SCOTTISH BRIDGE UNION
The face to face tournaments run by the SBU are in decline. The income and costs are in danger of some events making a loss. The SBU will not run events at a loss and if necessary they will be moved online. The clubs have been asked to do their bit by reducing the daily hire charge. It is all too easy to expect the events to remain in place whereby entrants can choose their preferences.
A number of the events have a great deal of history attached to them and it would be a great shame to lose them. The Risk Register highlights this danger. The reputational loss to the SBU is real and it needs to be addressed now.
Most participants in these events are retired and many have “got that T shirt”. We are probably the last generation to experience the opportunities of face to face bridge. We, as a community, need to support each other by supporting the events. What can we do to halt this decline?
One suggestion is to start up a Players’ Club.
We have the following face to face events:-
Teams
Edwin Berry - Carlton BC
Scottish Cup
Winter 4s/ Swiss – Melville/Carlton BCs
Rayne – Dundee Bc
Mixed- Clyde BC
Men’s – Clyde BC
Women’s – Clyde BC
National League – Glasgow/Edinburgh
Pairs
Stirling – Melville Bc
Ranked – Dundee/Glasgow
National – final Aberdeen BC
Mixed- Clyde BC
Men’s – Clyde BC
Women’s – Clyde BC
Congresses
Silver/Bronze - Stirling
Scottish National Congress at Aviemore
Membership of the Players’ Club would be free.
Members would commit to trying to play on a number of days each year. A partnership desk would operate if you needed a partner or team mates. Your regular partner does not need to be a member.
Members would receive a report from each event with full results and highlighting some of the trickier hands.
Members would have the opportunity of a mentoring service. They could seek advice generally or on specific hands.
Any member would commit to playing in a minimum of ten days face to face events. The NL/Winter 4s/both Congresses would count as two days.
The Farquharson Trophy was originally for subscribers to the Scottish Bridge News. It fell by the wayside when the magazine was published free on line. It is intended to resurrect this trophy for members of the Players Club who have played eight face to face events. The Farquharson Trophy would be a red pointed event played in June.
To make this proposal work it would need 100 members. If achieved, most of the face to face competitions would have at least twenty tables making for better competition and a larger spread of opposition.
To be clear, those that do not wish to join can play in one or more events as they do now.
Please respond to
Bob McKinnon
Operations Coordinator