Back in the bad old days, around the turn of the Century, at a time when both the EBBA and its finances were in disarray, the administration and the membership could often be found at loggerheads. With the Association's finances now on a much firmer footing, it seemed as though those days were safely in the past. Not so, it seems, as I have reliable information that a large group of members have called for an Extraordinary General Meeting, to debate a long list of grievances. Before I add any further details, let me hasten to add that, though my source is thoroughly reliable, the information does not come from a "mole" within either side of this dispute! Under the Articles of a Limited Company, the EBBA (still the legal title of what had been rebranded as "England Basketball") must call an EGM if requisitioned to do so by at least ten percent of "members" entitled to vote. It appears that the necessary percentage of members have signed such a request, and that in itself is remarkable. Consider that each registered adult player/coach/follower etc (at both national league and local level) is entitled to a vote, and that each member club (again national league and local league), area association, affiliated association etc. also has one vote each. On that basis, the latest membership figures that I can lay my hands on (2003, but I doubt if they've changed dramatically since then) indicate a conservative estimate of the number of signatures required as 750. If that's right, it's a hell of a lot of pissed-off people. From what I understand, what they are demanding is the heads (or at least the seats) of three of the Executive - the Chairman, Terry Donovan, and Board Members Jeff Jones and John Amaechi. In calling for their resignation, the document apparently goes on to outline a long list of complaints against the Board, and it strikes me that this move, though not necessarily instigated by the three Board members who resigned earlier this season (Eddie Allen, Angela Francis and Ken Nottage) may not be unconnected to their reasons for resigning (though these were never publicly stated). Included in the complaints are, I am told, allegations ranging from lack of communication, through poor management, to failure to pursue adequate additional income from available sources. Details of this are likely to become clearer in the near future, as the Association is bound, by law, to the the meeting within a certain time of receipt of a valid request. As far as I can understand the legal jargon of the Companies Act, they have 21 days to "convene" (which I take to mean give notice of) the meeting, and it must then be held within 28 days of the notice being given. Assuming that the requisition was deposited in the middle of last week (at the latest), then my calculation is that the notice convening the meeting must appear by 10th May at the latest, with 4th June being the latest date for the EGM itself. Without knowing the full background details, what strikes me initially, however, is that this move is bound to have an adverse effect on the public perception of the sport - especially as the complaints are being raised in a special meeting. What is so urgent, I wonder, that this motion, and these claims, could not wait until the Annual General Meeting, which will be held early in September (just 3 months after the probable date of the EGM) - where they may not have aroused quite so much outside scrutiny and interest?
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