SADSAA NEWS AND VIEWS

President's report

It recently came to my attention that there is a misunderstanding or incorrect perception out there among our members of exactly what SADSAA’s structures are and how we function.I felt it may be worthwhile to take some time to try and clear this up a little.

In a recent meeting that I had with one of our member associations, there were several times that it was stated that the SADSAA Action Committee was not doing a good enough job and that our decision making was less than satisfactory and that, as an executive, we should be more pro-active and forthcoming.

I took this criticism to heart, as this organisation is extremely important to me on so many levels.I guess that, as the elected leader,I have the right to feel that any complaints levelled at the organisation as a whole are also aimed at me, so I felt compelled to take some time to try and explain what it is that we, as an Action Committee (AC),can and cannot do.

WHAT THE ACTION COMMITTEE DOES

Let me start by saying that we are NOT an executive,and we do not have executive powers.There are many organisations, such as SADSAA, that do have an executive (Exco) or management committee (ManCom) and the powers that each of these organisations has varies from council to council.

As the AC of SADSAA, we are tasked with the day to day running of the association and with guiding and assisting our provincial member bodies in whatever way they need. For the most part, we do not dictate to them as each of these bodies is its own entity with its own committees and councils.

The members of the AC, within its own deliberations, each carry a single vote, and this is how we settle many matters that come to our attention, but mostly we tend to agree on a course of action and move on.It is also the AC’s mandate to deal with those sporting bodies that sit above us and to take their guidance and instruction and implement it within our own structures as best we can.

We try hard to ensure that all items that are brought to the AC get a fair hearing and are referred to the Council for deliberation, discussion and possible vote if necessary.We do not, however, have the right to commit SADSAA to large debts or projects that go beyond what we need to run the association.

We can decide on the employment of staff, their salaries, their reporting structures, and the premises from which we operate.These are daily management tasks that are done as

and when they become necessary.

For the bigger stuff, once our Council has taken a decision on a topic – for example, hosting an international tournament – then it falls to the SADSAA portfolio holders to take charge of this and to merely run the day to day issues past the AC as they go about setting this all up.

The Council agrees to the project, but then stands back and allows the AC to manage the execution.

So, who is our Council, and who holds the major decision-making power within SADSAA?

Council is made up of the heads of each of our provincial bodies, of which there are 14.This Council has meetings twice a year, along with all the various SADSAA portfolio holders, to hear their reports, make decisions, and give guidance on matters which the AC, without executive powers, cannot move on.

It must also be noted that at the start of every Council meeting, the AC must present to Council all matters that it has dealt with in the intervening period and what decisions it has made, and these need ratification by Council.

If our provincial heads feel that the AC has erred, then they will and must guide us as to how we should rectify the decisions made and move forward.It’s all very democratic.

Please also note that none of the SADSAA portfolio holders nor any of the Council members are paid either by SADSAA or by the individual provincial bodies.Everything we do is done voluntarily, and sometimes our lives, our families and/or our businesses must take priority over SADSAA’s business.

This often leads to frustration from members who believe that in today’s fast paced world, answers, solutions, and decisions should be instantaneous, and they cannot understand the process that must be followed.I understand this frustration, but without a major change to our constitution and some major expense to SADSAA, and ultimately to our members, this is how it is and is unlikely to change.

What changes do we need to make SADSAA more competitive in today’s market?

I believe we need to consider bringing in professionals to do some of the work that we so proudly say that we stand for.This would include a marketing professional to help get our name out there; such a move would hopefully bring sponsors on board.We could also bring a professional environmentalist onboard, whose focus would be on the myriad issues that we face each day, some very regional and others of a more national nature.

We should also be looking to get more in line with the idea that we’re running a business and not so much a sporting body, or we face the very real threat of becoming outdated and obsolete in the years to come. Let us look at how our major sporting franchises run their businesses and take the good and toss out the bad.

These are all issues that must come under the spotlight sooner rather than later if we are to change with the times and become even more of a force to be dealt with.Sports administration has become a science and is even offered as a university degree today.I wonder why!

I must also make mention here of how an affiliate member goes about bringing a matter to the attention of the SADSAA Action Committee and ultimately the Council.

They must first look to their club which, if it’s unable to deal with the matter, must then escalate it to their provincial body.If the province is unable to deal with the matter, they must escalate it to the Action Committee.The AC will then decide whether the matter must go to a council meeting.It is, sadly, a lengthy and time-consuming process if done correctly, but it means that the process has been followed and all have had a chance to have a say in the matter.

Communication is another area where we often take a lot of flack, and this failure is often because the provincial bodies or the member clubs are not passing on the information.At the recent meeting I mentioned earlier, a lot was said about this aspect, and we take note of it, but, for now, if the provinces are not distributing the information to SADSAA on time, we cannot be held responsible for this.

I hope that this sheds a little light on the workings within this association.Feel free to let me know if there’s any further need for more explanation.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

On to happier tidings, more directly fishing related.We are hosting two international tournaments in the Cape this year in April and May.

The first is the SADSAA Bottomfish International that will see Protea mens and ladies teams taking part, angling against some of the best that Europe and Iceland have to offer.A SASACC team will also be competing, making this a very strong competition, and we are excited to see our anglers gather up some silverware.This event will take place off Struisbaai from 26 April to 1 May.

In May we’ll hold the EFSA Big Game Tournament which is being hosted from the Atlantic Boat Club in Hout Bay.It is truly a feather in our cap that we get to host this on behalf of EFSA, and we look forward to four days of some of the best tuna fishing the world has to offer.

The dates for this are 5 to 10 May. Again, we have Protea anglers taking on some of the best that Europe has to offer, and we wish all the teams tight lines and fair seas.

Elsewhere in this edition of SKI-BOAT magazine, there is a report on our team that recently fished the first IGFA Red Sea Tournament which was held from El Gouna in Egypt. Our team performed well, and we congratulate them on flying the flag high.

NEWLYSELECTEDTEAMS

Our selectors have been very busy lately, and the following teams have been selected to represent South Africa and SADSAA this year.Congratulations to all.

• Protea Team for the 83rd International Light Tackle Tournament – Dominican Republic: Charles du Plessis (capt),Wade Martin,Mark Cockcroft

• Protea Team for the 71st IBT Club Nautico – San Juan, Puerto Rico 2024: Robin Vermaak (capt),Sam Botha, Mark Beyl

• SADSAA Masters for the Tuna Nationals – Hout Bay 2024: Marius Coetzee (capt), Chris Schorn, Nishaad Ibrahim

• SADSAA Masters for the Gamefish Nationals – Umhlanga 2024: Justin Paynter (capt), Frank Sykes, Bradley McLaren

Until next time, we wish you all tight lines.