago that with unpaid volunteers you basically have to put up with who you get but there is a limit surely. BTW dont misread that comment. Dealing with strong personalities aside I think our current CEO did/does a very good unpaid job and am sorry he is resigning (not a big surprise given what he has had to deal with this year). Jack and Lawrence are also examples of very good officials.