As you may be aware, the issue of a potential amalgamation of the CBAI with our counterpart body in Northern Ireland, the NIBU, has been the subject of review over the last couple of years. We have now reached the stage at which it is anticipated that a formal resolution to amalgamate will be proposed by the CBAI’s Governing Council, and will be voted on at our upcoming AGM, on 27 June.
A summary of the key features of the proposal is available here: Amalgamation Proposal: Information for Members
The document also contains a link to a more comprehensive analysis of the proposals, for those members interested in delving further into this matter. The proposals have been, or will be, reviewed with all of our Regional Committees, and those committees plan to seek member feedback at their upcoming Regional AGMs.
For the typical club player, it is intended that very little will change. Your communications in the future will come from a new body, provisionally “Bridge Ireland”, rather than from the CBAI, but club bridge will continue to be run exactly as it is currently. At the wider level, it is hoped that amalgamation will create a better background for bridge across the 32 counties of Ireland, eliminate some waste and duplication of effort, and that Irish bridge clubs and bridge players will therefore benefit from the support of a regulatory body that will be better able to advance and develop the game that we all love.
If anyone has any questions on the proposals, or would like further information on any of the points raised, please email us at info@cbai.ie and we will respond as soon we can. If the same questions are asked regularly, we will build a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document and put it on the website.