GCN Poll

[dave3]

I have recieved an email from the GCN national Secretary, Gareth Williams. He asks member clubs to discuss these points and give our reply. This is our chance to influence how WE want our GCN to be in the future, here is the message.


Greetings fellow gamers, following the AGM the GCN five year plan is in the process of being reviewed by a subcommittee with a view to creating a mission statement and vision, and reviewing the GCN constitution. With this in mind and with the intention of progressing this the following questions are posed to each member club, which we hope you will reply to and save a lot of going back and forth to the membership before it can be agreed at next years AGM.
Please complete this as a club and return by June 15th, thank you.


1)Why did your club join the GCN?

2)What were your expectations of GCN membership, and were these expectations met?

3)What are your clubs expectations now?

4)What do you see the role of the GCN being in the future, in particular the relationship with your club?

5)What do you expect the GCN to be achieving in five years time, and how can your club assist in this aim?

6)What in your clubs opinion should the mission statement of the GCN be?

7)Any other comments in relation to the GCN constitution, five year plan, and Mission statement.?

[ralkr56]

Don't know, don't care, don't do free Market Research questionaires, and when people start asking me the same questions about a hobby that I get asked at work I would expect to be paid to answer them. Tell me what they offer and I will tell you if I'm buying.

[dave3]

Steve, I know you are not keen on the GCN but I believe our membership of the only national organisation that has a hope of producing the kind of national body this hobby needs, and that I personally have been keen on from the days of the NAW is important. We have a strong involvement with the GCN and therefore can seriously influence it's direction to something we will find beneficial to the club and wider hobby.

[mike954]

I've read the mission statement on the GCN website:www.gcnm.org.uk/modules/abtGCN/?PHPSESSID=01066b94587d7d09ab90c701b3d6a6dd

I'd definitely be interested to learn more about what a national body could or should achieve for the hobby. If other hobby and interest groups have strong national organisations then it's likely an idea with some merit.

It's simply that I have the potentially mistaken impression that the GCN is a powerful force at work somewhere far, far away with little direct impact on our regular club activities.

Edit: Typo.

[steven]

I understand the idea of a national organisation but i just dont get it. Im not quite as blunt in my comments as Steve (and i know thats un-usual for me) but why do we need this. To me, im a member of our club. This GCN just isnt important to me. I know that the issue of promoting on a national scale could rsult in a trickle down of new people to our club, but id rather our comittee spent time on improving our local position. That is not a critsim of the comittee. I don't believe that this is a GCN conspiracy but i do think this will just add more beuracracy for little gain. Also, 5 year plans? What is this for? Its just my opinion but i just want to game in my local club. This just seems to be people sticking their opinions into my club which i dont want. Just my view chaps.

[dave3]

Thanks Steve and Mike,
A National body is only as far and distant as you make it. With internet as it is today, you can go onto the GCN forums and have your say. True, to be effective it is more activity locally that is the key. Central administration will not work in a broad sense, but has it's uses in other areas. For example, organising national events, the GCN is taking over one of the mid size shows soon, from one of the member clubs.It already organises tournaments. Other usefull functions on a more admin side, are to keep clubs appraised of any legal or tax pitfalls that may occur,and advise on how to keep within the law. Our increasing our minimum age to 18 was as a direct result of this.
A club such as ours, with a long history is by nature going to have an eclectic mix of gamers, each with thier own requirements. Many are content to come along on a clubnight for a game, and that is it,others would like more involvement with other clubs. Being in the GCN gives us that option. The GCN will never directly interfere in the running of individual clubs. I for one, with my previous knowledge of attempts at a national organisation know the dreaded word federation will never ever work in wargaming, we are too independant at a club level,which is part of the hobby's strength, inclusion of all gaming needs.
The thought is, what do you as members think a National body should do for clubs? if you joined a chess club, what do you think it's national body would do for it's members?
Dave

[dave3]

1)Why did your club join the GCN?
For free advertising in GW and to get more members

2)What were your expectations of GCN membership, and were these expectations met?

We expected more members and contact with other clubs, to a certain extent this has been successfull, but I think our new recruits have mostly come from other advertising .

3)What are your clubs expectations now?

National support (legal / financial/tax information), a mouthpiece for press and government and business to directly contact the hobby centrally

4)What do you see the role of the GCN being in the future, in particular the relationship with your club?

Support in recruiting, tournaments and interclub activity, as well as local press and government awareness

5)What do you expect the GCN to be achieving in five years time, and how can your club assist in this aim?

I would like the GCN to be the central representative body for wargaming and affilliated hobbies,encompassing all national and local gaming organisations in some way,either directly or affilliated.
Our club can help this by continuing to be members, and possably contribute by a small annual subscription, and or inter club gaming or events.

6)What in your clubs opinion should the mission statement of the GCN be?
To be fully representative of Wargaming and affilliated hobbies at a National level to all outside agencies, press government other passtimes and organisations both Nationally and internationally.

7)Any other comments in relation to the GCN constitution, five year plan, and Mission statement.?

I have yet to formulate an opinion.....


These are my thoughts on the Questions
Dave

[John]

Maybe I just hadn't noticed it, but as a club member I hadn't really noticed any negative influence from the GCN so far. I mention this because some members seem to have quite a negative opinion of them, and I'm not sure what they have actually done for this to be the case?

Personally, I thought the main point of the GCN was to give a club legitimacy (probably only important if the club has younger members), increase club visibility and make inter-club events easier to organise.

[ralkr56]

I am not anti GCN I keep an open mind on them, when we voted to join the only negative was for committeee people having to be CRB vetted and as I was not one of them I was happy to leave it for the committe to decide whether to proceeed or not. There seems one positive in that I think we have some new members who would otherwise not of joined and I am sure we can wean some of them off of GW games.

My initial comments to your note were negative as questions 4 - 7 were far too open ended and wide ranging that there is no way you can reply truly representing what the "club" thinks on such issues. They are trying to sell "GCN" but as far as I can see they have no more capability now that they did when we joined. If they have something new to offer tell us what it is and lets see if we buy it.