As the controversial changes to EBU’s membership and charging policy will affect our club and members when they become effective in the year 2010, I believe Brevion members should be interested in the following two articles. The first appeared in the August edition of BRIDGE which prompted the EBU’s Chairman to respond: -
IT IS NOT TOO LATE!
says Sandra Landy as she pleads for clubs and counties to reconsider their position on the EBU strategy
I joined the English Bridge Union when still at school, so as a member of fifty plus years standing, I can claim to be a genuine supporter. So why, after so many years, am I now so strongly against the latest EBU strategy? I think Pay to Play (P2P) will be a disaster and could even bankrupt the organisation. Here are some of my reasons for thinking so:
· P2P replaces the two income sources, member subscriptions and masterpoint sales, with just one income source· - not a sensible move for any business. Nearly half of the EBU members pay by direct debit, something most organisations only dream of achieving. Our income is steady and secure; it even increased this year. Put the very modest prices up if more money really is needed.
· At the shareholders' meeting almost every county, whether for or against P2P, said that many smaller, social clubs would leave the Union. These clubs currently pay a subscription and award masterpoints. The EBU loses income from both when the club leaves. P2P may well bring the cost of affiliation to members' attention and cause a rethink of this use of funds. If the club has money to spare, the membership might well see better uses for it, such as tastier biscuits, more jollies, a reduction in table money or donations to charity. There are no services the club gets from the EBU that cannot be found elsewhere. Any organisation that is happy to lose such a high proportion of its membership stores up serious problems.
· Many smaller clubs are started by teachers to give students somewhere to play, as many larger clubs don't welcome the inexperienced. I encouraged my students to start a club and seven years on, it is still thriving, affiliated and giving points weekly. P2P will make starting such clubs more expensive and complicated to run. It's likely they will never affiliate, possibly losing these players to the EBU for ever. Remember, the first masterpoints you win are the most exciting ones you ever get.
· Bridge players are cunning people. Players whose clubs disaffiliate can join an affiliated club and play there just once a year, thus becoming EBU members and getting both the magazine and the right to play in EBU competitions very cheaply. Under P2P, both county and EBU income comes only from members playing in an affiliated club. Some clubs plan to split into two, one affiliated, and the other not. So the P2P fee will only be paid on some sessions, where currently masterpoints are awarded for all games.
A recent vote of the counties showed 60% to be in favour in P2P. Since no discussion was allowed in English Bridge, I suspect many people did not understand the implications. There is a general feeling that "something must be done" and P2P is the only thing on offer. The response of the EBU to this situation should be to address its failings and make the Union important and relevant to the wider bridge playing public so that people want to be members. Instead, it has come up with a plan to attempt to force all club players into EBU membership. I fear P2P could bankrupt the EBU; they are already talking about mortgaging our HQ premises to cover the P2P losses. I hope every player will tell their club and county to vote against the scheme when a formal vote is taken to change the bye-laws next year. Clubs and counties, it is not too late to change your mind.
Note:
1. Sandra Landy has been a successful member of our women's bridge team, twice winning the World Championship among many other titles. Recently, she worked for the EBU developing the Bridge For All initiative.
2. I am not sure if this addition at the bottom of the article is attributable to Sandra or the BRIDGE MAGAZINE Editor: -
Please delay implementing P2P for a year. Consider alternative ideas to secure our future. Change may be inevitable, but we cannot afford to get it wrong. The EBU could well die whilst receiving the P2P treatment!
EBU Chairman has copied this reply to all member clubs: -
Dear Mr. Bridge
Sandra Landy’s article “It is not too late!” appears to fly in the face of a democratic process that has taken place over the last year.
The Board of the EBU has had meetings with representatives of each and every one of its 39 counties. It has done its best to contact every one of its affiliated clubs and its Membership Development Action Group has over 1000 emails that it has responded to. The Board has published its proposals in all their forms in English Bridge and has provided contact information for those who wished to make a contribution to the consultation process. It has chosen a route of being completely proactive in its consultation process by taking it to its affiliated clubs and their members. It is sad that anyone should suggest that we have not done otherwise.
The EBU has also held an EGM where every county was asked to consult with its clubs and deliver their verdict on 4 June 2008. The vote was carried by a nearly 2 to 1 majority for universal membership via the Pay to Play system.
The Board has approached the development of Bridge in England in a business-like manner, ensuring that its membership know that it has provision for any potential problems that may occur within the process of the change over to universal membership - the only way for our organisation to proceed. Master Point income and membership income are inextricably linked - hence our simplification of the process by making it one payment, which not only simplifies our own accounting process, which in turn modernises, streamlines and reduces costs, but also lessens the administrative burden on our affiliated clubs.
All possible alternatives have been published and discounted, for very good reasons. Nothing has been hidden; all these alternatives are there for all duplicate bridge players to read about.
The Board of the EBU has taken a route to develop the game and make it more accessible to more people by putting the organisation on a stable footing through universal membership. We continue the process of addressing our organisation and its operations - we readily admit the EBU of the past has not fully met the needs of its clubs and their players. Perhaps Mrs Landy wants to continue with the “old EBU” focusing on an elite group of players and neglecting the rest, resulting in a smaller and smaller group of members and a game that has no national representation or co-ordination - with all that that entails. She states that there are no services that clubs get from the EBU that they cannot get elsewhere and later on in her article states that she is still awarding Master Points at her club - we are not aware of any other organisation that awards these points, that trains tournament directors, bridge teachers and students or that regulates the game.
What is truly astonishing is how Mrs Landy can suggest that a significant numbers of EBU members would defraud their fellow members. We have based our proposals on the belief that our members are honest and will not devise ways of getting round the new system. However, we will ensure that our members’ interests are protected at all times- our volunteers on the new Club Committee and its representatives on the Universal Membership Project Committee will be addressing these potential scams to protect those interests.
A truly democratic process has taken place. The time has come to move forward together with a new style EBU, with its focus firmly on the clubs and the development of the game.
Yours sincerely, Peter Stocken