Since official COVID-19 restrictions ended in July, we have been allowing small indoor rated events of up to 6 players, or potentially more on a case by case basis. As life is slowly returning to normal, this restriction will no longer apply, with the first larger indoor invitational events likely to take place in the coming weeks.
We are now also sanctioning any other events, though we recommend that organisers check venue policy regarding cancellation and any venue specific COVID-19 rules before booking. It may also be beneficial to gauge interest from prospective participants. Please contact Ratings Officer, Mike Whiteoak with any future plans for tournaments as usual.
Whilst the ABSP are not requiring any specific COVID-19 safety measures at clubs or tournaments, any restrictions that are put in place, either by the venue or the organisers, must be clearly stated on the entry form and/or made clear to members or invitees. Responsibility for determining eligibility criteria and enforcing restrictions will lie solely with the organiser, although we will be happy to offer any advice where possible and may also ask a few more basic questions during the approval process, largely just for our information.
We have been able to secure a much lower price for insurance cover, and so for those clubs that have opted in, this will resume on September 1st at a cost of just £10 per club. This represents a huge saving which is probably welcome given the uncertainties that remain.
We have taken a difficult but necessary decision to move the NSC as this event requires a minimum number in order to be sustainable and demand is currently unclear for this type of event in the current climate. We hope that as more smaller scale tournaments resume over the coming months, Spring 2022 will be a good time for the postponed NSC which will be open entry. We will confirm more details in the coming weeks.
We will be holding the AGM via Zoom again this year, in late Autumn. A basic newsletter will be going to all members and we also hope to be able to resume OnBoard in time for a special Christmas edition if things continue to progress positively.
As always, OnBoard needs players input so if you have any ideas for articles - maybe something interesting you have done in lockdown or some seeds of starting back up again - then let either Wayne Kelly or Kay Möller know.