Yorkshire men hold key to merger

The Yorkshire women’s golfing fraternity will today vote overwhelmingly in favour of a merging of the sexes at the top of the sport, but the faction with the ability to scupper the deal remains their male counterparts from the White Rose.

Affiliate members of the men’s English Golf Union and the English Women’s Golf Association will determine this afternoon whether the two organisations will unite to run the game in this country under one umbrella.

If they do, it will unlock £13m of funding from Sport England from 2013 onwards that will enhance junior participation, generate coaching programmes and boost commercial projects.

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If the against movement wins the day, the majority of that funding will be withdrawn leaving golf to fight a lone battle against dwindling club membership whilst still carrying the stigma of being an elitist sport.

The Yorkshire Ladies Golf Association has received 103 responses from associated clubs with 74 in favour of a merger, just four against and 25 abstentions.

Yet how the men of the Yorkshire Union vote today remains uncertain as only a dozen clubs out of 191 have cast their vote.

While the majority of the 36 counties – of which Yorkshire is the largest – held briefings about the merger attended by member clubs, the Yorkshire Union merely sent an email.

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In that notice of consultation, they expressed concerns about how the sexes would be represented at board level and how the funding would be broken down. They also point to golf having a history of being self-sufficient.

And a vote today against the merger from Yorkshire’s men will be significant.

For despite the apathy from the county’s clubs, whichever way Yorkshire votes their 191 clubs equates to a powerful 191 votes and carries more weight than the likes of Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and a host of other smaller counties combined.

And the EGU and EGWA need a 75 per cent majority for the motion of equality to be passed.

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There is a suggestion that the Yorkshire Union stance has mellowed, that they may vote yes to the merger, or that abstaining from today’s vote – which could see the resolution passed without the most powerful county losing credibility – is even a possibility.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post last night, Union secretary Keith Dowswell admitted there had been little response from Yorkshire’s clubs but would not say which way they would be voting.

“The clubs are happy to leave it to us,” he said. “They’ll trust our judgment as to what should be done.

“Hopefully, whichever way the vote goes it will be for the good of the game.”

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The men’s unions meet at Woodhall Spa today at 2pm, with the ladies voting simultaneously at a meeting in Birmingham.

John Petrie, chief executive of the EGU, said: “It’s going to be very close.

“We know that from what we have been told a majority of the counties are supportive.

“Because it’s a poll vote, where counties vote based on the number of clubs, it makes it so much tougher to anticipate how it will go.

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“I do not know how Yorkshire are going to vote. I do know the Yorkshire Union always takes these things very, very seriously and extract a great deal of mature discussion on these matters.”

Sue Johnson, who is nominated as the next president of EWGA, said: “It’s very difficult to say how it will go at this minute.

“As far as the Yorkshire ladies are concerned they are supportive of the merger by a massive majority and as for women as a whole I think they will vote overwhelmingly in favour of the merger.

“I just hope it goes through for the good of the game.”

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