Definition of Membership

With the exception of youth players (players below the age of 19 years), there are no individual members of ABF. The affiliated clubs are the members. Thus, the terms "Home" or "Alt" members, refer to the members of the various clubs.

i) Home Members
Players may belong to any number of clubs, but they must nominate one club as their home club.
The home club is responsible for paying all fees due to the ABF and to their respective State Association. Home members are automatically included on all the home club's reports and printouts and cannot be removed (see 8. hereunder).

ii) Alt Members
It is important that the the term "alt member" is understood. It simply refers to a player who has been included in a non-home club's reports and printouts, at the request of the club. Since that player may not even be a member of the respective club, the term "alt member" is really misleading!
Conversely, just because a player joins a club (other than the home club), it does not necessarily make that player an "alt member" and the player may therefore not be included on the reports for that club. Like all non-home members, such players only become "alt members" following the club's requests to have them included on their reports. Once registered as "alt members", these players will be automatically included on all the club's reports regardless of whether or not they earn masterpoints playing at the club.
Note that the "alt club" is not responsible to the ABF in any way for these players and may request to have them removed from their reports at any time, after which they cease to be "alt members" of that club. Likewise, the relationship between a club and its non-home members is of no interest to the ABF .

iii) Other Players
Non-home and non-"alt members" will appear on a club's report only when they have played and earned masterpoints in that club during the appropriate quarter.

Methods of Registration

There are three different ways you can register the players:

i) Using Manual Forms and "Snail-Mail" (or Fax)
Request a supply of the green Player Details forms from the Centre. Fill in the forms by hand and mail to the Masterpoint Centre's address printed on the forms. Alternatively, fax the form to the Centre. This method should only be used if the club has no access to email. It is slow, cumbersome and unreliable (and expensive too)

ii) Using NAT4WIN (or NAT4DOS) and email the resulting text file
Download the NATIONAL.EXE (archive) file from our site and open it. It will then unpack itself whereafter you will find seven (7) new files in your folder. (The one you are interested in is named NAT4WIN.EXE.)
Open NAT4WIN, click on "Players" and then on "Create ABF data for email transmission". Select a function (see 1-7 below) and complete the details for that player. Then click on "Append to file". Repeat the process for other players and when finished, click on "Close" to finish the session.
A small text file named Player.Txt has now been created in the same folder. That file contains the data you have entered and that is the file you attach to your email for transmission to us. The file may be opened and viewed in your NOTEPAD program.
You will receive confirmation as soon as we have processed the file.
WARNING: While you may enter as many players as you like in one session (even of different functions), once you close the program, you must either send the Player.Txt file to us before opening another session, or you must rename the Player.Txt file to something else (e.g. Player1.txt). That is because, every time you open a new session, the Player.Txt file will be overwritten (i.e. not appended to).

iii) Using the Interactive Web-Form
Just click on the PLAYER DETAILS FORM, fill in the details while you are on the net and click on Submit button at the bottom of the page to send the form without any further ado! You will receive confirmation as soon as we have processed the form.
Note: This method will not leave you with a copy of the detail you have entered, but you will receive a copy with the confirmation we send you.

Description of Functions

1. New (or Append)
This description applies only to players who have never been issued with an ABF number before. For everyone else, one of the other options, listed below, applies. Note that once a player has been issued with a number, that number stays with the player until death, even if the player becomes inactive! Note that no player may hold more than one ABF number.
Please include all details requested on the forms (except the year of birth which is optional).

2. Activation
These players have previously been issued with ABF numbers, but are not currently Active (i.e. the players' membership have, at some stage, been cancelled by their home club).
You only need to include the ABF number and names on the form (unless other details have changed).
Note: You cannot Transfer or Add inactive players (see 4. and 5. below).

3. Change Details
If you want to change the details of one of your current home members, use this function.
Note that if you request a Transfer or an Activation, there is no need to tick this box as well.  Details recorded on the forms are automatically checked against our computer records and updated accordingly.

4. Transfer
Use this function when a player holds an ABF number and is currently a home member of another club, but wishes to make your club the home club. Note that the player must be active for any transfer to occur.
We require a signature on the green manual forms to process any transfers. However, for emailed transfer requests, we will accept the masterpoint secretary's "say so", but note that if anything else but a transfer is requested, we will ask for confirmation before proceeding.
You only need to include the ABF number and names on the form (unless other details have changed).
Note: Players who already have a home club, cannot be Activated. The choice here is between a Transfer or Adding the player to your reports (see below).

5. Add to Reports
A player holds an ABF number, is currently a home member of another club and is happy to retain the current home club. However, you decide that the player frequents your club often enough to warrant inclusion on your quarterly reports and CPAR forms. So you use this function to Add the player.
Note that the player does not necessarily have to be a member of your club.
Also note that your home members are automatically added.

6. Remove from Reports
This player is not a home member of your club, but is currently listed on your reports. You decide that that is no longer warranted, so you use the function to remove the player.
Note that you cannot remove a home player (see 8. hereunder)!  

7. Delete
You can only use this function when a player is deceased!
In other words, you cannot use it for the purpose of "cancel", "delete" or "remove" your home players (see 8. below).!
Deleted players are automatically removed from all reports and printouts.

8. Cancellation of Home Members
You cannot use any of the herein described functions for this purpose!
Cancellations of your home players are done once a year only. We send out special Membership Declaration Forms in mid-February. Use these forms to cancel the players whom you do not wish to renew and return the forms to us. Anyone not cancelled before the advertised deadline, will be renewed and must stay active (with one club or another) for the rest of the year.
Note that no cancellations will be accepted after the advertised deadline (usually the last working day of March, but this is advertised in the mid February newletter which is sent with the Membership Declaration Forms and on the forms themselves).