English Bridge Union
Welcome!
As I write this snow is falling on Newcastle and I am preparing to leave home for a County League match. It is definitely the winter and the middle of the bridge season up here. This winter edition of CMF has articles about Bristol bridge club and some fabulous work in Yorkshire and Leeds on education. One of the real strengths of the network of Regional Club Committees and the National Club Committee is that it enables us to share common problems and learn from those clubs and counties that are finding solutions. I hope that you find these case studies helpful. Another way in which we try to identify common problems and suggest solutions is through our Club Liaison Officer, Andrew Urbanski, who as well as being available by phone, will visit your club. He has been on the road in Merseyside and Essex recently, meeting with club committees and playing bridge. I don't know what this means for his NGS rating but the welcome he always gets is warm and clubs seem to value the opportunity to meet with an EBU official and benefit from his practical advice. Please let him know if you're interested in seeing him at your club.
We held a meeting of the National Club Committee in November. One of the things we shared was the amount of work the EBU now does to directly support clubs by training Club Teachers and Directors. The numbers are phenomenal. From April 2010 we have trained 202 club teachers representing approximately a third of all affiliated clubs. The numbers are growing and break down as follows:
2010-11: 54
2011-12: 74 (approx 40% growth on 10-11).
2012-13: 74 (projected total 94 approx 25% growth on 11-12).
The case studies from Bristol and Yorkshire show the importance of education in bringing new members to clubs. Make sure you take advantage, and get teachers trained up to support your club.
Each affiliated club can buy one place and get one place free on the Club TD Training sessions that are held around the country. These have been very successful and since April 2010 we have trained 815 individuals as club tournament directors. A conservative calculation would be that approximately 300 clubs have benefitted from the scheme so far. If you aren't one of those, why not?
I hope you enjoy this issue and find it helpful.
Have a great Christmas and a happy and successful 2013.
Val Gibson, Chair, National Club Committee
