Clubs Amalgamating ?

[Tony C]

When I started racing pigeons in 1989 Dagenham hosted 8 pigeon clubs I would say in a 3 mile radius, today there's 2 remaining. This year my club has had two resignations and health issues has caught up with another two of our elder members. On the plus side we've had two new starters welcomed into our club, one could say were just about keeping our head above water.

 

In the past during the winter months it seemed that every other week we went along to clubs prize presentation evenings, these days not one is held locally. It seems a sad fact that the smaller a club becomes the more the social side of things diminishes along with it.

 

Opinions are divided whether small clubs should amalgamate or stay small allowing for more winners. What say you?

[Kyleakin Lofts]

I think geography must come into play here.

In broad general terms I think it is better to have a larger vibrant Club where the workload can be shared, rather than a small Club just to make it easy to win.

I am a Member of two Clubs and both are very difficult to gain a win. This means I have to constantly strive to up my game and if I ever reach the top, I'll have to constantly strive to stay there. This is what competition should be like.

[Wiley]

Tony, you know my views pal, i want to race against the best competition available, if thats welcoming another club in to make our current club stronger then the more the merrier

[greenbar]

time is coming,when clubs will need band to-gether just to surive,a lot don,t like it,but that's whats gonna happen,

[andy Burgess]

i used to love the social events back in Wales . there hardly seemed to a month go by when there wasnt a club , fed or specialist club dinner dance to attend . even presenting prizes at associated clubs. were always great nights.

the first club i joined folded after being established over 50 years . not to a lack of membership however, no one wanted to do the hard work and run it . this caused 2 to give up , and 15 to move clubs . making 1 local club very strong. when in the town there were 3 smaller clubs , i suggested they amalgamate , fell on deaf ears. recently due to failing numbers 2 have amalgameted there . its a sign of the times Tony , even though politics caused a delay , necessity brought it about in the end .

[Walter swanston]

I have been pushing at a securely closed door on this one for years.It is very difficult as you run up against traditionalists who are keen to accentuate the long history of their club and react with unabashed horror to what they see as the loss of identity of their revered club.I must point out that this is a point of view with which I completely sympathise but the facts are that there is strength in numbers and if the pigeon fancy is to survive we must embrace change.Everone in the Solway should know the clubs to which I refer.

[dal2]

time is coming,when clubs will need band to-gether just to surive,a lot don,t like it,but that's whats gonna happen,

Absolutely inevitable. We have a few members under 50 but the majority in their 70s. Our neighbouring club is in the same boat.....only one outcome

[yeboah]

We the Lockerbir club have 10 members

We race mark and have done so for a number of years at the fechan and I must say their members have went out of there way to accommodate us all ,We all do our share and more hands certainly makes life easier

When I joined Lockerbie as a Lad in 1972 there were loads of members ironically there is only one racing loft remaining in the town all the rest of us are to the north (moffat 15 mls ) one member to the east and one to the west of lockerbie

We used to have wonderful social presentation evenings in those days ,nowadays not even the federation have one

Between race marking and clock reading I travel a distance off 70 mls per weekend

Now that's devotion lol

[Kyleakin Lofts]

My north Club has 30 members and we still organise Club shows and a presentation evening.

My south Club has around 16 members with no organised social activities.

[THE FIFER]

In my area we have 3 clubs my own with 7 members and the others with around 12 each at the most, so I would say yes get together, more so my own one joining one of the others who both have good premises which we don't,

[Tony C]

I have been pushing at a securely closed door on this one for years.It is very difficult as you run up against traditionalists who are keen to accentuate the long history of their club and react with unabashed horror to what they see as the loss of identity of their revered club.I must point out that this is a point of view with which I completely sympathise but the facts are that there is strength in numbers and if the pigeon fancy is to survive we must embrace change.Everone in the Solway should know the clubs to which I refer.

The club I race in amalgamated with another club (they lost their premises) some 10 years ago. I'm confident if you were to ask all our members if there's any regrets they'd be none. Of course at the start we all had to sit around a table and try to accommodate each clubs existing rules, give and take was the order of the day and we still race to those rules to this day. Trophies were combined and voted on which were to be flown for, again give and take was the order of the day. Competition got fiercer and with that came outstanding performances which one could argue may not never had happened if this amalgamation was shunned.

[peter pandy]

I believe we should be looking at the bigger picture and be asking why fanciers pack in !. Yes its an age thing but many just gave up because they cannot get as much as a nibble any more. Big fish in small ponds devour everything in a short time and big fish in a big pond devour the small fish first. I dont intend to post a riddle but It is noticable if you open your ears that where the big boys send big teams off over 60 birds and scooping everything up there are no sprats left for those who send up to 20 birds so the enjoyment goes out the window. Club membership goes down but the next door club dont want you because they have the big trawlers and there is only so much fish in the sea. Create clubs with a ten fish bag but you have to throw the other 50+ back and it may help the situation before it gets any worse.

[Delboy]

I believe we should be looking at the bigger picture and be asking why fanciers pack in !. Yes its an age thing but many just gave up because they cannot get as much as a nibble any more. Big fish in small ponds devour everything in a short time and big fish in a big pond devour the small fish first. I dont intend to post a riddle but It is noticable if you open your ears that where the big boys send big teams off over 60 birds and scooping everything up there are no sprats left for those who send up to 20 birds so the enjoyment goes out the window. Club membership goes down but the next door club dont want you because they have the big trawlers and there is only so much fish in the sea. Create clubs with a ten fish bag but you have to throw the other 50+ back and it may help the situation before it gets any worse.

 

This is easily sorted, have a 10-20 bird nom system and its made a very fair game, BUT, the big team guys are the ones that keep the birdage up and the clubs going therefore must be appreciated.

[peter pandy]

This is easily sorted, have a 10-20 bird nom system and its made a very fair game, BUT, the big team guys are the ones that keep the birdage up and the clubs going therefore must be appreciated.

Heard that argument a hundrd times Derek but it aint working IMO. Membership comes before birdage.

[Delboy]

Heard that argument a hundrd times Derek but it aint working IMO. Membership comes before birdage.

 

??? I just said make it a 10-20 bird limit Peter, but the birds are nominated for the bigger team fanciers.You cannot knock back birdage

[peter pandy]

??? I just said make it a 10-20 bird limit Peter, but the birds are nominated for the bigger team fanciers.You cannot knock back birdage

 

Sorry Derek, I posted that in post 12 but riddled it to make it more confusing. :emoticon-0136-giggle: Oh aye the big boys dont want that cos they could not pick their nose.

[Delboy]

Sorry Derek, I posted that in post 12 but riddled it to make it more confusing. :emoticon-0136-giggle:

 

lol

[William Reid]

. Put the clubs here together and you will need to get the hardest cvnts from rock steady to man the doors . FPMSL.

[just ask me]

the more the merrier and i couldnt care less how many birds people send clubs joining up is a must having 2 or 3 trucks flying up the road from the one area is pure maddness

 

 

competition is what its all about the stronger the harder the better it makes us all try harder

[Guest jason]

in our club there are 18 flying members, over half of them are big team flyers.

their are prizes for the first 4 on the result sheet but we only allow the first 3 from the ETS systems, so that, if say, someone has 10 birds back before any other member, then he only gets the top 3 places on the result sheet and fourth is still left for someone else.

 

hope that makes sense.....its been a long day

[dal2]

in our club there are 18 flying members, over half of them are big team flyers.

their are prizes for the first 4 on the result sheet but we only allow the first 3 from the ETS systems, so that, if say, someone has 10 birds back before any other member, then he only gets the top 3 places on the result sheet and fourth is still left for someone else.

 

hope that makes sense.....its been a long day

Quite a few clubs like that Jason.......no sure I would enjoy being 4th when I was really 14th if you know what I mean

[ALF]

. Put the clubs here together and you will need to get the hardest cvnts from rock steady to man the doors . FPMSL.

[airdrie2]

in our club there are 18 flying members, over half of them are big team flyers.

their are prizes for the first 4 on the result sheet but we only allow the first 3 from the ETS systems, so that, if say, someone has 10 birds back before any other member, then he only gets the top 3 places on the result sheet and fourth is still left for someone else.

 

hope that makes sense.....its been a long day

My club do the same sort of thing unless your 4th 5th or 6th and so on is going to take any pool monies then they are put in, also try to make it that last on sheet isnt always the same person each week takes a lot of time ,this year will be harder as we have 6 new members ,some from a local club folding.