<div dir="ltr"><p>Here is the Agenda for the BGA AGM to be held on Thursday 28 May at 20:00 by Zoom. The Agenda, and associated papers, will also be published at<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.britgo.org/history/accounts" target="_blank">www.britgo.org/history/accounts</a>.</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><img width="353" height="109" src="cid:part1.yFT07VoV.sbRlVWkM@britgo.org" class="gmail-CToWUd"></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:25.68px">BGA AGM 2026 – AGENDA</span></b><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:25.68px"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.973331px">Date: 28<sup>th</sup><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>May 2025 Time: 20:00</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.973331px">Chair: Toby Manning. <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span> Held by ZOOM video meeting</span></p><h2>1. Apologies for absence</h2><h2>2. Announcement of Proxies</h2><h2>3. Minutes of 2025 AGM and Matters arising<span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:15.693335px;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:windowtext"></span></h2><h2><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:15.693335px;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:windowtext">See<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.britgo.org/files/board/minutes/20250522AGMMinutes.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.britgo.org/files/board/minutes/20250522AGMMinutes.pdf</a></span></h2><h2>4. Approval of 2025 Accounts</h2><h2>5. Dispensation with audit and appointment of Examiner</h2><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:17.120001px">The Board proposes the following motion:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:17.120001px">Motion 1</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt">Noting that in the financial year ending 31 December 2025 the Company is expected to have a turnover of less than £1M and a Balance Sheet of less than £1.4M, and therefore that the company will be entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 (2) of the Companies Act 2006, the members hereby resolve that:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"> “The company is not required to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"> The company will have the Accounts examined by an Examiner, in accordance with Byelaw #1 (<a href="https://www.britgo.org/byelaws" target="_blank">https://www.britgo.org/byelaws</a>)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:17.120001px">The Examiner shall be Richard Wheeldon”</span></p><h2>6. Annual Report</h2><h2>7. Election of Officers</h2><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:17.120001px">There being no other candidates, to Note that:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:17.120001px">The President is Toby Manning</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:17.120001px">The Treasurer is Phil Beck</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:17.120001px">The Secretary is James Pickering</span></p><h2>8. Election of other Directors</h2><p class="MsoNormal">To elect Andrew Ambrose-Thurman as a Director</p><p class="MsoNormal"> To elect Ai Guan as a Director</p><p class="MsoNormal">To elect Robert Scantlebury as a Director</p><p class="MsoNormal">To elect Ho (Damen) Woo as a Director</p><h2>9. Election of the Disputes Panel</h2><p class="MsoNormal">The candidates are:<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Mohammed Amin</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Alison Bexfield</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Jon Diamond</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Alex Rix</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm">Francis Roads</p><h2>10. Members Resolutions</h2><p class="MsoNormal"> <b>Resolution 2</b><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>– Proposed by Alex Rix, seconded by Harry Fearnley</p>"We call on the BGA to request the EGF to suspend Israel as a member of<br>the EGF pending a two-state solution to the issue of Israel and Palestine."<br><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm"> The proposers have issued the following supporting statement:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">“Whilst a peace process for Gaza is apparently in progress, the details are</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">sketchy - it appears it's difficult to obtain troops to govern Gaza (Indonesia</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">may provide some), but the details of how Gaza will be governed by people</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">other than Hamas, and how Gaza will be reconstructed is unclear. You suspect</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">Israel (and the current US administration) would rather like the Palestinian</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">people to go somewhere else in the Arab world. Also, they continue to exist</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">on starvation rations, with the flow of aid severely restricted and amongst</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">piles of rubble.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">Further, settler violence and the number of settlements in the West Bank</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">escalates and the Israeli government has recently made it easier for Israelis to</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">buy Palestinian land. Israel wants the "facts on the ground" to rule out a</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">viable Palestinian state and the IDF no longer intervenes to protect the</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 19.85pt">Palestinian people from settlers.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm"> The Board has made the following statement in response:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm"> "The Board believes that in the absence of a wide-based call for a sporting boycott from international governments, or the Olympic Committee, the circumstances and time are not right for the BGA to make such a petition". </p><h2>11. Update on hosting the 2028 European Congress</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The EGC Planning Committee has put forward the following motion:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Motion 3.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Noting that:</span></b></p><p style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"> <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">At the 2025 AGM, the Board presented proposals for hosting the European Go Congress at Stirling in 2028</span></p><p style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"> <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Board has appointed a Planning Committee to further investigate the feasibility of so doing</span></p><p style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"> <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Planning Committee has concluded that it is feasible to host the event but the finances are challenging<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-feature-settings:normal"> <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Planning Committee has adopted the following strategic principles:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> <b>Strategic Principles: </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Hosting a European Go Congress is an expensive undertaking. We currently expect Stirling in 2028 to cost in the region of £150,000. Whilst we can have a reasonable idea of the costs involved in advance, it is harder to predict the income it will generate. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The income is primarily from entry fees, and it is not clear how the attendance at recent Congresses will compare to one held in the UK. This will in part depend on the entry fees we charge. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Given the above the EGC Planning Committee, in conjunction with the BGA, has adopted an approach which we feel is both realistic, and risk-averse. In particular: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">A separate limited company has been created, EGC2028 Ltd, as a subsidiary of the BGA. It will operate its own set of accounts and corporation (and possibly VAT) tax returns. This will limit the financial exposure of the BGA in the event of any late breaking events forcing the cancellation of the event.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">We plan to create a very clear agreement between EGC2028 and the EGF covering our respective roles and responsibilities, including financial commitments.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">No expenditure, other than administration costs, will be committed until we formally win the bid at the EGF AGM.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">We have produced, and will continue to refine, a detailed income and cost model to allow us to see the effects of differing entry pricing, and attendance numbers. At the moment this contains a large number of assumptions, and we will continue to work to clarify areas of uncertainty.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Even if we win the bid we may still pull out from hosting it if we feel the financial risk is too great. Obviously the later we pull out the greater the reputational damage to the BGA, but it is an option we will not close down.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> <span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Once we have won the bid we will be actively looking for sponsorship for the event. However until we have it confirmed we will not include any sponsorship income in our financial model.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> <b>BGA Financial Commitment: </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36pt;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The BGA Board will provide £20,000 of funding for the congress.</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>This will come from BGA reserves, which currently amount to around £50,000, and are far in excess of the BGA’s day-to-day requirements. These reserves include the amount received in 2023 from the T Mark Hall Foundation (£13k), and the Board feels it would be a use of funds that T Mark would have been happy with. It will be given to EGC2028 as early as possible to assist with its cash-flow. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">We plan for the event to break-even (after the £20k funding), but any surplus/deficit may need to be covered by the BGA. In particular any sponsorship or donations, which are not currently included in the budget, should allow part or all of this money to be repaid.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">If at any point EGC2028 requires a greater financial input from the BGA then it will have to raise a further request which will be considered by the BGA Board.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Resolution</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36pt;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">BGA Members are asked to support this statement.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-left:36pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">***End***</span></b></p><font color="#888888"><pre cols="72" style="text-wrap-mode: wrap;">--
Toby Manning
President, British Go Association
01530 245298 (best)
07798 825299</pre></font></div>