Membership
In order to participate in the majority of ACBA events you need to be a member of the Avon Contract Bridge Association (ACBA) and the English Bridge Union (EBU). The lowest ACBA League Division can be entered by non-ACBA/EBU members. You cannot become a member of the ACBA unless you are a member of the EBU. Membership of the ACBA and EBU runs from 1st April - 31st March.
How to become an EBU and ACBA member
A player becomes a member of the EBU either by becoming a member of an EBU affiliated club, or by joining the EBU directly. A player becomes a member of the ACBA if they are a member of the EBU and either a) they are a member of an ACBA affiliated club, b) they participate in one of our events or c) their county of primary allegiance is Avon.
The ACBA recoups its membership fees by receiving a cut of the table money for every player that plays in a bridge session at one of its affiliated clubs (which also includes any ACBA League or Knock-out matches).
Direct EBU Membership
For players who do not play at an affiliated club, it is possible to join the EBU directly. Players that do so will have to name acounty of primary allegiance. If this is Avon, then that player will become a member of the ACBA and the county will receive a share of the membership entry fee from the EBU.
County of Primary Allegiance
All EBU members will have a county of primary allegiance. This is normally the county in which they play. If that player plays in another county, they will have secondary allegiance to that county. A player only has to worry about such things if they play in a national event in which they represent their county (such as the Tollemache). A player may not represent more than one county, so a player must declare their primary allegiance to the EBU if they play in such an event. Players who play in such events normally know about such things.
Players will keep their current county of primary allegiance unless they ask the EBU for it to be changed. Only new members will have to decide on what this is and need not worry about it unless they intend to represent their county nationally.
EBU Magazine
Members who play at an EBU affiliated club on at least a semi-regular basis qualify for the bi-monthly EBU magazine.
EBU Member's Area
All members of the EBU have their own member's area. To visit this, please click here.