Anyone who succeeds Michael Constantinidi in chairing an enterprise must expect to have an extremely active agenda if he is to maintain the pace of his predecessor! My first six months as Chairman of the EFA have been no exception. In this time I have met many of the key people on whose enthusiasm and commitment the future of Eton Fives depends – Headmasters, Masters-in-Charge, Presidents and Secretaries of the Clubs, leading players of past and present, and many other supporters of the game. I have greatly appreciated the welcome and encouragement which so many people across the Eton Fives spectrum have given me in my new task.

I believe that Eton Fives is the finest court game in the world. In the words of Alan Barber, my uncle and one of my predecessors as Chairman of the EFA, (responding to someone who told him that they thought squash a better game) -

• Fives alone of all sports fully exercises both right and left sides of the body at the same time.
• Its teaching of all-round hand/eye co-ordination is second to none.
• It is a far safer game to play than squash or rackets.
• With four players on court you need to use your head at Eton Fives twice as much as at squash, with a social dimension to match.
• It allows people of widely different ages to play on equal terms together.
• It costs virtually nothing to take part, the only equipment required being a pair of gloves.
• It can be played to a far greater age than squash.
• It requires no referee or umpire, thereby putting a premium on learning fair play and courtesy at an early age.
• As a game of hazard, the unexpected is a part of every rally, a mirror of Life itself.

First Impressions

What are my main impressions on coming into the management of Eton Fives for the first time?

First, that like most amateur games, Eton Fives is like an inverted pyramid in which the large superstructure of school activity, Clubs, Competitions, Leagues and friendly fives rests on the shoulders of a very small number of selfless and dedicated enthusiasts who give their time, skill and experience to the game beyond the call of duty, and without whom the game could not function, let alone prosper. Their contribution is beyond praise.

Second, that, while enthusiasm for the game varies significantly between its different constituencies, it is at its strongest among players under 25. I spent half a day in December at the national Under 25 Championship; it was awash with players, enthusiasm and good management. In the coming year we shall introduce an Under 21 Championship too. And in this year’s HSBC Schools Championships, no fewer than 350 pairs were assembled, coming from 34 schools, including 8 which have never entered before, and among whom nearly 50 pairs were under 12 years old. These numbers constitute a record. This is our most important constituency, and – as I state below - we must do our utmost as an Association to nurture and expand it.

Third, that Eton Fives has a hitherto unimagined capacity to develop. Who could ever have thought that an Eton Fives player would become the national Rugby Fives champion, as James Toop did last December? And who would have anticipated that, under a flyover in West London, where one of London’s finest sports complexes has been created, Eton Fives would have taken root as a major activity? Westway is an extraordinary and inspiring story, and a tribute to what can be achieved by vision, enthusiasm and sheer hard work.

Fourth, that there are certain assumptions inherent in the traditional conduct of Eton Fives which are not well-founded: for example -

• That the game should cost nothing to play.
• That young players can be relied on to seek out the clubs when they leave school rather than vice versa.
• That fives courts are immortal and need no regular maintenance or attention.
• That good communication does not necessarily need to apply in the world of Eton Fives.
• That those who organise the game are as permanent as the buttress on court.

These assumptions are heresies. We need to combat them, and be vigilant that they do not corrode the fabric of our game.

Fifth, that, as in any enterprise, the game of Eton Fives needs to renew itself from time to time. That time is now. The reasons for this lie behind a review which the Board is now carrying out to define the way forward for the game.

It is clear that there is much to do if we are to build on the successes of the past. At school level, Eton Fives requires constant encouragement, resource and imagination if its appeal is to be maintained against all the other activities which challenge it – from other competing sports to the ever-increasing pressures of exams. In the Clubs the number of active players appears to be dwindling, and insufficient numbers of school players are making the transition into the Club scene; Clubs need to think of new ways of managing and expanding their activities if they are to continue to be the basis on which the adult game is organised throughout the country. And in development terms, fives at Westway, the most spectacular innovation in Eton Fives in living memory, must be consolidated and expanded – and possibly even replicated elsewhere.

This is a huge agenda for a game with limited resources. Consequently I have asked the Board to consider in depth a number of questions about the future, namely:

- How robust is the current state of the game at its different levels, and what are the resources (human, financial, ‘goodwill’) available to sustain it?

- What are the principal threats and opportunities which face the game going forward?

- In the light of these, what should be the right balance between ‘Consolidation’ and ‘Expansion’ in determining the strategic priorities of the EFA in the next few years?

- What “image” of the game should predominate – the traditional one of Eton Fives (with all the associations that entails); or a more ‘populist’ image for the game, playing down its origins and possibly dropping the “Eton” nomenclature?

A small group of Directors is now considering these matters, ably led by Ken Hughes. He and his colleagues have sought opinions from a very wide range of people in the Eton Fives playing world, and the Board expects to receive and discuss their recommendations in the autumn. I expect a keen debate, from which I hope that positive views about the way forward will emerge. I look forward to sharing these widely with the EFA’s membership in due course.

We reported last year that Howard Wiseman had joined the team at Westway in 2003 to build up the support for fives there. His success in doing so has been one of the outstanding developments of the 2003/04 season as he has imaginatively, and with great energy, inspired new players from a wide range of different schools and backgrounds to take up the game for the first time. Indeed one of the Westway staff, Dominique Redmond, became national ladies’ champion of Winchester fives. Today about 250 people a week are playing on the Westway courts.

Howard has now been succeeded by David Mew, an Old Olavian, who has been officially appointed to the management team of Westway as Manager, Fives Coaching and Development.

In the last few weeks Howard and David have launched a major initiative to expand significantly the amount of friendly fives being played there, and I very hope that this initiative will be widely supported throughout the whole fives-playing community in the London area and beyond. For its part, the EFA will continue to work tirelessly to consolidate and expand the game at Westway, building on the foundations which have been so ably laid.

The HSBC Schools Fives Championship is the benchmark by which we have traditionally judged the health of fives at school level. The record number of pairs who entered this year (to which I refer above) testifies in principle to a healthy situation at schools. But, notwithstanding the encouraging points I have made, the future prospect for fives at schools is brittle. At many schools Eton Fives is struggling to sustain its prestige and support as a major school game, and today there are fewer masters than ever at fives playing schools who have themselves been Eton Fives players, who can draw on their playing experience to teach and inspire young players, and who can keep the game ‘on the front foot’ in the hierarchy of alternative activities.

It is in this context that I am delighted that HSBC, who for the last 21 years have been sponsoring the School’ Championships, have – through their Chief Executive Peter Needham - re-affirmed their commitment to maintain that support in the future. Young players all over the country will continue to benefit from their generosity towards the premier schools’ competition in our calendar, and the EFA is hugely grateful for this declaration of confidence in us.

In the context of School Fives, 2004 marks the retirement of Brian Matthews from Highgate School. Brian was the winner of the Kinnaird Cup with John Reynolds for an unprecedented 10 times between 1980 and 1991, and for over 20 years he has been master in charge of fives at Highgate whose record has made it the premier fives playing school throughout that time. I take this opportunity to salute Brian as one of the greatest exponents of Eton Fives, and one of its best coaches of the young, and to acknowledge the unique contribution he has made for so long to our game.

(i) recast the structure of the League to accommodate a smaller player base
(ii) introduced a number of changes to the rules to ensure that those who decide to enter the League do so with a full commitment to produce the requisite number of players on the day.

• The Kinnaird Cup. The Semi-Finals and Finals of the Kinnaird Cup this year were played for the first time at Westway. Huge efforts were made by the Westway staff for this, through the preparation of the courts to the highest possible playing standard, the provision of a marquee for spectators and catering services for all. Everyone – players and spectators alike – commented after the Final on the excellence of these arrangements. Accordingly the Committee has decided that we shall hold these rounds of the Kinnaird at Westway again in 2005.
• The Graham Turnbull Trophy. This was founded in memory of the EFA’s former Chairman, Graham Turnbull, in 1996 by his wife Kitty, to be played between pairs composed of an adult and a current pupil as a tribute to Graham’s enormous commitment to seeing fives flourish among the young. The arrangements for holding this have been tentative in previous years, but in 2004 a most successful competition was organised by Howard Wiseman, and we look forward to this Trophy becoming a regular and well-supported feature of the EFA’s annual calendar in the future.

Under the enthusiastic leadership of Howard Wiseman, REFCA provides coaching to over 20 Rugby and Eton Fives playing schools around the country. At some schools they are producing pairs who are able to compete in national competitions; at other schools the involvement of their coaches keeps the game alive! They play a vital role in supplementing the role of masters in charge, and will become increasingly important to the future of the game in the face of the growing challenges to the game in schools to which I have already referred.

The EFA continues to hold meetings twice a year with the RFA. Both organisations face very similar issues, and we can learn much from each other by the regular pooling of our knowledge and experience. Our discussions cover a wide variety of topics – from the techniques of court construction to such detailed matters as the development of mandatory policies for equal opportunities, risk assessment and child protection. It is a constructive and valuable link which I would like to see considerably developed and strengthened in the future.

- Subscriptions
Eton Fives is far from being a wealthy sport, while the range of the EFA’s actual and potential financial commitments to continue our support for the game in Schools, Universities and Clubs (from coaching to kit to court construction and re-furbishment) is practically bottomless. Consequently, as was announced in the last Annual Report, the EFA Board has increased the annual membership subscription from £15 to £20 from 1st July 2004. This is the first increase we have sought for 7 years. As I have observed earlier, there remains a curious sense in the Eton Fives world that the game comes for free, but I do hope that every member will support the new level of subscription, which by the standards of every other comparable Association is ‘cheap at the price.’

- The Eton Fives Charitable Trust
In the context of financing the game, the Eton Fives Charitable Trust plays an invaluable role. Its purpose is to raise money and make charitable grants towards the maintenance, re-furbishment and construction of Eton Fives courts around the country, and by funding other needs (such as the provision of coaching and equipment) as they arise. Its agenda is developed in the closest consultation with the Board

I would strongly encourage all members who may wish to make a donation or to leave a legacy to the game to do so in favour of the Eton Fives Charitable Trust, on whose resources our strategy to strengthen and develop Eton Fives around the country in the future will increasingly depend.

The EFA’s Website was established by John Wallis in 1995 and in recent years it has been hugely expanded by Mike Fenn into an indispensable part of the communication and management system of the EFA. In evidence of this, total hits of over the last 12 months have now exceeded 100,000 for the first time.

A most successful dinner open to all EFA members was held at Eton College by kind permission of the Head Master on 15th May. This is the third time that such an event has taken place. Fifty people attended, and the atmosphere, reminiscences and age range of participants all provided a relaxed and informal evening of great enjoyment. As in the two previous years, the dinner was the occasion at which all the major trophies played for throughout the season were presented to the winners. The Board has decided that this should become a permanent part of the EFA calendar in future years.

I have been fortunate to have inherited a Board composed of such committed and supportive people as the present one. I am especially pleased that Michael Constantinidi, as a Vice President of the EFA, has agreed to continue to attend Board meetings so that we may continue to benefit from his experience and advice.

I must pay particular tribute to the towering support for the game given by Mike Fenn, our Secretary, Martin Powell our Treasurer, and Mark Williams who oversees the EFA’s tournaments, competitions and Leagues. In few walks of life do people realise what goes on behind the scenes to make everything look as though it just ‘happens’, and the game of Eton Fives is no exception. The services of these three are given with huge commitment, knowledge and devotion of personal time, and every member of the Association should appreciate how much we owe to their selfless dedication to our cause.

At the AGM Peter Knowles will retire by rotation as a Director. We have been grateful for his wise advice in many different aspects of the game. Highgate School, his alma mater, has for so many years been consistently the best fives playing school in the country, and enormous credit for this must go to Peter for his enthusiasm and commitment, of which we too in the Board have also been the fortunate beneficiaries.

I would like to conclude by thanking all members of the Board and the Association for the support given to me personally in my Chairmanship. I believe that we can look forward to a future for the game as bright as any it has known – but that will require significant change, imagination and resource to achieve.

R.P.F.B. – June 2004

Chairman's Report 2003-2004 by Richard Barber
Finalised 15th December 2004 : Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk

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