Council

As described in the Constitution, the administrative body of the British Go Association is the Council (see the Council News page for summaries of minutes of recent Council meetings and AGMs). At the AGM, the three Officers of the BGA, the Honorary President, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer, are elected and become ex-officio Council members. Five other Council members are also elected and further members may be co-opted. In addition the AGM appoints an Auditor and Council can appoint Life Members and Vice-Presidents.

A historic list of Officers and Council members is also available.

Role	Job Description	Person
President	The President takes the chair at any official BGA meeting, General or Council, and represents the BGA at formal events and in the BGA’s relations with other organisations.	Jon Diamond
Secretary	The Secretary maintains the day-to-day communications of the Council and keeps minutes of all meetings, General and Council.	Jonathan Chin
Treasurer	The Treasurer controls the finances of the BGA, preparing annual accounts and a report for approval by members at the AGM. The Treasurer also ensures that all bills and affiliations are promptly paid, and that Council committees are properly funded and submit regular and frequent reports.	Toby Manning
Council Member	Elected member of Council.	John Collins
Council Member	Elected member of Council.	Colin Maclennan
Council Member	Elected member of Council.	Brian Brunswick
Council Member	Elected member of Council.	Roger Huyshe
Council Member	Elected member of council.

Committees

To assist with the organisation Council has created a number of Committees, with a Council member as Chairman, and appoints members to each (known as BGA officials). The President is the Chairman of any Committee for whom no Chairman is shown.

Committee	Job Description	Chairman
Clubs and Membership	Encourages the formation of new Go clubs where needed and provides support and advice to new and existing clubs. Its other primary responsibility is maintaining a healthy membership level by ensuring that attractive services are provided to BGA members.	Colin Maclennan
External Relations	The aim of getting Go as well known with the British public as chess is a long way off; but that is the direction in which we are aiming. We do this by talking to the press and radio and TV with the aim of encouraging coverage of Go and Go events, and by lobbying local and national politicians. The committee is always looking at new ways to get publicity. We are also represented from time to time at appropriate exhibitions and fairs and we maintain an archive of books, magazines and publicity material for these purposes. The linked pages contain material to assist with the creation of press releases and other publicity material. Some useful Publicity and Press Links: Some articles on Go which have appeared in the media Some celebrities who played Go Some pictures of Go and Go events Frequently Asked Questions about Go Some sample press releases BGA Archive Contents	Toby Manning
Online	Responsible for the design and maintenance of the BGA web site. The site is over 10 years old and was last updated to give it a new look and feel in Spring 2008. It also ensures that the BGA has an appropriate presence in the Online world. Some useful Web Site Links: About the Website Website Style Guide	John Collins
Player Development	This exists to provide teaching and mentoring support to members who are trying to improve their game. The aim to us to raise the level of play of those who want to learn more about Go. This is done by providing game commentaries, mentoring services such as the Online Study Group, teaching interludes at tournaments, teaching events, correspondence courses, game analysis etc. Ability levels are (fairly arbitrarily) divided into 5 ranges: beginner (up to 30ish kyu), novice (30ish to 20ish kyu), double figure kyus (20ish to 10 kyu), single figure kyus (9 to 1 kyu), and dans. The BGA aims to support player development at all of these levels. This committee also monitors the ratings and grading system. Some interesting Teaching Links are: Go Teachers List Online Study Group Introduction to Go Go Teaching Ladder	Roger Huyshe
Publications	The aim of this committee is to publish a high-quality Journal for the benefit of members and any other printed and online publications such as publicity materials (Flyers, Introduction to Go etc.).	Jon Diamond
Tournaments	Tournaments are an essential part of the UK Go calendar, but nearly all are organised by autonomous Go clubs rather than by the BGA itself. The various British Championship and other British Championships, UK Go Challenge, British Open and the London Open are the main exceptions; being organised by, or on behalf of, the BGA. The Tournaments Committee exists to promote and co-ordinate all tournaments, except those specifically designed for youths, which are covered by the Youth Committee. Normally, we provide help and advice on the timing of tournaments and will list tournament details on the our web site. BGA-owned equipment (boards, stones, clocks, draw program and computer) may be loaned for tournaments and a guide for tournament organisers is provided. See the job descriptions of the Tournament Co-ordinator and the Tournament Equipment Co-ordinator for more details. We also provide a results service which feeds into our Player Ratings List. Online tournaments are now organised by the BGA and are expected to grow in importance in the future.
Youth	The Youth Committee exists to promote Go amongst young people up to the age of about 18. In this context, youth ends when school ends, so that, for example, the Student Development Co-ordinator, who is responsible for promoting Go in Universities and Colleges, is on the Clubs and Membership Committee rather than the Youth Committee. An important part of the work of the Youth Committee is the encouragement of the teaching of Go and supporting clubs in schools, and the organisation of the UK Go Challenge (13x13 tournament for schools). Young players are, of course, welcomed and encouraged to attend adult tournaments and other events generally (accompanied by a responsible adult). The role of the Youth Committee is in connection with initiatives aimed at youth specifically.	Toby Manning

Honorary and other Elected Officers

Role		Person
Auditor	An elected, but not Council position. The Auditor examines the accounts produced by the Treasurer and produces a report recommending acceptance or rejection on behalf of the members for an AGM or EGM.	Phil Beck
Life Member	An honorary title given without obligation to BGA members who have been deemed worthy of recognition for services rendered. Life Members are exempt from paying membership fees.	Derek Hunter
Life Member	An honorary title given without obligation to BGA members who have been deemed worthy of recognition for services rendered. Life Members are exempt from paying membership fees.	Harold Lee
Life Member	An honorary title given without obligation to BGA members who have been deemed worthy of recognition for services rendered. Life Members are exempt from paying membership fees.	Matthew Macfadyen
Life Member	An honorary title given without obligation to BGA members who have been deemed worthy of recognition for services rendered. Life Members are exempt from paying membership fees.	Brian Timmins
Vice-President	An honorary title given without obligation to BGA members who have been deemed worthy of recognition for services rendered.	Tony Atkins
Vice-President	An honorary title given without obligation to BGA members who have been deemed worthy of recognition for services rendered.	Bob Hitchens
Vice-President	An honorary title given without obligation to BGA members who have been deemed worthy of recognition for services rendered.	Francis Roads
Vice-President	An honorary title given without obligation to BGA members who have been deemed worthy of recognition for services rendered.	Peter Wendes