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.
Annual Fees
You should have now received your clubs membership renewal. If you have not received an email, please contact membership@ebu.co.uk. Club annual subscription and club insurance will be due on 1st April. If your club pays by Direct Debit, we will be collecting the fees on or around 8th April. More details about licensing can be found here. Applications should be made to license@ebu.co.uk.
Link to Membership Subscription Fees.
Competition Planning
We are adding multiple 9-high sessions to the Easter Congress in London, in addition to the regular championship events, in an effort to cater for a wider audience.
We are committed to running the Spring Fours as a live event, but the picture beyond that is less clear and final decisions will come after the Easter experience.
A serious drop in the entry numbers for knock-out events has been noticed, and we are looking at if/how that might be remedied. Your thoughts are welcome.
The Competitions Sub-Committee are considering options for revamping some of our competitions including the introduction of Mixed events. We plan to consult more widely on this once we have something concrete to offer.
2022/23 County Events
Work on the 2022/23 EBU diary is now underway. We would like to include your county events in the diary calendar. If you know your congress dates for late 2022 and 2023, please contact sam@ebu.co.uk and she will add the details.
Bridge Warehouse Special Offer March
This month we have a special offer on Name slips (EBU0010) at £11.00 per 1,000 (Normally £15.50)
Club Tables are still on Offer at £75 per twin pack Normally £85.00 (postage is £7.50 per pack) Singles available at £45 each.
Please place orders online.
EBU Club Assistance
A reminder to all clubs that if you require any assistance, particularly regarding restarting face to face sessions, Jonathan Lillycrop is the EBU Club Liaison Officer and will be pleased to help you. Jonathan can be reached on 01296 317206 or jonathan@ebu.co.uk. If your query is of a more general nature or you want to raise an issue with the EBU Board, then the Board Member responsible for clubs is Gayle Webb. Gayle can be contacted on gaylewebb@blueyonder.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 December 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.
Advertising with the EBU
The EBU offer three types of paid for online advertising, exclusive to clubs and counties, in addition to our printed adverts in the English Bridge magazine. 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.
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.
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.