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President’s Message
by Osama Elshafey – President, Calgary ACBL Unit 390
May 2026
Presented at the 2026 Annual General Meeting, May 31, 2026
On behalf of the Unit 390 Board of Directors, we would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks and gratitude to the outgoing Unit President, Cynthia Clark, for her dedication and hard work during her term and to wish her all the best in her recovery. We would also like to thank John Sharpe, who will be stepping down from his position on the Unit 390 Board, for his long service as President and Board member.
For the period between April 1,2025 to March 31,2026, our unit had a reduction in the membership from 946 to 906 (-4.20%), while ACBL overall membership saw a reduction from 124,076 to 117,800 (-5.00%) for the same period.However, the guest members count is trending up. This issue has been a main concern of ACBL and has been discussed in most of the monthly unit presidents zoom meetings.
As one step toward addressing the issue of membership decline, the ACBL revised the 5-5-5 program which rewards the units financially, based on the number of new members and on retaining the existing ones. In an attempt to boost our unit members count, we have been pursuing the guest members (~80) via personal emails, one-on-one conversation and during the supervised bid and play sessions to explain the benefits of being full ACBL members and encourage them to take the next step.
This past year brought many positive developments for our unit. We were pleased to see steady participation at local club games and in special events, including the Sectional Tournaments, newcomer programs, rookie/master events, and mentoring activities. During the year, the total number of tables for all the clubs of the unit was 8,077.5 compared to 8,206 in last year. (-1.5%)
Again, one of the brightest spots this year has been the “Supervised Bid & Play Program” led by Delores Hedley and Karen Mitchell. Delores’s dedication and persistence has been instrumental in attracting newcomers and expanding the program. In every session, Karen Mitchell delivers a 20-30 minute lesson about different conventions and general bridge tips. During the period between November and April the table count averaged 12-16 tables while it averages 10 tables during the warm months of the year. The program has a core of volunteers who consistently give their time generously. This program not only contributed to enhancing the bridge community, but also it raised $13,718 for the CCBL since its inception in April 2024.
For the year ending March 31, 2026, Sectional Tournaments had attendance of 218.5 tables in April of 2025, 203 in fall of 2025 and 263.5 in January of 2026, for a total of 685 tables compared to 705 in the previous period (-2.83%). The leadership and the hard work of Terry Nazar, supported by a group of dedicated volunteers, brought success to these events.
In coordination with Banff and Canmore bridge communities, we held the Canmore Sectional on March 21 & 22, 2026. The tournament attracted 115.5 tables. The event was initially sold out, but due to adverse weather conditions on Saturday some players (who were already signed up) decided not to travel.
Two 299er Sectional Tournaments were held, one in May 2025 (42.5 tables) and one in October 2025 (45 tables). This is a 29% increase over the table count for the preceding year. Thanks to Roger Bolton for organizing and running these events, along with a group of supporting volunteers.
Financially, our unit remained stable throughout the year. Careful management and member support allowed us to continue providing quality events and services while planning responsibly for the future.
I would like to express my thanks to the management team of the CCBL for operating and maintaining the Bridge Centre, which is the main hub for the Calgary bridge community. The team continues to promote the game by holding bridge events on the weekends to allow working members to participate. The team also accommodates a variety of lesson programs and boot camps.
Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge every member of the Board of Directors for the experience and the knowledge that they bring to the table. I would also like to thank the many volunteers who contributed countless hours of their time to support the unit and contributed to the clubs success.
Osama Elshafey
President
Calgary ACBL Unit 390