Time to get your nominations in - deadline 1 November 2018

All member clubs in good-standing may attend and vote at MSSA's Annual General Meeting.

Any full-paid-up Registered Player is able to stand for any position as long as a member club nominates such player, and another member club seconds such nomination.

There is no doubt that the 2018 MSSA Annual General Meeting to be held on 1 December 2018 will be an exciting affair.

Not only will there be some important proposed changes to the Constitution, but a number of the positions on the Management Board are also up for grabs.

Management Board positions up for election are (3 year terms):

1. President
2. Two out of the four Vice-President positions
3. Esports Representative
4. National Schools Director

Provincial Director positions up for election are (2 year terms):

1. Eastern Cape
2. Gauteng
3. KwaZulu Natal
4. Mpumulanga
5. Northern Cape
6. North West
7. Western Cape

Regional Director positions up for election are (1 year term):

1. All

Thus the 2018 elections will be more than interesting.

It should be noted that no person may be elected into more than one position.

The Management Board has worked well over the past number of years, and it will indeed be interesting to again see democracy at work.

As it can be  seen from the above, MSSA does not hold truck with 'succession plans', but instead trusts entirely on its membership applying its mind and electing the right people to further promote all the disciplines under is jurisdition.

Also read:

• The position of MSSA's Players' Representative is up for election at the 2018 SA National Championships.

The position of MSSA's Players' Representative is up for election at the 2018 SA National Championships.

Jason Batzofin (second from the right) in Al Ain (UAE) at the Asian E-Sports Federation's General Assembly Meeting.

It should be noted that MSSA, created the position for Players' Representative on its committee in 2005. However, it was not until 2006 that MSSA found a player willing to take on such an important role.

The position of Players' Representative is not only a brilliant launching pad for the athlete who wants to become renown on a national level, but also for those who want to get ahead on an international level too.

Both Amanda (nee Kwaza) Pakade and Jason Batzofin have successfully used the position to reach for the stars and to advance themselves. Amanda Pakade is now MSSA president and Jason Batzofin is now the chairperson of IESF's Athletes' Commission.

In 2016, Jason was appointed by the International Esports Federation (IESF) to sit on its Athletes' Commission.

In 2017 IESF's Athletes Commission elected Jason to be the Chairperson of such Commission. As the Chairperson of the Athletes' Commission, Jason too sits on IESF's Board and represents the interests of all players/athletes directly to the very highest levels of esports.

The player's who have served as Players' Representative are as follows:

Years	Players’ Representatives	Club
2016 to present	Jason Batzofin	St John’s College
2010	Jonathan Newman	Maritzburg Griffins
2006 – 2008	Amanda Kwaza	University of Johannesburg

To be elected as the Players’ Representative to MSSA's Management Board, such player shall have Protea Colours, and shall have represented South Africa in an International Competition, and shall not be over 30 years of age at the time of such election.

However, it should be noted that the Players’ Representative is not be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) by the member clubs, but instead is elected by Registered Players who are in standing and who are fully-paid-up. It shall be deemed that all Registered Players have been notified of the election should the member clubs have been timeously notified.

The election of the Players’ Representative shall be conducted in the following manner:

• All Registered Gamers who have senior Provincial, National, and Protea Colours may send in their vote on the prescribed voting form for their choice of candidate.
• The vote may be submitted either by facsimile or by e-mail.
• Such vote must reach the General Secretary by the close of business on or before two days prior to the AGM.

Thus, Registered Players have the opportunity of circumventing the existing system of elections to get their choice of Registered Player directly onto the Management Board.

Thus, every Registered Player has the ability to influence MSSA.

To be nominated for the position, players must contact mindsportscorrespondence@gmail.com and request such form. The completed form must then be returned to mindsportscorrespondence@gmail.com by the end of business on or before 1 November 2018.

You want change? It is in your hands, take the opportunity.

A two horse race...

From left to right: Constantine Surkont (Russia) and Colin Webster (South Africa) at IESF's 8th World Championships - Jakarta.

On 10 November 2018 the International Esports Federation (IESF) shall hold its Ordinary General Meeting at which IESF shall elect a new president.

In terms of the Statutes, there are three individuals who qualify to stand for such position, being Silviu Stroei (Romania), Coonstantine Surkont (Russia), and Colin Webster South Africa).

IESF's current Statutes require a candidate for the position of president to have completed a full term on a committee for which he/she has been elected.

However, although three individuals qualify for candidacy, only two individuals are contesting the position through will of the membership.

In the one corner, you have Constantine Surkont. Constantine is a member of the Russian eSports Federation. Without doubt ReSF is a a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force in the esports world. With its massive size and huge interests in esports, there is much that ReSF through Constantine brings to the table.

In the other corner there is Colin Webster of South Africa. Colin has been involved in the administration of esports since 1998 and is instrumental for much of the constitutional change in IESF. While Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) cannot match ReSF in terms of resources, MSSA is the first body to have obtained official recognition for esports as a sport (2005), and is currently the number one ranked federation, by IESF, for administration.

It will be a tough choice for the member national federations, but the will of the membership will have its way when the majority vote one way or the other.

Also read:

• IeSF ranks MSSA 1st for administration

The nominations are in...

Adele Janse van Rensburg (GenX) - 2017 Mind Sports Person of the Year.

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) awards its Management Board Awards to derserving individuals who have given their best to the growth and development of mind sports in South Africa.

Thus the individuals who have received the award in the past read as a veritable 'Who's Who".

The closing date for 2018's nominations was 15 October 2018, and nominations were received from a number of member clubs that wish to see affiliated players and sponsors rewarded for their contribution over the past year.

MSSA's Management Board Awards were started in 2009.

Even though some of the individuals honoured in the past have moved on to further their prospects in business, Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) shall always fondly remember the winners and the incredible contribution that they made to the various mind sports in South Africa..

Some have become even more involved.

Now that the nominations are in, MSSA's Management Board shall deliberate over such nominations in order to present such awards at MSSA's Annual General Meeting on 1 December 2018.

The categories are:

• Mind Sports Person of the Year 
• Board Gamer of the Year 
• Computer Gamer of the Year 
• Wargamer of the Year 
• Volunteer of the Year 
• Writer of the Year 
• Sponsor of the Year

Past winners are:

Year	Mind Sports Person of the Year	Board Gamer of the Year	Computer Gamer of the Year	Wargamer of the Year	Volunteer of the Year	Writer of the Year	Sponsor of the Year
2017	Adele Janse Van Rensburg	Cassandra van Tonder	Mxolisi Lukhele	Terence Allwright	Alwyn van Wyk	Tamzyn Pamplin of MyComLink	TULUNTULU
2016	Jason Batzofin	Lucille Brown	Matthew Smith	Garth Schoeman	Colin Webster	Tamzyn Pamplin of MyComLink	SterKinekor
2015	Elishia Retief	Lubabalo Kondlo	Kyle Turnbull	Jason Batzofin	Morizane Boyes	Andrew Rose of My Community	MWEB
2014	Morizane Boyes	Lubabalo Kondlo	Barry West	Elishia Retief	Louis Brown	Kyle Wolmarans	MWEB
2013	Simphiwe Maphumulo	Simphiwe Maphumulo	Lyrene Kuhn	Colin Webster	Dorian Love	Han Ciliiers	MWEB
2012	Robert Botha	Simphiwe Maphumulo	Gabriela Isaacs	Eugene Burger	Louis Brown	Han Cilliers	GIGABYTE
2011	Jaco Engelbrecht	Lubabalo Kondlo	Robert Botha	David Vannucci	Ryan van den Bergh	Alexandra Kayle	ASUS
2010	Frans Brewis	Simphiwe Maphumulo	Nialle Momsen	Gregory Laycock	Ryan van den Bergh	Jaco Diedericks	Incredible Connection
2009	Colin Webster	Mothusi Moabi	Stephen White	Edward van Trotsenburg	Ryan van den Bergh	Muhammed Nagdee	Incredible Connection

Reminder: South African National Championships - 1 & 2 December 2018.

MSSA's umpire's (in the orange shirts) in action.

In 2017 MSSA's 31st South African National Provincial Championships was very ably hosted by Fakkel School.

Following due process vis a vis the bidding procedure, Fakkel School was successful in winning the right to once again host MSSA's South African National Provincial Championships.

By now,  all member clubs affiliated to Mind Sports South Africa, and Registered Players are aware that National championships may be hosted by any club in South Africa. This allows every club, willing to host, the opportunity to cater for their members, and allows MSSA greater reach into areas in which major events have not yet been held. Through such system, MSSA has seen its SA National Championships hosted in Bloemfontein (2), Cape Town (3), Durban (3), Germiston (1), Johannesburg (13), Pietermaritzburg (2), Pretoria (3), Port Elizabeth (1), Sasolburg (1), and Witbank (2).

MSSA's South African National Provincial Championships is part of the process of selecting the 2019 Protea teams that will attend various World Championships and participate in various test matches. 

All Registered Players are reminded that MSSA's South African National Provincial Championships are an open championship. 

In other words any Registered Player is entitled to enter the championship – no matter where they live, or their category of membership. 

You may contact MSSA at mindsportssa@gmail.com

Details are as follows:

• Board gaming: https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/10/south-african-national-board-gaming.html
• Esports: https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/10/south-african-national-lan.html
• Wargaming: https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/10/south-african-national-wargames.html

Hosting Club: Fakkel School
Venue: Fakkel School, 20 Jan Smuts Ave., Sasolburg
Date: 1 & 2 December 2018
Entries: Clubs must use the entry form on Google Drive to enter their teams/players.

Entry Date: 9 November 2018

Member clubs must enter their teams/players on their Google Drive page.

The 2018 Calendar of Events may be viewed here.

The draft Calender of Events for 2019 may be viewed here.

Also read:

• Closing date for clubs to bid to host events - 1 November 2018.

IeSF ranks MSSA 1st for administration

International Esports Federation (IeSF) has recently sent out their rankings of federations in terms of good governance and administration.

According to such rankings, South Africa's MSSA is now ranked first in the world.

MSSA's President, Amanda Pakade, is ecstatic with the ranking. The ranking shows both MSSA's competitiveness within the international community, as well as its ability to deliver at home.

MSSA is competitive in everything that it does. From development of clubs and championships, and its athletes through to the the hosting of events, selection of teams and even its own administration.

Amanda Pakade sees no reason why MSSA should not be able to maintain this ranking in the years to come.

Of course it does depend on every elected office-bearer doing their part.

The top ten countries are:

Pos	Country
1	South Africa
2	Russia
3	Switzerland
4	Namibia
5	Finland
6	Georgia
7	Romania
8	Israel
9	Sweden
10	Serbia

Also see:

• Amanda Pakade takes the reins.
• The will of the membership.
• Road to Kaohsuing: MSSA announces the Protea Esports Team.
• In diversity there is strength.MSSA President, Amanda Kwaza is off to Chinese Taipei.
• Road to Kaohsuing: It is amazing!
• Happy Womans' Day.

Closing date for clubs to bid to host events - 1 November 2018.

A MSSA provincial championship in full swing.

All clubs that are fully-paid-up and affiliated to Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) have the opportunity to host any MSSA event. Such events include: 

• Coaching courses,
• Umpires' courses,
• Regional Championships,
• Provincial Championships, and 
• National Championships.

The closing date for such bids is 1 November 2018, and must be directed to mindsportscorrespondence@gmail.com . However, should there not be sufficient bids for an event, MSSA reserves the right to extend the date for such bid or to even just hold the event itself.

The ability for clubs to host is part of MSSA's policy of developing and strengthening member clubs.

By hosting events, member clubs are able to gain much needed publicity and ensure that their members are afforded the opportunity of participating in MSSA events.

Only clubs within a province may bid to host a provincial Offline championship, whereas any club may bid to host a national Offline championships.

The proposed calendar of events for 2019 may be found at:  https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/10/draft-calendar-of-events-for-2019.html

The rules for the hosting of National and Provincial events is covered by the regulations.

For further details please contact mindsportscorrespondence@gmail.com