To become a member of the EFA, simply print out and fill in the two forms below and return them to Gareth Hoskins, EFA Secretary, 45 Sandhills Crescent, Solihull, B91 3UE. Membership costs £25 per year and only £5 per year for those Under 21.
A Message from EFA Chairman Richard Barber:
Eton Fives today is flourishing. You will know this from our Annual Review and recent Newsletter. The ‘pull through’ from the school to the adult game is gathering pace (we now have well over 450 young people in the EFA Facebook group); this year we had one of the highest ever turnouts for the National Schools' Championships, as we also did this year for the preliminary rounds of the Kinnaird Cup at the end of February. The Ladies’ game is really taking off. Over 27 pairs from 11 Universities contested the Universities Championships last November. And through Westway we are broadening the playing base by driving Fives into the Inner City. It is a vibrant and expanding game.
I also have the most active group of Board members since I became Chairman, with the youngest average age the EFA Board has ever had.
But in addition to our duty to ensure the health of the game, we also have a duty to the health of the Association itself. The fact is that despite more people playing the game in recent years, membership of the EFA is dwindling – from about 650 members in 2005 to no more than 480 today. At the same time our financial support for competitions, coaching, court refurbishments, communications, website, the Westway partnership and many other commitments remains significant. The loss of subscription income that this declining membership represents is enough to put the EFA into a financial loss. Unless this is reversed, it threatens the solvency of the EFA.
Like every enterprise up and down the land, we are looking at every way to reduce costs. But at the same time we must also increase our income. Increased income from membership is now crucial.
What do people get for their membership? Access to our fixtures; our publications about developments in Fives; and above all the knowledge that they are contributing to a vibrant and superbly run Association that administers and develops the game for the benefit of present and future generations.
Increasing the membership is absolutely essential to ensure the financial health and long-term future of the Eton Fives Association, and the outstanding work it does and must continue to do on behalf of the game everywhere. Please help us out by doing your bit and becoming a member of the EFA.