Reminder: Elections for a new Athletes' Representative

 

Amanda Pakade (left) was MSSA's first Athletes' Representative, and Amoné Bekker (right) was MSSA's most recent.

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) was way ahead of the curve when it created its Athletes' Representative position to sit on the Board way back in 2005.

The person who holds this position has to represent the aims, wishes, and desires of the gamers in order to ensure that the players are not overlooked in the decision-making process. Such Player Representative, must therefore owe greater loyalty to the players than to any club affiliation.

Those who have held, and excelled in such office are:

• Amoné Bekker (Valhalla)
• Jason Batzofin (Old Edwardian Mind Sports Club)
• Jonathan Newman (Maritzburg Griffins)
• Amanda Pakade (nee Kwaza) (University of Johannesburg)

Amanda went on to become MSSA President, and Jason Batzofin, went on to become Chairperson of International Esports Federation's Players' Committee.

The position can thus be seen as a stepping stone to greater things.

It is the athletes that participate in MSSA's 2020 SA National Championships that elect the representative. 

The criteria to stand for the position of Athletes' Representative are:

• The Player's Representative shall have Protea Colours, and
• The Player's Representative shall have represented South Africa in an International Competition, and
• The Player's Representative shall not be over 30 years of age at the time of such election.

MSSA therefore requests all those interested in standing for such position to please submit a nomination to mindsportscorrespondence@gmail.com by 8H00 on 5 December 2020.

Also read:

• MSSA elections allow change and growth.
• MSSA remains a dynamic institution.
• Preventing dominance by any one club.
• Advantages of affiliation
• Calendar of  Events: 2020
• Upcoming events: South African National Board Games Championships - 12 December 2020.
• Upcoming events: South African National Online Championships
• Upcoming events: South African National Wargames Championships - 5 & 6 December 2020.
• Affiliation: Schools
• Affiliation: Private clubs
• Esports titles selected: MSSA's School Championships.
• Esports titles selected: MSSA's Premier Championships.
• Results of MSSA's 10th Annual Online Championships for High Schools
• Results of MSSA's Western Cape Online Provincial Championships.
• Results: MSSA's 11th Provincial Online Championships
• Results: Gauteng Online Provincial Championships.
• Test Match results: South African Protea DotA 2 team rises triumphant.
• Test Match results: DOTA2: South Africa vs Azerbaijan
• New National Team Selection Criteria
• Selecting the national Protea teams for Mind Sports South Africa.

Elections for a new Athletes' Representative

Amanda Pakade (left) was MSSA's first Athletes' Representative, and Amoné Bekker (right) was MSSA's most recent.

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) was way ahead of the curve when it created its Athletes' Representative position to sit on the Board way back in 2005.

The person who holds this position has to represent the aims, wishes, and desires of the gamers in order to ensure that the players are not overlooked in the decision-making process. Such Player Representative, must therefore owe greater loyalty to the players than to any club affiliation.

Those who have held, and excelled in such office are:

• Amoné Bekker (Valhalla)
• Jason Batzofin (Old Edwardian Mind Sports Club)
• Jonathan Newman (Maritzburg Griffins)
• Amanda Pakade (nee Kwaza) (University of Johannesburg)

Amanda went on to become MSSA President, and Jason Batzofin, went on to become Chairperson of International Esports Federation's Players' Committee.

The position can thus be seen as a stepping stone to greater things.

Elections for such position are held at MSSA's 2020 SA National Championships by the athletes. 

The criteria to stand for the position of Athletes' Representative are:

• The Player's Representative shall have Protea Colours, and
• The Player's Representative shall have represented South Africa in an International Competition, and
• The Player's Representative shall not be over 30 years of age at the time of such election.

MSSA therefore requests all those interested in standing for such position to please submit a nomination to mindsportscorrespondence@gmail.com by 1 November 2020.

Also read:

• MSSA elections allow change and growth.
• Preventing dominance by any one club.
• Advantages of affiliation
• Calendar of  Events: 2020
• Affiliation: Schools
• Affiliation: Private clubs 
• Nominations for MSSA's Board must be in by 1 November 2020.

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 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

The current representative is Jason Batzofin. Jason first earned his Protea Colours in 2014 for wargames, and then in 2015 earned such colours  for both wargames and esports.

Since then, Jason has moved on as a direct result of holding such position.

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.

Even as I write this, Jason is in Sweden involved in high level discussions with IESF's Board.

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 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. 
It is in your hands, take the opportunity.