Advantages of affiliation

Dr. Janine Brandt is one of over a hundred MSSA's Registered Players who has been thrust onto the international stage.

MSSA has had number of schools and other interested people enquiring about the process and benefits associated with registering with Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA). MSSA is the controlling body for Board games, Esports, and historical figure games (or Wargames).  

There are many advantages of being a MSSA affiliated club, such as:

1. Being part of a community where your club has a real say in how things are done
2. Being able to apply for National Lottery Funding
3. Being able to get assistance from your local government
4. Experience increased media exposure of your events and your gamers
5. Become part of the international community through the MSSA Registered players are able to become internationally recognised umpires, etc.
6. Being able to put your club's news up on MSSA's blog page,
7. Enable your gamers to take part in MSSA events, which may qualify them for regional, provincial, and national colours, overseas trips, and even sports bursaries at university.

How to affiliate a club

To affiliate a club is quite an easy affair, all you have to do is follow these easy steps:

1. Gather the people together that want to form the club, and
2. Hold a meeting at which you agree to start a club, and at which meeting you agree to the Constitution as well as who are the elected office-bearers of the club (all such decisions must be by consensus), and
3. Write up the minutes of your inaugural meeting, and
4. Send in the club’s Constitution and Application Form for Affiliation to the MSSA.

Once the MSSA is in receipt of the Constitution and Application Form for Affiliation, the MSSA will go through the Constitution and (if acceptable) approve it at the next Management Board Meeting. Only once membership is approved, are fees due.

It is even easier to set up a school club. All a school has to do is have the Principal complete the Application for Affiliation form.

MSSA’s Constitution  

The Constitution forms the foundation of the MSSA. It guarantees members rights and governs the way that the MSSA operates. It can only be amended by a two-thirds majority at a Council Meeting. Please remember that Associations only have two (2) votes each, whereas member clubs have a representational vote, being: normal clubs: one vote per every five registered players, and school clubs: one vote per every ten registered players.

MSSA’s General Regulations  

The General Regulations comprises of decisions made by both Council and Executive Committee Meetings. The General Regulations deals with how sub-committees operate as well as to how teams are selected, development funding is distributed, and how MSSA is run by elected office-bearers on a day-to-day basis.

MSSA’s Discipline Specific Regulations  

The Discipline Specific Regulations deal with rules concerning the different disciplines. Some of the Disciplines that the MSSA caters for are; Board Gaming, Card gaming, Esports, and Figure Gaming.

Fees for the 2019/2020 year 

The fee note details the Affiliation Fees and Registration fees that are payable.

The fees for the 2019/2020 gaming year (1 November 2019 to 31 October 2020) are:

Affiliation fees per club		R104.00 per annum
Registration fees:	Registered with MSSA Players who are members of school clubs	R110.00 per player R  10.00 per player

In order for a club to be a legal entity, a club must have a Constitution and must have multiplicity of members (3 or more members). A club's Constitution tells how the club operates and must, to a certain extent mirror MSSA’s Constitution. The Constitution  of a club must have certain clauses in order to ensure that there are the necessary bonds between the MSSA and the club. Therefore, MSSA insists that the clauses, “Objectives”, “Title and Legal Personality”, “Dispute Resolution”, and “Dissolution” remain unchanged. However, the club may amend the other clauses.   Once the applicant club is satisfied with their Constitution, the elected Chairperson must initial each page, and sign and date the last page and submit a copy to the MSSA.

Facebook Page | Twitter | e-mail: mindsportscorrespondence@gmail.com 

Anyone who would like to obtain more documentation, as well as the necessary application forms to register or affiliate with the MSSA please contact MSSA directly.

Also read:

• Entry fees for Provincial and National Championships for the period 1 November 2019 to 31 October 2020.
• MSSA advises of its affiliation and registration fees for the 2019/2020 season.
• MSSA elections allow change and growth.
• Amanda Pakade is elected in for a 3 year term as MSSA President.
• Freedom of association.
• MSSA benefits all member clubs.
• MSSA's Elected Office-Bearers for 2019.
• Preventing dominance by any one club.

Does Transformation have a place in esports?

There a a few gamers that have questioned whether transformation has a place in esports. The arguments largely revolve around esports being a 'new' sport that has only really developed in the post 1994 South Africa.

Such arguments do not take into account the legacy left by the Apartheid state which has an effect on current, and possibly even, future generations.

It is difficult for people who were born into advantaged and entitled families to truly understand the damage that Apartheid did.

Apartheid was in itself the ultimate expression of entitlement.

Transformation refers to each and every component element of South African society, including sport and all its sub structures.

According to the Province of KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport and Recreation, "There are three categories of people in the South African society that have to be recognised, acknowledged and brought on board in the transformation process: 

• Those with both feet positioned in the past and who view current processes to change and adapt South African society as intrusive, unproductive and discriminatory in nature.
  
• Those who have one foot in the past and another hesitantly positioned in the future. They are generally uncertain, unsure, apprehensive and sometimes perplexed about the shape of the country’s longer term future.
  
• Those who have both feet firmly planted in the future some of whom who are actively engaged in dealing with the problems challenging South African society. A momentous task considering some of the structural deficiencies, relatively inexperienced and untested human resource base and sometimes deficient support structures in place."

It is true that transformation in every sporting code is a subject that has been debated at length ever since South Africa became a democracy in 1994. 

Change has to take place from the ground up for there to be any meaningful changes at the top, and that means that it has to start at school level. 

Since 1994 efforts to ‘transform’ in various sports has been largely unsuccessful. In its attempts to ‘transform’ and re-invent itself the concept of ‘transformation’ and the motivations for and against the need thereof have been oversimplified, often emotional, not clear and sometimes misunderstood.

What is clear though, is that transformation is needed in order to unlock the full potential in South African gaming. 

Federations like Mind Sports South Africa have taken a very different approach. The MSSA is active in enabling the formation of clubs (especially at school level) that will cater for the majority of South Africa's population, and have active policies to promote a more sustainable form of development. The MSSA too has come out strongly against the imposition of quotas in the belief that the attempt to force quotas is actually illegal.

After all, transformation in sport is dependent on transformation in the economy.

It is not possible to get volunteers where people do not have enough money to feed themselves. Nor is it possible to get people to play games when they lack the basic infrastructure, and also lack the equipment that they need to play.

Unfortunately, most South Africans are born into poverty. 

With high figures of unemployment, transformation requires an active mentor system by ALL.

Every clan and club should be concerned with transformation. Of course it can all be funded at club level by the National Lottery.

The biggest problem is, quite frankly, that if we do not see it as all of our duty, it may not be long before the rules change, and a form of transformation is thrust upon the gaming community.

Advantages of affiliation

Console gamers in action in a MSSA event

MSSA has had number of schools and other interested people enquiring about the process and benefits associated with registering with Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA). MSSA is the controlling body for Board games, eSports, Robotics, and historical figure games (or Wargames).  

There are many advantages of having a MSSA affiliated club, such as:

1. Being part of a community where your club has a real say in how things are done
2. Being able to apply for National Lottery Funding – MSSA member clubs can apply for up to R200,000.00 in funding
3. Being able to get assistance from your local government
4. Experience increased media exposure of your events and your gamers
5. Become part of the international community through the MSSA Registered players are able to become internationally recognised umpires, etc.
6. Being able to put your club's news up on MSSA's blog,
7. Enable your gamers to take part in MSSA events, which may qualify them for colours, overseas trips, and even sports bursaries at university.

How to affiliate a club

To affiliate a club is quite an easy affair, all you have to do is follow these easy steps:

1. Gather the people together that want to form the club, and
2. Hold a meeting at which you agree to start a club, and at which meeting you agree to the Constitution as well as who are the elected office-bearers of the club (all such decisions must be by consensus), and
3. Write up the minutes of your inaugural meeting, and
4. Send in the club’s Constitution and Application Form for Affiliation to the MSSA.

Once the MSSA is in receipt of the Constitution and Application Form for Affiliation, the MSSA will go through the Constitution and (if acceptable) approve it at the next Management Board Meeting. Only once membership is approved, are fees due.

MSSA’s Constitution  

The Constitution forms the foundation of the MSSA. It guarantees members rights and governs the way that the MSSA operates. It can only be amended by a two-thirds majority at a Council Meeting. Please remember that Associations only have two (2) votes each, whereas member clubs have a representational vote, being: normal clubs: one vote per every five registered players, and school clubs: one vote per every ten registered players.

MSSA’s General Regulations  

The General Regulations comprises of decisions made by both Council and Executive Committee Meetings. The General Regulations deals with how sub-committees operate as well as to how teams are selected and development funding is distributed.   Please refer to Schedule 10.12 in regard to the rights of clubs in hosting events.

MSSA’s Discipline Specific Regulations  

The Discipline Specific Regulations deal with rules concerning the different disciplines. The Disciplines that the MSSA caters for are; Board Gaming, eSports, and Figure Gaming.

Application for Affiliation form  

When a club applies for membership, the applicant club must complete such form and return the same to the MSSA.

Fee note for the 2016/2017 year 

The fee note details the Affiliation Fees and Registration fees that are payable.

The fees for the 2016/2017 gaming year (1 November 2016 to 31 October 2017) are:

Affiliation fees per club		R100.00 per annum
Registration fees:	Registered with MSSA Players who are members of school clubs	R95.00 per player R  5.00 per player

 Player Registration Form   

The Player Registration Form needs to be completed by every player that is a member of a club and intends to participate in MSSA affairs.

Proforma Constitution  

In order for a club to be a legal entity, a club must have a Constitution and must have multiplicity of members (3 or more members). The Constitution tells how the club operates and must, to a certain extent mirror MSSA’s Constitution. The Constitution  of a club must have certain clauses in order to ensure that there are the necessary bonds between the MSSA and the club. Therefore, MSSA insists that the clauses, “Objectives”, “Title and Legal Personality”, “Dispute Resolution”, and “Dissolution” remain unchanged. However, the club may amend the other clauses.   Once the applicant club is satisfied with their Constitution, the elected Chairperson must initial each page, and sign and date the last page and submit a copy to the MSSA.

MSSA’s Letter of Undertaking  

The Letter of Undertaking is for all registered players who sit on any MSSA committee.

Facebook Page | Twitter | e-mail: mindsportssa@iafrica.com 

Anyone who would like to obtain more documentation, as well as the necessary application forms to register or affiliate with the MSSA please contact MSSA directly.