25-07-2012, 03:58 PM
Firstly can I say these are my personal ramblings and not official ones of Chess Scotland although they would be pretty much the same.
I could not agree more with Angus,
It is an absolute disgrace that parents have to constantly fork out for their kids to represent Scotland. I often wonder if we would be better funded if we were considered a sport (and please do not use this thread for that debate!). This is a question we are going to have to resolve and go with the option that gives us the best deal for our players. The question of who is going to play for Scotland should not be financial.
I find it frustrating when, for example, Players and Officials are asked to go abroad to represent Scotland and funded but Parents are asked to fund the juniors. It just does not sit right. Nobody should be out of pocket when asked to represent their country. The Adult International budget has to fund a single event a year. The Junior one has expanded from 4 to 6. They have almost identical budgets.
This is not a plea to reduce funding from the adults, that is not the solution here nor is it something that we should be entertaining. The reality is we need to get more money in to allow us to finance the juniors. Lets not forget, these are the future of Scottish Chess.
Here is something that I shocked the Education Department with earlier in the year. Lichtenstein, Popultation about 33,000. About the same as Hamilton. Annual grant from the Government, €80,000. Almost 8 times what we get. There are many other examples.
I am hopeful with the success of FIDE and the ECU on getting Chess in the Curriculum discussed at the European Parliament will stimulate a growth of chess in Scotland, along with an increase in funding from the Government.
In case anyone is wondering, the amounts we are talking about here are negligable. In fact the reality is we can do a lot of what we want to do if our grant was increased by 1 MSP salary!
Angus, go for it. If you think you can make a difference, then you have my support. I like the idea of a multi pronged attack! We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying.
I could not agree more with Angus,
It is an absolute disgrace that parents have to constantly fork out for their kids to represent Scotland. I often wonder if we would be better funded if we were considered a sport (and please do not use this thread for that debate!). This is a question we are going to have to resolve and go with the option that gives us the best deal for our players. The question of who is going to play for Scotland should not be financial.
I find it frustrating when, for example, Players and Officials are asked to go abroad to represent Scotland and funded but Parents are asked to fund the juniors. It just does not sit right. Nobody should be out of pocket when asked to represent their country. The Adult International budget has to fund a single event a year. The Junior one has expanded from 4 to 6. They have almost identical budgets.
This is not a plea to reduce funding from the adults, that is not the solution here nor is it something that we should be entertaining. The reality is we need to get more money in to allow us to finance the juniors. Lets not forget, these are the future of Scottish Chess.
Here is something that I shocked the Education Department with earlier in the year. Lichtenstein, Popultation about 33,000. About the same as Hamilton. Annual grant from the Government, €80,000. Almost 8 times what we get. There are many other examples.
I am hopeful with the success of FIDE and the ECU on getting Chess in the Curriculum discussed at the European Parliament will stimulate a growth of chess in Scotland, along with an increase in funding from the Government.
In case anyone is wondering, the amounts we are talking about here are negligable. In fact the reality is we can do a lot of what we want to do if our grant was increased by 1 MSP salary!
Angus, go for it. If you think you can make a difference, then you have my support. I like the idea of a multi pronged attack! We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying.
"How sad to see, what used to be, a model of decorum and tranquility become like any other sport, a battleground for rival ideologies to slug it out with glee"