Most of you will recall the issues surrounding the English Bridge Union's (EBU) Pay to Play (P2P) initiative. The EBU changed the way it is funded from membership subscriptions and other fees (such as Master Points costs) to collecting a small amount of everyone's table money every time anyone plays at an affiliated club.
The situation regarding the Bracknell Bridge League (BBL) is slightly different. The BBL isn't a club, as such, so there is no question of affiliating, but competitions such as the annual league tournament can be licenced or unlicenced.
A licenced competition is one that is run under the umbrella of the EBU, allowing Master Points to be issued for league matches and making available other EBU services such as disputes resolution.
An unlicenced competition is entirely independent of the EBU. The EBU received no revenue for it so you cannot issue Master Points etc.
Note that the questions of whether a particular club is affiliated, or whether the league itself is licenced, are entirely independent. Affiliated and non affiliated clubs are free to enter teams in the league regardless of whether the league itself is licenced.
Up to and including the forthcoming league season, the BBL is committed to being a licenced competition. That situation will be reviewed at the next league AGM, to be held at the end of the league season next April or May. Surprise, surprise, the cost of licencing the league is set to rise dramatically. Although P2P is supposed to be "revenue neutral", it isn't for everyone. Had the league been organised on an all-play-all once basis then the cost of licencing would not have changed much but because we play home and away matches against each other team, the cost is going to rise. It won't be double. Nobody seems entirely sure at this stage what the increase will be but worse case scenario looks to be about 66%.
The BBL's finances are in a healthy state so it is unlikely that the full percentage increase would be passed on to clubs in the form of a similar percentage increase in league entry fees but some increase in league entry fees looks inevitable. Current league entry fees are £7 per league team and £6 per pivot cup team. BFBC's bill this year was therefore £59 in total for our five league, and four pivot, teams. Again, no one has worked out the figures but the guesstimate I have seen is that maybe league entry fees might rise to £10 with a similar increase for pivot teams. You can work out for youself what the effect would be on BFBC.
Why am I telling you all this? The BBL needs to know, at or before its AGM next year, whether the member clubs are for or against the league remaining licenced. Each year we send a club representative to the league AGM and next year that representative needs to be briefed with the club's views. I should therefore like to encourage a healthy debate amongst the members as to where we stand on this issue. I suspect this debate may culminate in some sort of vote early next year but whether that requires an EGM, or whether it can all be done by email, I don't know. Any views on that front would also be appreciated.
I am happy to publish individual member's views here if anyone has any strong feelings they wish to express.
Keith