I think that the Foundation should immediately stop giving the $7000 to $9000 per year to the CFC, since the CFC can now survive without it.
Instead, they should spend the money each year on producing chess promotional items and sending them out to all the chess clubs in Canada. Each item should have the CFC logo and website marked on it and also have the individual club logo (which every club could develop, if they do not already have one) and website (if there is one) on it. Prizes could include snazzy posters (one targeted to kids and another to men (with a guy playing an attractive woman with 5 other attractive people watching the game) and brochures and other printed material (all professionally done); pens, key chains, mugs, chess books, etc. Chess is obviously a male-centric game so spice it up a little with the poster targeting men.
Each club must agree to use these items ONLY as prizes for simuls. These simuls must occur in public spaces like shopping malls, parks, public art shows (artists love the game), university commons rooms, high schools or public schools, exhibitions like CNE in Toronto or the Landsdown Park exhibition in Ottawa and not be internal simuls that only draw existing members. Each club would sign a written agreement to this effect. They would also agree to take pictures and write an article on the event and provide this information to the CFC office for posting on the web site. They would also agree to send this article and pictures to their local papers and radio stations which will more than likely run the story in their paper or station.
In the simuls, prizes would be given out to winners, drawers, youngest kid, oldest player, best female, best person wearing a red shirt, etc. i.e lots of prizes.
The public loves simuls; I think that they are by far the best way to promote the game. Provide the prizes and the clubs will do the rest.
Instead, they should spend the money each year on producing chess promotional items and sending them out to all the chess clubs in Canada. Each item should have the CFC logo and website marked on it and also have the individual club logo (which every club could develop, if they do not already have one) and website (if there is one) on it. Prizes could include snazzy posters (one targeted to kids and another to men (with a guy playing an attractive woman with 5 other attractive people watching the game) and brochures and other printed material (all professionally done); pens, key chains, mugs, chess books, etc. Chess is obviously a male-centric game so spice it up a little with the poster targeting men.
Each club must agree to use these items ONLY as prizes for simuls. These simuls must occur in public spaces like shopping malls, parks, public art shows (artists love the game), university commons rooms, high schools or public schools, exhibitions like CNE in Toronto or the Landsdown Park exhibition in Ottawa and not be internal simuls that only draw existing members. Each club would sign a written agreement to this effect. They would also agree to take pictures and write an article on the event and provide this information to the CFC office for posting on the web site. They would also agree to send this article and pictures to their local papers and radio stations which will more than likely run the story in their paper or station.
In the simuls, prizes would be given out to winners, drawers, youngest kid, oldest player, best female, best person wearing a red shirt, etc. i.e lots of prizes.
The public loves simuls; I think that they are by far the best way to promote the game. Provide the prizes and the clubs will do the rest.
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