The County Chair meeting took place yesterday via Zoom. The minutes will be written and published shortly.
Text chat and questions appear below.
00:43:05 Norman Inniss - Kent: Could you let us know outside the meeting if clubs in our counties are not complying with UMS
00:44:49 Jerry Cope Treasurer: Ye sure, Norman. thanks. Not aware of anyone in Kent but Gordon will let you know if we find one
00:45:10 Trevor Hobson Surrey: Same question for Surrey please 00:46:00 Kiat Huang: The strategy slide - https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HY9txGFEL9FNeOj2tvwLChKzw6lY6ZUw
00:46:09 Malc..PryorSUF: Jerry, you will get the same question from almost everyone - why not let every county know about the clubs affiliated to them - if not please add Suffolk to the list.
00:47:05 Jerry Cope Treasurer: Yes we will let you all know, thanks.
00:50:48 Trevor Hobson Surrey: Can Virtual clubs use the charge code of 10, 11 or 12 at their option?
00:56:47 Lesley Millet Yorkshire Bridge Dev & Treasurer: when will the video be available Rob
00:57:18 Lesley Millet Yorkshire Bridge Dev & Treasurer: I anm
00:57:40 Pippa Green Beds Treasurer: Can you base the video on minibridge first?
00:57:53 Lesley Millet Yorkshire Bridge Dev & Treasurer: I am due to meet with our Teachers at Leeds on Thursday how else can we help them recruit new students?
00:57:58 Meena Samani-Surrey: Have some suggestions for getting casual players to go online and UMS
00:58:07 Alan Mould (Manchester): Question: It is great that so much online bridge is happening. Obviously that is all right, proper and good. However, there is of course no "serious" bridge (and I am not being perjorative here) happening for obvious reasons. I can see no way that a Gold cup match, a Crockfords match, a Crockfords final, the Premier League or anything of the like can happen online. The concerns about security being obvious. Does the Board see any way around this? Or do we simply have to wait until F2F bridge returns?
00:58:48 Trevor Hobson Surrey: Do online sessions on Bridge Club Live result in UMS payments? What is an effective sanction for UMS non-compliant clubs?
0:59:06 Meena Samani-Surrey: In Surrey we were planning a Friendly Pairs sessions for students and casual players... there is the opportunity to do that online
0:59:43 Norman Inniss - Kent: Kent are running an NGS 7 high tournament on 30th May
01:00:10 Malc..PryorSUF: Following up on Trevors question what about Funbridge, and what about friendly matches between counties on BBO etc etc
01:01:04 Lyn Fry - Middlesex: why are we producing a film to introduce bridge when the Aces and Knaves film on,y came out last year?
01:02:29 Gordon Rainsford EBU: This is intended to encourage people to teach their friends & family during lockdown - a sort of kitchen bridge for the third millenium
1:06:08 Kiat Huang: and Aces & Knaves is a film documentary about bridge which is wonderful, whereas a simple single purpose video, about 1-2 minutes long to encourage all bridge players to....
01:06:38 Kiat Huang: ..show people they love, the mindsport and pastime they love
01:11:40 Norman Inniss - Kent: Anyone have suggestions as to how we find unaffiliated clubs and engage with them
01:13:01 Lucy Cross Wiltshire: Have a list of unaffiliated clubs on your web site; phone or email the contact person and offer to help them and their members get online
01:13:37 Ptk Shields - EBU Board: For years now every time we came across an unaffiliated club in the county we offered to list them on the county website and we now have 15 there
01:13:38 Malc..PryorSUF: One useful measure for counties is to compare the number of online tables in affilated virtual clubs per week versus the number of face to face tables per week pre lockdown (expressed as a percentage). As a benchmark Suffolk are currently on 60% and are aiming for 100% plus
01:13:52 Ptk Shields - EBU Board: that's Gloucestershire
01:15:42 Norman Inniss - Kent: We have one individual who has been trained to run an affiliated club who is also using it to run unaffiliated clubs
01:16:44 Ptk Shields - EBU Board: Cheltenham runs Open Duplicate and Learners' Duplicate under the VC scheme
01:17:38 Kathy Talbot Oxford: Oxford BC also runs Open Duplicate, gentle duplicate and Learn and Play under the VC scheme
01:19:04 Keith Stait, Herefordshire: does that mean we (EBU) should promote BBO in preference to BCL?
01:19:37 James Parker: One of the most popular events and certainly the most profitable for us has been green pointed events and I have recently been told be the EBU that they have decided not to run those on-line. Why?
01:20:55 Andrew Davis Herefordshire: given the lack of printed publications, any one have any ideas on how to advertise for new students
01:20:57 Jerry Cope Treasurer: Yes, Keith or get them to set up a virtual Club
01:22:03 Norman Inniss - Kent: I understand that you can target Facebook advertising by area and demographic. We were about to do it when lockdown came!
1:24:51 Norman Inniss - Kent: Can anyone suggest how I persuade my adult daughters that bridge is any way a good thing to do!
01:25:35 Lucy Cross Wiltshire: Recruit through local facebook groups 01:26:59 Alan Mould (Manchester): I don't have any friends or family....
01:28:13 Kiat Huang: I'm ready to show the rushes on the first video
01:28:14 Norman Inniss - Kent: Could you do an 'idiots guide' Ron?
01:28:37 Trevor Ward Cumbria: Are golf and bowls clubs the demographic we should be targeting? Whilst everyone is under lockdown it's the perfect opportunity to target the younger generation.
01:29:53 Trevor Ward Cumbria: Microphone refuses to play ball so cannot communicate verbally at present
01:30:19 Kathy Talbot Oxford: GP events would be much cheaper because no venue costs . But I agree the security issue is increased
01:35:41 Paul Gibbons -Kent: Looking forward to a staggered return to f2f play where some play in the club and some online. It is almost certain that players will need a tablet to use in the club and probably each player will want to keep their own. I would have thought that if the EBU approached suppliers we should be able to source these in bulk at less than £30 a time
01:39:37 Kathy Talbot Oxford: We need to use any influence we have to ensure the WBF realise the impact of their actions and endeavour not to change their dates
01:39:51 Trevor Hobson Surrey: Norman makes a very good point. Focussing on the top en
01:40:07 Trevor Hobson Surrey: top end of players is missing the point
01:41:54 Trevor Hobson Surrey: This is missing the point. We need to focus on survival now
01:42:59 Gary Conrad Herts: So if the dates are going to clash with a county GP weekend, then the EBU need to be much more flexible about alternative dates 01:46:53 Malc..PryorSUF: Lateral thinking solution, which would require a change of approach in the Selection committee - decouple selection of the England Camrose team from the Premier League results, then the potential clashes become less important
01:47:15 Norman Inniss - Kent: Absolutely Malcolm
01:47:38 Trevor Hobson Surrey: We are rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic. We need to get real about where for priorities should be, and that is new and inexperienced members. We need to get away from the same-old same-old
01:47:52 Trevor Ward Cumbria: I cant see how the Premier league would have a severe detrimental effect on county GP weekends? How many top division premier league players regularly attend GP weekends?
01:48:40 Norman Inniss - Kent: so we are still in the position that the vast bulk of the membership are expected to fit round the interests of a few elite players.
01:50:30 Alan Mould (Manchester): @Malcolm. The SC is very clear that it wants the PL to be a trial for the Camrose.
01:50:56 Kiat Huang: What does everyone think about the video?
01:52:00 Malc..PryorSUF: I think it is excellent
01:52:07 Trevor Ward Cumbria: What is the role of the selection committee if not to select players for international events?
01:52:38 Peter Clinch Sussex: To what extent should we (EBU, counties) be tracking the solvency of our clubs? ps I like the video
01:53:22 Meena Samani-Surrey: Is it possible to raise charge for EBU games to 2 or 2.50 BBO$?
01:53:31 Alan Mould (Manchester): @Norman. I am happy to take this issue back to the Selection Committee. In particular what we try and do is fit the PL into free dates after the EBL and WBF have finalised dates. I am certainly happy to take back Paul's suggestion that we set dates 2-3 years in advance and only change them if there is then a problem. Would that help?
01:54:20 Kathy Talbot Oxford: Peter; I think we should keep an eye on the solvency of our clubs. I sent out a communication to all clubs to ask how they were doing. No one came back and said they had financial problems but that might be temporary. I intend a further communication.
01:56:20 Kathy Talbot Oxford: I here that Kent are donating the profits of their online events to clubs who have mortgages
01:57:06 Trevor Ward Cumbria: Have all clubs who own their own premisis and pay minimal or no business rates applied to their local council for the 10K grant? This was made available to all small businesses. All qualifying clubs in Cumbria have received it. It will cover lost table money
01:57:38 Norman Inniss - Kent: In principle yes we have agreed that, although we haven't had any come to us yet. We only have 1 club with its own premises, and I don't think that is mortgaged.
01:58:39 Trevor Ward Cumbria: It doesn't matter what the financial ststus of the club is the 10K grant is automatic
02:01:00 Kathy Talbot Oxford: I think Oxon only have one with a mortgage (OBC) and they got a £10K grant
02:01:08 Alan Mould (Manchester): @Norman. When we need to change them, we try to move them to the least undesirable date if that makes sense. the particular problem this year was that for the first time we held trials for EVERY event and also the number of events were extended (mixed teams for example) so we had I think 12 weekends of trials or something. So we simply had to put the PL where we could. That will not happen again for 4 years and maybe never. I do promise to take this back to the SC. I cannot promise that we will never change the dates. We will do our best to consult as much as we can, but sometime slike this year, it was simply go where it can.
02:01:46 Alan Mould (Manchester): Well I am going for a cup of tea :-)
02:01:50 Pippa Green Beds Treasurer: Thank you for a thought provoking meeting
02:02:04 Lesley Millet Yorkshire Bridge Dev & Treasurer: thank you
02:02:12 Nigel Durie NEBA: Thank you for the meeting
02:02:17 Jeff Orton -Suffolk: Thanks to the EBU for organising this.
02:02:23 James Parker: Thanks bye
02:02:24 Kathy Talbot Oxford: This is a good way to meet, thank you 02:02:24 Meena Samani-Surrey: Thank you
02:02:34 Lucy Cross Wiltshire: thanks, been very useful
02:02:38 Kiat Huang: How about a Facebook Group for the County Chairs?
02:02:53 Norman Inniss - Kent: Excellent idea
02:03:23 Kiat Huang: Or whatever platform works
02:03:27 Kiat Huang: It can be a private group
02:03:40 Paul Barden: One thought: has the EBU looked into selling BBO$ at a fair sterling rate?
02:04:34 Meena Samani-Surrey: Kiat - great idea re County chairman group
02:05:36 Kiat Huang: Who would like to help admin/moderate the County Chairs FB group? I can set it up for you and assign the admin roles.
02:06:43 Kathy Talbot Oxford: One thought: has the EBU looked into selling BBO$ at a fair sterling rate?: good idea Paul
02:08:13 Gordon Rainsford EBU: BB$ are available at a fair rate by buying them on the BBO website
02:08:14 Norman Inniss - Kent: Goodbye everybody
02:08:21 Gordon Rainsford EBU: not using an app
May 22, 2020