Membership
In order to participate in the majority of ACBA events you need to be a member of the Avon Contract Bridge Association (ACBA) and the English Bridge Union (EBU). The lowest ACBA league (currently league III) and Inter-Club Sim Pairs can be entered by non-ACBA/EBU members. You cannot become a member of the ACBA without being a member of the EBU. Membership of the ACBA and EBU runs from 1st April - 31st March.
Pay-to-Play
From 1st April 2010, membership is dealt with via the EBU's Pay-to-Play scheme.
All players that play at an EBU affiliated club in Avon will automatically become a member of both the EBU and ACBA. Since all county events are held at an EBU affiliated club, if you play in one of our events you will become a member! The ACBA will recoup its membership fees by receiving 6p for every player that plays in a bridge session at one of the affiliated clubs. The EBU will receive 29p.
Affiliated clubs no longer have to pay for EBU masterpoints (which used to be around 38p per certificate), so you may find that these clubs will not increase their table money due to Pay-to-Play, although they will still be taking a financial "hit" by doing so, so there is no guarantee.
Direct EBU Membership
For players who do not play at an affiliated club, it is possible to join the EBU directly. Players that do so will have to name a county of primary allegiance. If this is Avon, then that player will become a member of the ACBA and the county will receive a share of the membership entry fee from the EBU.
County of Primary Allegiance
All EBU members will have a county of primary allegiance. This is normally the county in which they play. If that player plays in another county, they will have secondary allegiance to that county. A player only has to worry about such things if they play in a national event in which they represent their county (such as the Tollemache). A player may not represent more than one county, so a player must declare their primary allegiance to the EBU if they play in such an event. Players who play in such events normally know about such things.
Players will keep their current county of primary allegiance unless they ask the EBU for it to be changed. Only new members will have to decide on what this is and need not worry about it unless they intend to represent their county nationally.
EBU Magazine
Players will qualify for the bi-monthly EBU magazine if they follow these rules.
Questions ?
If you have any questions on any of the above and how it affects you, we suggest that you contact the EBU Membership Helpline. They should be able to answer your queries.
