English Bridge Union
Welcome to the final issue of Club Management Focus in 2016
I was appointed as your Club Liaison Officer back in May and I thought you might like to know what I do. My role is to support over 600 EBU affiliated clubs in England in their relationship with the EBU, making clubs aware of the services the EBU provides and helping clubs with any issues they may have. These range from assisting clubs applying for charitable status to dealing with slow play and promoting the EBU’s Best Behaviour at Bridge policy. All of these issues and many more are covered in the very detailed Club Management Handbook available on the website to all affiliated clubs and if you haven’t looked at it recently (or at all!) I urge you to do so.
The most interesting part of my job involves visiting bridge clubs across England and I wish to thank all my hosts from recent visits to Lancashire, Essex, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk and Cornwall. A usual visit involves meeting with members of the club’s committee before a club session to discuss any issues they may have. Some of the clubs I have visited are very successful with thriving teaching programmes and several well attended weekly sessions. These clubs give me best practice ideas on how to increase membership to share with other clubs who may be struggling to maintain table numbers. I generally stay to play bridge at the club following the meeting and talk to club members. Please contact me if you think your club might benefit from a visit and I will add you to my list for 2017.
A number of our clubs are thinking of applying for lottery funding to enable them to purchase dealing machines or electronic scoring handsets. If any club has been successful in obtaining lottery funding recently and is willing to share their experience with others, then please get in touch. Also do let me know if you have ideas for future articles in Club Management Focus.
I wish you all the best for the festive season and hope that you have good bridge hands over the holidays. Maybe you will be lucky and get a little something from the EBU shop in your stocking!
Bev Purvis
Club Liaison Officer, English Bridge Union
November 2016
