Executive Chair: Dr Iorwerth Griffiths Deputy Chair: Mr Oliver Dark Council Members: Mr David Graham, Mr Tony Perna

Transcription

1 Executive Chair: Dr Iorwerth Griffiths Deputy Chair: Mr Oliver Dark Council Members: Mr David Graham, Mr Tony Perna 19 March, 2007 Dear Patrick, I would like to state at the outset that a copy of this letter has been sent to the BUSA Head of Sports Programmes, Mr Mark Brian, and the content will be published as an open letter on our website (and others) in 24 hours time. I have been instructed to write to you by the Universities Pool Council (UPC) regarding the ongoing staging of the HESPC representative event. The UPC is keen to amicably resolve this matter as it is detrimental to the sport of pool at university level. However, since you and I last met to discuss this issue, there had been no communication from HESPC until your recent to me regarding another matter entirely to which a short PS was added suggesting that we should perhaps meet again. The UPC recognises and applauds HESPC s past attempts to set-up a representative pool tournament and the excellent work HESPC has done and continues to do for student pool and snooker in Ireland. We would like to make it clear that the UPC Home Nations (as was) was not set up in any malicious way to undermine HESPC s previous efforts. It was set up because of the belief that the future of student pool lies in being recognised by BUSA and joining its family of sports. I am sure you would agree with this having achieved the same recognition for snooker in the past. There is no doubt that BUSA is the brand leader in student sport, so much so that our non-busa events (Nine-ball and Women s Eight-ball) are often referred to by participants incorrectly as being BUSA. Taking part in a BUSA event has greater kudos for the participants, gains them greater recognition for their achievements and, importantly, access to funding to aid their participation points to which I am sure you will also agree. As an Irish organisation affiliated to CUSAI, it was clear that HESPC were not in a position to gain BUSA recognition. Therefore, for the greater good of the players themselves, the UPC has worked hard to gain BUSA status for representative pool following the achievement of BUSA recognition for our

2 Eight-ball Championships. We continue to hope that BUSA recognition will also be gained for our other events in the future. Now that we have achieved BUSA status for representative pool we ask HESPC to support the UPC and allow representative pool to move forward under the BUSA banner in common with other representative sports for the benefit of both organisations and, more importantly, for the benefit of the players. There are no examples of duplicate representative events in any other sports. In other sports all teams are happy to take part in the official BUSA representative event. Moreover, in no other sport does an Irish organisation organise a Home Nations/Internationals tournament. There are, of course, two reasons for this. Firstly, the home nations is a UK concept comprising as it does the home nations of the UK. Secondly, Irish bodies, including CUSAI itself (to which HESPC is affiliated), have no jurisdiction over Great Britain and share jurisdiction over Northern Ireland with BUSA. Therefore the home nations falls under the jurisdiction of BUSA as can clearly be seen in the BUSA Constitution. By continuing with its present course of action, HESPC is in danger of appearing as a maverick organisation unwilling to work through the official channels. The UPC has not attempted to organise unofficial Irish team to attend the BUSA Home Nations as we recognise that it is outside our remit to do so and we respect HESPC s jurisdiction in Ireland. There is also the potential of a conflict of interest in your own position as a BUSA Sports Management Group Chair and Northern Ireland universities team manager in not being more proactive in sending your team to a BUSA event whilst in addition organising a duplicate event in direct competition with the official BUSA event sending your team to that competition instead. The claim if often made that Northern Ireland can only afford to travel to one event. Therefore, why not take part in the official BUSA event, as all other sporting bodies do, thereby enabling the players to play against the best England, Scotland and Wales has to offer? There is no doubt that running two Home Nations/Internationals events is not only unnecessary but also detrimental to the sport of pool at university level and more importantly detrimental to student pool players. This is so for at least four main reasons: 1. It imposes an unnecessary cost on students, many of whom already face a significant financial burden due to the way higher education is currently funded. This issue is apparently why Northern Ireland only attend one event yet you expect the British-based players to attend both. 2. It is detrimental to player development by continuing to run a separate event it prevents the best players from the Irish teams and those from Great Britain playing against each other, which is undoubtedly detrimental to the players concerned.

3 3. It lessens the experience of representative pool for the players since not all of the best players are present at either tournament. 4. It is damaging to the image of pool at university level. The image is largely a positive one throughout the season until the representative events begin. A glance at the forums on for example, does not portray the sport or HESPC in a good light. Therefore, a single tournament under the BUSA banner is without doubt the best way forward for all concerned. Players would be able to play against the best British and Irish representative teams in one competitive and attractive event, whilst enjoying full recognition and access to funding in doing so, as do their peers in other BUSA sports. As you stated on HESPC was set up to organise pool in Ireland. Although attempts were made to organise British teams in the past little success was had. Therefore, throughout the history of HESPC, representative pool has been restricted to a match between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland nearly every season. Only since the establishment of the UPC can genuine English, Scottish and Welsh representative sides be selected. Now these teams compete in an official BUSA Home Nations as they do in other sports. To which can be added that the Scottish Universities side is also the official Scottish University Sport side. Therefore, rather than attempt to organise unofficial English, Scottish and Welsh teams (based on contacts rather than auditable performance) to play in the HESPC competition, it would surely be better for all teams to participate in the official BUSA event against official and genuinely representative sides so that the players from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland can test themselves against the best. This would also allow the British representative sides to play against the best Ireland has to offer which they are currently unable to do. It is notable that even students who have played in the HESPC competition have commented on record that they do not regard it as having genuinely played for England. Moreover, some have even stated that they see it as nothing more than a weekend for drinking, socialising and playing a bit of pool rather than the blue ribbon event that I am sure you will agree a representative pool tournament should be. These same players have also stated that they see the BUSA event as the real event and are proud of the prestige they feel in being part of it. Surely HESPC cannot be happy that their event is seen in this light as it undoes the good name the organisation has for the excellent work it does in organising both pool and snooker events in Ireland. As stated above, in other sports all concerned are happy to recognise the official BUSA Home Nations as the only representative competition and participate therein. To restate a previous point HESPC is in danger of appearing as a maverick organisation by acting in such a way. Furthermore it is also in danger of appearing to act to the detriment of university pool and its

4 players by persisting to organise an unnecessary duplicate event rather than recognising the official BUSA event and encouraging its teams to participate in it, as all other sporting bodies are happy to do. In summary, the way forward must surely be under the BUSA banner. Even those playing in the HESPC competition are on record as saying this. I also find it difficult to believe that you as a BUSA Sports Management Group Chair do not share the same view. To achieve this goal of a single BUSA Home Nations event with all representative teams participating the UPC would like to propose the following: Full recognition of the efforts of HESPC in trying to organise an international representative pool event, including attempting to get British teams organised to the best of their ability when there was no infrastructure to build upon. HESPC would, of course, retain full control over Irish representative teams (i.e. selection, management, finance etc.) participating at the BUSA event. As the Irish teams are travelling over to England this season and thus incurring costs, we would, as a further gesture of goodwill, endeavour to site the 2008 event in Ireland. Moreover, by agreeing to a single tournament run under the BUSA banner HESPC need not necessarily lose an event on their calendar. In common with many other Irish university (CUSAI) sports the UPC suggests that HESPC considers organising an inter-provincial championship. Of course, we do not presume to tell HESPC what it should or should not do within its own jurisdiction in Ireland, but simply offer, as a gesture of goodwill, an intriguing idea that would seem to be worth exploring so that HESPC increases its and, inter alia, CUSAI s sporting offer. An inter-provincial championship would give HESPC a genuine representative event in the Irish context and within its own remit, secondly, it would be an additional HESPC event on the CUSAI calendar, as the current HESPC representative competition cannot, of course, be endorsed by CUSAI as it is outside their remit. There is no doubt that such an event would be a fantastic competition inspiring great passion amongst the players akin to the strong provincial passion engendered in rugby union, for example. Speaking for myself for one moment, if I were a student I would certainly look forward to playing in such an event and I am sure that the passion of the Ulster provincial team, let alone the others, requires no further elaboration! As the Republic of Ireland is not part of BUSA this does present one possible stumbling block. However, we are confident that a way can be found to overcome this particularly as it has been done in other university level sports. As a BUSA Sports Management Group Chair I am sure you would agree that one competition under the BUSA banner, with all the best players from each

5 nation competing against each other, is the way forward and would be for the greater good of university pool and all of its players. HESPC has the power to make this a reality and be seen as a forward-thinking organisation working for the good of university pool and its players by agreeing to this proposal. I also look forward to meeting you shortly to discuss this matter. I sincerely hope that this situation can be resolved for the good of university pool and the student players. Yours sincerely, Dr Iorwerth Griffiths Executive Chair Universities Pool Council For information: BUSA is an acronym for British Universities Sports Association and organises student sport throughout the United Kingdom England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Universities Pool Council is recognised by BUSA as the organisers of university pool in the United Kingdom. CUSAI is an acronym for Colleges and Universities Sports Association of Ireland. CUSAI organises student sport in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. HESPC is an acronym for Higher Education Snooker and Pool Council and recognised by CUSAI as organisers of pool and snooker in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland at higher education level.