Summary
- Player is a member at the start of and throughout the season –
No game fee (this is effectively the current situation and will cover the vast majority of players for the foreseeable future as most players’ renewal date will remain 31 August). As now, clubs need to monitor player status towards the end of the season (or more often if they wish) to avoid game fees. - Player not a member at the start of the season but joins or renews before 30 June –
No game fee (this is also effectively the current situation in a large number of cases as many players fail to renew on a timely basis). As now, clubs need to monitor player status towards the end of the season (or more often if they wish) to avoid game fees. - Player is a member at the start of the season, but membership lapses mid-season and not a member on 30 June –
Game fee charged unless exempt due to extenuating circumstances which preclude them rejoining (see ‘Example’ below and note at end). Clubs need to monitor player status towards the end of the season (or more often if they wish) to avoid game fees. - Player not a member at the start of the season and does not renew or join by 30 June –
Game fee charged. Clubs need to monitor player status towards the end of the season (or more often if they wish) to avoid game fees.
Example
1. A player who would usually renew their ECF membership in September decides not to renew in September 2022 and instead to wait until, for example, March 2023.
2. When the player rejoins in March 2023 they are treated as an ECF member for league and county season 2022-23.
3. If the player fails to rejoin by 30 June 2023 a game fee liability is incurred by default.
4. If the player fails to rejoin in March 2024 and does not do so by 30 June 2024 for a reason such as giving up chess, emigration, long-term illness, death etc, the organisation may apply for the game fee liability to be waived provided that the player was an ECF member for all the games played in that organisations events that they played up to March 2024. Where a waiver is granted the ECF Office will carry out checks on the playing status of the player in season 2024-25 and apply a retrospective game fee charge if appropriate. **
5. The player DOES NOT need to be an ECF member at the time he/she plays an individual league or county game – but the player DOES need to be a member as at 30 June (see above).
6. Organisations are free to stipulate that the player needs to be an ECF member in order to play in an event, but, as now, that is NOT a requirement imposed by the ECF.
7. Captains and secretaries can, as now, check on the player’s ECF membership status as frequently or infrequently as they wish. The ECF rating database shows expiry dates of current and recently expired memberships. These are displayed in the player profile and on the ‘by-club’ list.
8. If the player fails to renew until June 2023 ECF benefits such as ChessMoves, chess product discounts, JustGo Rewards etc cease after a month.
** Self-evidently if the player fails to rejoin in March 2023 and also does not do so by 30 June 2023, even for a reason such as giving up chess, emigration, long-term illness, death etc, game fee waiver will not be available if the player was NOT an ECF member for all the games in that organisation’s events that they played in season 2022-23. But that is no different in principle from the position as it currently pertains if a player fails to rejoin in September 2022 and also does not rejoin by 30 June 2023.