Chairman’s Corner

No.1, Feb 1, 2005

You’ll need to forgive me if I make a hash of this, as I’ve been in the job for barely a month. Moreover, having found myself standing for the position unopposed (what do they know that I don’t?) I’ve not had to reveal to anyone what has drawn me to take on the role. This then, presents a welcome opportunity to ‘come clean’.

Firstly, it was the realisation that the really hard work had already been done by my predecessors, Keiran Crowe-Mai and John Arkinstall, who together with their Councils have nursed the Association back to health and prosperity over the past 10 years. Secondly, it was the opportunity to work with a full Council (a novelty in itself) but, more importantly, one anchored by the experience of Mike Hughes (Treasurer), Liz Fanos (Secretary), Julian Foster (Tournament Committee) and Ben Chosid (House); and revitalised by new blood in the form of Kim Morrison (Teaching and Director Relations), Ross Stuart (Youth), and Peter Gill (Promotions and Services).

While I come to the job with no set agenda, there are some areas where I believe the Association can function better.

Openness

This column is a small step in that direction. Another is that the Council has agreed at its first formal meeting to publish the minutes of future Council Meetings on our web site. We may need to sanitise the minutes a little, but only to dodge defamation suits and protect the rare morsel of information deemed to be commercial-in-confidence. The general idea however is keep both our members and other stakeholders, such as the affiliated clubs, better informed. If you know what we are up to, you may be more inclined to lend us a hand.

Transparency

The NSWBA has a dual role. It is the governing body for Bridge in this State and, at the same time, it operates a commercial Bridge club. This puts the Association in a position where it could be perceived to have a conflict of interest. Therefore, in keeping with the adage that justice must be seen to be done, it behoves us to publish accounts that clearly differentiate between the two activities. That way, affiliated clubs can be reassured that all the money raised by way of capitation fees and Masterpoints income really is spent on accrediting directors, fostering teaching, subsidising our State teams, and otherwise promoting Bridge in NSW.

A true set of accounts will benefit the Association in another way. It will enable us to run the club better.  The main impediment at the moment is not a lack of will on the part of the Council but the inadequate set up of our Quicken accounting system. If there is anyone out there who is willing and able to help us sort this out, we’d love to hear from you.

Another concern often expressed is that we use our position as a State body to further the interests of our club to the disadvantage of others, for example, by running run-of-the-mill daytime events as Red Point championships. Again, the formulation of clear, transparent, guidelines as to what does and does not constitute a championship event will go a long way to allay concerns in this area.

Who knows, if we do this well enough we may be able to regain the trust of our affiliated clubs and in time obviate the need for the FABC altogether, and surely that would streamline the governance of Bridge in this State.

Consultation

To run any organisation effectively one has to know what one wants to achieve. With that in mind, the Council proposes to conduct a review of the role and objectives of the Association. After all it’s been over 40 years since the Association was incorporated, and the NSW Bridge scene has changed a great deal in that time. Back then there were just a handful of clubs whereas today there are more than fifty in Sydney alone and 150 state-wide, not to mention the arrival of Internet Bridge. The demographics of the Bridge playing population have also changed dramatically, with longer working hours, a healthier and fitter retiree age group, and the shift to city living all having an impact on numbers.

We would like to know what YOU think the role of the NSWBA should be. Should it be:

a)      To administer Bridge in NSW as smoothly and inexpensively as possible ?

b)      To promote the growth of Bridge numbers, irrespective of which clubs garner the members ?

c)      To improve the performance of our State representatives ?

d)      To run a successful Bridge club, where success is measured in normal business terms such as growth, profitability, market share etc. ?

e)      To preserve the standard of our Monday night competition, whatever the cost?

f)        To provide a Bridge venue in the city, even if it operates at a loss?

g)      To fulfil some other function?

Once the Council knows what is required of us, we will be in a better position to determine where we should focus our efforts and resources. So irrespective of whether your home club is the NSWBA or some other club in NSW, if you have a view on this subject we’d like to hear from you. You can address your email to , drop a note into the office, or mail it to our postal address.

In the meantime, Happy Bridging.

Alex Yezerski