Below is your monthly update from the EBU. Please note there are a number of important topics covered in the below. This email is also available on the EBU website, along with all past EBU Updates, here.
Competitions
The first Simultaneous Pairs of 2022, the British Winter Sim Pairs, starting Monday 10th January and is still time for your club to take part. The heat on Tuesday 11th is again being held in memory of the much loved Peter Jordan. Your club can quickly and easily register in the usual manner, through the club's account on My EBU. You may also wish to take part in the February Sim Pairs in support of the Junior Squads, 7th - 10th February.
One-Day Green-pointed Events Licence fee
There was a recommendation from the Competitions sub-committee to double the licence fee for online, Green-pointed County events. The rationale behind this increase is to encourage County Associations to focus on face-to-face play at the same time as focussing the necessary revenue collection on the more competitive, rather than the club, players. However, having listened to comments from shareholders at the AGM, the level of the increase will instead be fixed at 50%. Previously, the rate for each of the two sessions was £8.20/table. This will now be £12.30/table. The plan is to review the increase in the autumn.
Blue-pointed Events Licence fee
Organisers must apply for a blue pointed licence for an event which is advertised beyond their membership (The exception to this is for Counties holding a pre-congress blue-pointed event in a green-pointed congress which in itself needs a licence).
All clubs may hold two blue-pointed events per annum, and larger clubs may hold an additional two for every 10,000 player sessions they have submitted in the previous year. These may be either open or closed. If open to non-club members, the requirements are the same as for county blue-pointed events. If closed, they are restricted to the club’s major pairs and teams championships as defined in the Licencing and Masterpoints Handbook. Closed sessions will not require a licence but will pay an enhanced Universal Membership subscription equating to 1/3 of the green point licence fee.
More details about licensing can be found here. Applications should be made to license@ebu.co.uk.
Affiliation offer for non-affiliated clubs
The EBU is currently offering free trial affiliation to clubs which have not been affiliated since the introduction of Pay to Play (now UMS) in 2010. This trial will give clubs most of the benefits of EBU affiliation but at no cost until end of August 2022. We hope that this great offer will attract many unaffiliated clubs to try affiliating and that they will then be impressed with the benefits of being affiliated to the EBU. We have had an encouraging response with more than ten clubs already signed up and many more showing interest.
Counties agreed to work in collaboration with the EBU on this project and it would be great if you would support this initiative by reaching out to your local unaffiliated clubs to make them fully aware of the offer and encourage their participation. Remember it is free and there is nothing to lose by allowing their members to experience membership of the EBU before making a final decision about affiliation.
For further details please contact Jonathan Lillycrop.
Social Media and Blogs
Please let us know if you would like to suggest a blog article that can then be shared across social media. There is no cost for this, and we welcome your ideas. Examples of blogs include:
- Interesting hands and conundrums
- Why your county is an attractive place to visit whilst joining in an evening’s Bridge or a local congress.
- Anniversaries – Lymington Bridge Club will be celebrating 150 years in 2022 and Chelmsford 70 years.
- Charity Activity in your county – perhaps a Café Bridge Event?
This is a chance to reinvigorate your Facebook Followers.
Please make suggestions to sam@ebu.co.uk.
Advertising with the EBU
The EBU have recognised the difficulty that counties and clubs are currently under to promote their events in the ever-changing world of Covid. There is often a need to communicate last minute changes which the printed magazine cannot accommodate.
Pre-Covid, the EBU website advertising was only accessible if you paid for an advert within the printed English Bridge magazine. However, during Covid our stance on this relaxed and several counties benefitted from advertising their congresses on the EBU website at a reduced fee, without the need for printed adverts. As the pandemic is still affecting everyone's lives the EBU wishes to expand our offer of online promotion.
We will now offer three types of paid for online advertising, exclusive to clubs and counties, in addition to our printed adverts. This includes, adverts on the EBU website home page; advertising within competitions newsletters, for example Event Focus; and within the digital version of the magazine hosted by MyeBook, as a “skyscraper” side banner shown on each page of the magazine.
This online package will be a flexible monthly service based on any combination of the three services above, Website, Newsletter and MyeBook.
If you would like to discuss how these options could benefit your next Congress or club event please contact Chris Danby on 01603 898678 or email Chris@danby-online.co.uk for more information.
Bridge Warehouse Special Offer JANUARY SALE
Use Code EBU122 to get £20.00 off a Box of 10 Dozen Superluxe Playing Cards with EBU Logo. Red and Black. Normally £150.00 per Box.
Offer available until 31st January - while stocks last
Club Tables are still on Offer at £75 per twin pack Normally £85.00 Singles available at £40.00 each.
Prices exclude postage.
Teaching & Recruitment
EBED have been working for the past few months on a new style of course for complete beginners, under the tag of Smart Bridge. The content of the course (only 12 lessons) is half way through a pilot delivery, and the plan is that once the content is settled, that we test out the approach using two particular County Associations and their clubs. Following refinements from that experience, the hope is that the scheme will be ready for distribution to all County Associations in early summer, for use with the Marketing scheme described in the presentations at the AGM in November.
Zoom Meetings
If you are planning your club or county AGM via Zoom and would like help in the basics of setting up a Zoom meeting or voting via Election Runner, please contact sam@ebu.co.uk.
Why not pay by Direct Debit?
If your club has not already done so, you may like to think about setting up a direct debit to pay the EBU monthly. It saves time, meaning you do not need to worry about making payments manually each month.
All invoices and collection advices can be viewed and downloaded from My EBU. If you have any queries with the accounts, please contact gail@ebu.co.uk.