Hand Extended to Clubs on the Coromandel

Waikato-Bays Regional Committee members Anna Kalma and Alan Dick travelled to Whitianga last week to make a presentation on the benefits of affiliation to the national body.

They addressed the committee of the Mercury Bay Bridge Club with representatives of the Hahei club in attendance. Whitianga plays at the Bowling Club once a week (Wednesday 1-4pm). This is a great venue with bar facilities and tea and coffee. The club has around 45 members and there were seven full tables playing on the day of the visit. Hahei has many joint members and also plays during the day with around seven full tables. Our pair were struck by both the healthy culture of the club and the good standard of play.

There are many clubs on the Coromandel who aren't affiliated but have a keen membership and active bridge clubs which include Coromandel, Hahei, Tairua, Pauanui, Mercury Bay and Whangamata.

Although the Mercury Bay club has done well to grow from just 1.5 tables 15 years ago, clubs on the Coromandel share the concerns of New Zealand Bridge about the general trends of falling numbers and aging demographic. The WBRC opines that by banding together and using the resources and strategies of the national body that the game might prosper in these popular holiday spots. What else would you do when you go to the beach, after all?

The key benefits of affiliation to NZ Bridge were outlined and the ones that seemed to attract their interest were:

  • Access to the RBM resource. Perhaps new ideas and assistance with promotion, lessons and the recruitment/retention side of things would be helpful – it is clear that they already have many of the right things in place
  • Ability to give some of their members the opportunity to play in tournaments but they did say they could affiliate to Thames if they desired tournament play
  • Belonging to the organisation would potentially bring them into the bridge community although they do have a network with the other five unaffiliated clubs on the Coromandel
  • They would like assistance with directors for tournaments and scoring

Your WB Regional committee is now considering ways and means to assist these ready-made bridge players into the fold. If any of our readers out there can make helpful suggestions as to how we might strengthen our case please write in to secretarywbbc@gmail.com