Nominations required by 31 August 2021 for MSSA's Management Board Awards.

It was under Ms. Amanda Pakade's leadership as President of MSSA that the scope of the MANCOM awards were widened.

Mind Sports South Africa's Management Board Awards are the longest running awards for gaming in South Africa. The awards take into account all the various disciplines being, board gaming, card gaming, esports, and wargaming.

It could even be argued that such awards are the longest running awards for rewarding such athletes in the world having started in 2009. Whereas the long running awards (like BAFTA) acknowledge the games themselves, MSSA's Management Board Awards acknowledge the contribution made by the very gamers/athletes themselves. 

MSSA's Management Board Awards were initiated in 2009 to reward excellence not specifically provided for in MSSA's Constitution.

When reading through the names of those previously honored, the reader is quickly reminded of MSSA's rich history. The names are not just names, these are the men and women who have made an incredible contribution to the various mind sports in South Africa and even beyond South Africa's borders.

Under the direction of MSSA president, Amanda Pakade, MSSA's highest legislative body, being the Annual General Meeting, agreed to widen the scope of such awards in December 2018.

Thus the awards are now more representative of MSSA's membership, of the work being done, and of society as a whole.

It should be noted by the reader that the categories for Writer of the Year, Social Media Person of the Year, and Sponsor of the Year are open categories and apply to anyone that has given their 'all' to the development of boardgames, card games, esports, and wargames as a sport.

The awards now take into account the following categories:

• Mind Sports Person of the Year
• Board Gamer of the Year
• Esports Player of the Year
• Wargamer of the Year
• Team of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Umpire of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Educator of the Year
• Writer of the Year
• Social Media Person of the Year
• Sponsor of the Year

MSSA's Management Board requests all members to make submissions by 31 August 2021.

The names of previous winners may be seen on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_Sports_South_Africa#Management_Board_Awards

Also read:

• Affiliation: Schools
• Affiliation: Private clubs
• Affiliation: Advantages of affiliation
• Calendar of  Events: 2021
• Colours: Regional Colours
• Colours:2021 South African National High School Colours - Esports 
• Colours:2021 South African National Primary School Colours - Esports 
• Entry Dates: All championships
• Esports titles selected: MSSA's High School Championships.
• Esports titles selected: MSSA's Student Championships
• Esports titles selected: MSSA's Premier Championships.
• Events: Free State Online Championships - Saturday, 7 August 2021
• Events: MSSA Online School League - Friday, 10 July 2021.
• Events: 2021 National Team Trials - 21 August 2021
• Ladder: National Ladder Champions
• Notices: 2021 MSSA Management Board Awards.
• Notices: Annual General Meeting - Board positions
• Notices: Celebrating MSSA's female Protea athletes.
• Notices: Opportunities for female esports athletes.
• Notices: MSSA's new Players' Representative - Jessie Joubert (ZAG Academy
• Notices: Lenel Human makes history.
• Notices: Sahil Ebrahim of PES Society elected as MSSA's Western Cape Provincial Director.
• Notices: Derby events
• Notices: Derby events -the way forward.
• Notices: For our children's children... 
• Notices: Learners may play for both private and school clubs.
• Notices: League of Legends re-instated.
• Notices: Home schooling
• Notices: Publishing your club news.
• Notices: Transfer season
• Notices: Calling all those wishing to serve as Selectors to volunteer
• Notices: The various events held by Mind Sports South Africa.
• Qualifiers: Counter-Strike: GO
• Rankings: Clash Royale
• Rankings: Counter-Strike: GO
• Rankings: Morabaraba
• Rankings: Pro Evolution Soccer (PES)
• Results: 2021 Combined Online Provincial Schools Championships
• Results: 2021 Gauteng Online Championships
• Results: 2021 South African Online National High School Esports Championships
• Results:  Western Cape Online Provincial Championships
• Selection: New National Team Selection Criteria
• Selection: Selecting the national Protea teams for Mind Sports South Africa.
• Test Match results: South African Protea DotA 2 team rises triumphant.
• Test Match results: DOTA2: South Africa vs Azerbaijan
• Trailblazers: Michelle Marder

Enforcing transformation.

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) has not only fought continuously for the bodies to which it is affiliated to have greater good governance and to be transparent. Thus MSSA is always willing to stand up and be counted. Whether it is MSSA standing up to SASCOC or its international federations, MSSA always attempts to do the 'right' thing

However, MSSA also always attempts to improve on itself as well.

It would be hypocrytical of MSSA to stand up to others and not look at itself deeply in the mirror, and always aim at doing better and not try to improve on itself.

Thus MSSA now allows all of its Provincial Directors to sit on its Management Board (MANCOM). Through sitting on MANCOM it is hoped that the Provincial Directors will have a better understanding of the work done by MANCOM and the decisions reached.

Though such openness, it is hoped that the Provincial Directors will be further inspired, and will help MSSA reach new heights as MSSA ploughs forward in developing all of the disciplines and games of which it it custodian.

MSSA's Management Board Members.

Morizane Boyes (MSSA's  President) in gaming mode.

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) was founded in 1985 and since its inception has relied only upon volunteers to run the organisation.

Volunteers remain the back-bone of MSSA, and without the continued passion of such, MSSA would cease to be.

Even though MSSA pursues aggressive gender policies, the number of female participation on MANCOM  fell from 42% to 31%. This was due to very few females standing for positions at MSSA's Annual General Meeting. Had females contested any/all of the available positions, the current rules would only have allowed the female candidates to have been elected.

With Morizane Boyes holding the position of president, MSSA is confident that the needs and wants of Registered Players who are females will be addressed as never before.

It is should be noted that only MSSA has sent females to participate in every IESF World Championships since 2012 (Cheonan, Bucharest, Baku, Seoul, Jakarta, and Busan). However, it was pleasing to see other national federations starting to emulate MSSA by including females in their teams - well done Thailand!

The full list of MSSA's  Management Board (MANCOM) members for 2017 is as follows:

Position	Name	Term of office	Club
President	Morizane Boyes	2016 -2019	HTS Witbank
Deputy President	James Evans	2017 – 2020	Knights Mind Sports Club
Vice-President (Development)	Johan van Breda	2017 – 2020	ZAGA
Vice-President (Umpiring)	Adele Janse van Rensburg	2016 -2019	Generation X
Vice-President (Liaison)	Sheraaz Nunnian	2016 -2019	East London Esports
Vice-President (Events)	Leonard Loftus	2017 – 2020	Masters of Mind Sports
General Secretary	Colin Webster	2016 -2019	Old Edwardian Wargames Club
Board Gaming Representative	Joseph Matlhong	2016 -2019	North West University – Vaal
Card Gaming Representative	Paula Loftus	2016 -2019	Masters of Mind Sports
Esports Representative	Ryan Boyes	2016 -2019	BNKR
Wargames Representative	Terence Allwright	2017 – 2020	Old Edwardian Wargames Club
Womens’ Desk	Blair Hamberger	2016 -2019	IntenSity E-Sports
Athletes’ Representative	Jason Batzofin	2016 -2019	Old Edwardian Wargames Club
National Schools’ Director	Darryl-Lee Bruce-Smith	2017 – 2020	HTS Sasolburg – Gaming Club
Differently Abled Persons Representative	Twane Tollemache	2016 -2019	BNKR
Legal Representative	Carl Holliday	2016 -2019	Knights Mind Sports Club

MSSA has approved its schedule for all Provincial and National LAN championships.

Once the doors close on the Annual General Meeting (AGM), the real  work begins as MSSA's Management Board (MANCOM) starts getting everything ready for the new year.

Yes, things do not just happen on their own, and yes, there is a great deal of back-end work that has to take place in order to make things happen.

Thus MSSA's MANCOM has already approved the new schedule for all Premier Provincial and National esports championships.

By having every such Premier Provincial and National championship played to the same schedule, gamers are able to become used to the schedule and the procedures enforced at such championships.

Gamers are requested to thus make themselves  aware of the championship schedule and to also note the changes in terms of games/titles hosted at such events.

The schedule is as follows:

Saturday
Time	StarCraft II	FIFA ‘18	Hearthstone	Ultimate Street Fighter V	Counter Strike GO
09H00	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts
09H45	Round 2 Starts	Round 1 Continues	Round 2 Starts	Round 1 Continues	Round 1 Continues
10H30	Round 3 Starts	Round 2 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 2 Starts	Round 2 Starts
11H15	Round 4 Starts	Round 2 Continues	Round 4 Starts	Round 2 Continues	Round 2 Continues
12H00	Round 5 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 5 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 3 Starts
12H45		Round 3 Continues		Round 3 Continues	Round 3 Continues
13H00	LUNCH
Time		FIFA ‘18 (continued)		Ultimate Street Fighter V (continued	Counter Strike GO (continued)
14H00		Round 4 Starts		Round 4 Starts	Round 4 Starts
14H45		Round 4 Continues		Round 4 Continues	Round 4 Continues
15H30		Round 5 Starts		Round 5 Starts	Round 5 Starts
16H15		Round 5 Continues		Round 5 Continues	Round 5 Continues
17H00
18H00	Awards Ceremony
19H00	Doors Close
SUNDAY:
Time	Dota	League of Legends (LoL)	PES (Pro Evolution Soccer)	Rocket League	TEKKEN 7
09H00	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts
09H45	Round 1 Continues	Round 1 Continues	Round 1 Continues	Round 2 Starts	Round 1 Continues
10H30	Round 2 Starts	Round 2 Starts	Round 2 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 2 Starts
11H15	Round 2 Continues	Round 2 Continues	Round 2 Continues	Round 4 Starts	Round 2 Continues
12H00	Round 3 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 5 Starts	Round 3 Starts
12H45	Round 3 Continues	Round 3 Continues	Round 3 Continues		Round 3 Continues
13H00	LUNCH
Time	Dota (continued)	LoL (continued)	PES (continued)		Round 4 Starts
14H00	Round 4 Starts	Round 4 Starts	Round 4 Starts		Round 4 Continues
14H45	Round 4 Continues	Round 4 Continues	Round 4 Continues		Round 5 Starts
15H30	Round 5 Starts	Round 5 Starts	Round 5 Starts		Round 5 Continues
16H15	Round 5 Continues	Round 5 Continues	Round 5 Continues
17H00
18H00	Awards Ceremony
19H00	Doors Close

Also read:

• Titles selected for all Premier online and LAN championships for the 2018 year.

• Titles selected for all school online and LAN championships and leagues for the 2018 year.

Use of reserves in MSSA's Online School League.

Tyrone Green - National  Schools' Director.

On 23 June 2017 Mind Sports South Africa's (MSSA) announced the closing date for entries for MSSA's online inter-school league.

All schools intending to participate must note the rules concerning the use off reserves have been amended.

The decision comes on the wake of a great deal  of input made by Tyrone Green (MSSA's National  Schools' Director) who was chiefly concerned about the sustainability of such  school teams over the five  week period over  which the league would be  played.

On presenting his findings to MSSA's MANCOM, the Board agreed to amend the current rulings to favour the school teams that need to use reserves.

The use of reserves in the online school league should also have the added benefit of further developing additional gamers.

Such rules now read  as follows:

Reserves may be used as follows:

1. In team games such as CS:GO, DotA 2, and LoL, the Team may use up to three reserves. All players of the Team shall qualify for provincial colours as long as such player has played in at least two complete matches.

2. In team games such as VainGlory, the school may use one reserve per Team and that all players of the Team shall qualify for provincial colours as long as such player has played in at least two complete matches.

Have your say for 2017

It is already that time of the year when MSSA's Management Board starts planning the 2017 events.

Even though MSSA still has 10 of its own events to finalise in 2016 (after already done 10 events), the time is upon MSSA to prepare for 2017.

This means that MSSA will be asking the following questions:

1. Which titles do members want to see played in the 2017 Provincial and National Championships, and
2. Which titles do members want to see played in the 2017 School Provincial and National Championships, and
3. Are members happy with the current format of the Calendar of Events?

The process is that MSSA's MANCOM will start discussing suggestions made by members apropos the above and will then produce a draft calendar of events for 2017 by the end of August 2016.

If you have suggestions that  you want tabled, speak to your club chairman now!