Page 21 - ABF Newsletter August 2024

In 2026 and 2027, masterpoint fees will increase by three percent per year in line with inflation.
These increases have been calculated to raise the one million dollars required to cover the ABF’s costs in 2025, 2026, and 2027. The $900,000 investment already made by the ABF in MYABF is not being re- covered. We expect our cash reserves to remain at or near the level they will be at the end of 2024 throughout the next three years.
We expect the vast majority of Australian bridge players will accept that these increases have been well considered and scrutinised by the ABF’s man- agement, Board, finance committee, and councillors, and therefore are being made with players’ best in- terests in mind. However, there are, without doubt, some players who feel the increases are not justified or that the benefits will not flow back to them. None of us like it when costs increase, but we all value the continued prosperity of our bridge community and the reduced workload for our hardworking volun- teers, making it easier for everyone to enjoy both playing and managing the game. Even with these in- creases the ABF’s charges remain low in comparison with other nationally supported bodies.
The small team involved in the running of MYABF will be supporting clubs across the country as they im- plement MYABF so the benefits can be enjoyed as soon as possible.
ABF Technology Fund
At the AGM in May, the Council also resolved to establish an ABF Technology Fund and to redirect some historical ABF payments to the states and ter- ritories into this fund. The fund’s objective will be to reduce the impact of the costs to deliver and sup- port the MYABF platform into the future. We will be seeking donations into this fund from players and sponsors, and at the 2025 AGM, the Council will consider, based on the success of the fund-raising, ways to pass the benefits back to players. This may come in the form of targeted relief to players with financial constraints or may even result in delays or reductions in the implementation of the planned in- creases in 2026 and 2027.
In Conclusion
Hopefully, this article helps you to understand why these increases are being implemented. If you have unanswered questions, we plan on distributing more information over the coming weeks to address them. Additionally, ABF management and Board members will be available at upcoming events for Q&A ses- sions, and if there is sufficient demand, we will run webinars to answer your questions.
In the meantime, I welcome comments and sugges- tions from members and I will try to respond within time constraints.
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: August 2024
Page: 21