ICSF WC Flycasting Sweden 2024

[bartdezwaan]

Omg. Just reading this.
We where just starting to get things rolling regarding competition casting in Holland. Backed by the one major flyfishing organization.
After reading this I see no future for competition casting and lean towards pulling the plug on the entire initiative.

Cheers, Bart

[NM]

Omg. Just reading this.
We where just starting to get things rolling regarding competition casting in Holland. Backed by the one major flyfishing organization.
After reading this I see no future for competition casting and lean towards pulling the plug on the entire initiative.

Cheers, Bart

Don’t pull the plug Bart, get funding.

A sustainable tournament casting operation needs organization and funding. Look at how other sports in the Netherlands both on the national and the local level are funded. Are there government sources available, and what’s the requirement? It might be too late to get government funding for this year, but it’s worth looking that at for the long run. There are often more sponsor possibilities than we realize, including in particular locally for local clubs and athletes. A world championship is a big deal and there should be possible to find business willing to sponsor WC participation. And don’t look only at fishing related businesses.

Am sure that the Swedes do everything they can to keep the cost down. However, hosting a world championship is a big undertaking. It is not fair of us to in addition to all the volunteer work involved, to also expect the host to cover the bulk of the costs as was done in 2022. We need more international competitions, and more countries able and willing to host them if we want to grow the sport. And, we need all of us to put the work, including to get funding, at the local level if we want the sport to survive and grow. I have great hope for the new ICSF board, but there’s just that much they can do centrally. As of now, as I understand it they have hardly any income besides the membership fees countries pay, and a fairly modest financial buffer. They are/have been subsidizing the youth championships I believe, but from the numbers I have seen (the 2021 accounts) there’s basically no room for subsidizing the other championships. We need to get more funding for all levels of our sport, and we all need to contribute whatever we can for that to happen.

I hope to see you, and all the others at the 2024 WC (If I qualify for the team, whihc is a big if).

Best,
Nils

[Paul Arden]

Yep I agree funding is the key here. But shouldn’t that avenue also come from sponsoring the games themselves?

[Lasse Karlsson]

Hi Nils

I don't think anyone is expecting the hosting organisation to cover the bulk of the costs, but this is going in the wrong direction.
Yeah funding, on top of alocating all ones free time to practicing, so one at least can have solice in being the best one can be even when, not if, one looses the windroulette, one should also spend additionel frustrating time in finding funding for a niche sport within a niche sport.
Doing all that on top of trying to start the sport up in a country, with all the work that is, I fully sympathise with Bart in his thoughts.
I remember how much work went into getting a Danish Championship running in Denmark after a couple of decades without competition casting, and the big guru's talking comp casting down big time. Two decades later and it's dead again here.

I'll buy a lottery ticket, just in case though...

Cheers
Lasse

[Michal Duzynski]

Yep, I pulled the pin out of Australian ( Brisbane) comp casting, after 0 of final intrest, and I organised and founded everything myself. Beginning was good- a lot of good vibe.

Not long ago there was a discussion how to make the sport growing and how to involve new people into competition casting. What's happening here (cost wise) is exactly what Lasse said- it's going into wrong direction.

Many of us cast for long time and we already have the necessary equipment, and know how much practice to put in.
Can you imagine now to get someone new hooked up in to comp casting.
- a fly rod/s for casting only ($1000) and if you small stream fisho, you might never touch this rod a part from practice
- MED, shooting heads ( few different)
- and now fees for competition and accommodation during comp.
This new person asks " what's there for me if I win", you all know the answer.
I reckon if I'm the new guy, I would spend money not for one, but for two of the fly rods combos I always wanted and enjoy my fishing.

Sponsors, spectators- after 6 WC and 12 years, and many discussions here ( THE HIVE OF DISTANCE CASTERS) nothing ever happened and again if it's going into wrong direction- it won't happen.

Ithink the problem here is to have everything happen at once , all the events and types of casting,,and in one place.
I reckon overhead casting should be separated from spey ( don't kill me here).
If we love what we do, we should keep casting and competing.
Football field, big patch of grass, measuring tapes, couple of hoops and we casting.
Place like this should be found easier, then a place with body of water with the hotel next to it.

Well, if you are spey lover, then enjoy your spey-o-rama and other spey comp- events.
If you are lover of all disciplines, well then is you to organise your budget, to compete where and whenever you want.
Now, many volunteers, expensive venues to cover all the costs hit my pocket even if I don't care about half of what is happening during that weekend.

In my opinion the only solution to make it grow and make it more interesting is to include The WC into some fishing/outdoor event. Talking over head casting.
Game Fair UK
Vincenza Fishing/hunting show Italy
Furstenfeldbrock - Germany
...and maybe some other.
There is always so many people there, new one trying to get into sport, old one tryingto improve, or learn few new tips, even just wondering around lookingwhats new on the market( without buying anything) .
Come on we all know the reaction of people when you show them PUALD of 120' . You will watch it and get interested even if you don't like it.
So many shops, retailers, possible sponsors have their stands, casting instructors can have their 5min and promote themselves.
Food tracks, beer tracks, local producers of something etc.
Something is happening, good vibe COMPARED to a weekend in a ghost town of casting.

I would love to see that
Happy casting
Mike

[John Waters]

Hi Bart,

There are two layers of the sport, international and national. Local fly and plug casting has existed in Melbourne since the the 1930s. No funding, no sponsorship. The Australian Casting Federation (ACF) exists on club affiliations fees ($65.00 AUD per year, per club) and caster registration fees ($25.00 AUD per year per caster, and that covers the running of 15 plus events per year and insurance). The ACF pays an annual fee to the Victorian State Government for incorporation, buys medals, certificates and where necessary, pays hire fees. On the odd occasion, we have had a retailer or importer donate a line or other for the state and national titles and one year had an importer supply two track suits for two Australian representatives to a WC in Europe. Whatever has been donated has always greatly appreciated.

Sure, it is great to aspire to WC competition but the bread and butter has been, and will always be, local casting competitions up to national level. The more the better at that level because the costs are absolutely controllable by the casters participating.

It costs Australians more than competitors from anywhere to compete internationally and we get no funding from any source, not even the Australian Casting Federation to either help with caster travel or accomodation expenses, pay for the price of a beer on arrival at the international venue, (or departure) or contribute the ICSF affiliation annual fee. I've always been adamant that any reserves the ACF acquires be spent on local casting, not WCs. I hope that will change one day and Australian casters representing their country can have some travel and accomodation costs supported through Australian sources, even the price of a beer.

I have a lot of empathy for Michal's efforts to generate interest in a local area. Bloody hard to start it from scratch, irrespective of what events are on offer. If you have interest in local casting Bart, that's a great start and is no doubt due to a lot of hard work. Keep it going, don't let WC issues stultify local efforts. More power to ya'.

Keep flying the flag locally,

John

[Paul Arden]

It’s a huge time commitment to find money. It requires people who are often under appreciated, who have certain skills, to give up their time to find sponsorship. While casting competitors are often multiskilled people, asking money for ourselves as individuals is difficult and time consuming. It’s usually easier to ask for (and get) money for other people than it is for ourselves. I don’t like asking people to give me money but I’m more than happy to ask money for the Orang Asli, for example.

But there are two parts to this equation IMO. There is funding for the event and there is funding for competitors to travel and stay there. I would think that in an ideal world the host nation should be trying to fund the event through sponsorship instead of passing on those costs to the competitors. And that can be a different source of funding because global companies are more likely to fund the event than a team. I’m sure many companies would pay to have a banner there. They’re not going to pay 50K but they’ll pay something to have a visible banner behind the casters and to have their names as sponsors of the World Championships on the website and press releases.

Sometimes it’s possible to get government funding too. I’m pretty sure I can secure such funding here in Malaysia for example (when I say I, I don’t actually mean me, but instead I know someone who can get government funding — because this is not something a yeti in the jungle can easily achieve or be arsed to!).

I did try to get the tournament fly line sponsorship some years back. Bruce proposed that they provide a Comp5 MED in a special event colour for every competitor. I passed on this information and nothing ever happened (I was actually surprised to arrive the next year and not be given a red MED5 in my baggie). I also found a company interested in streaming the event live. But they never got a reply either. When these things come along you need to jump on them because the door is only open for so long.

IMO the only way this event is going to develop is to make it spectator friendly, with a PA system and entertaining announcers and possibly to change the events so they can be televised/broadcast. Then it’s easier to find funding on every level.

How is Spey-o-Rama? Is that spectator friendly?

Cheers, Paul

[sms]

Oh dear. 6 days and 550€ just for the participation. That is just too much.

[Paul Arden]

Some more info:

• 800 euro annual membership fee - full membership with full rights of voting at the ICSF GA and participation at all World Championships in Casting sport and Fly casting and World Cups as well
• 400 euro annual membership fee - non voting membership at the ICSF GA, up to 3 competitors allowed to participate at World Championships in Casting sport and Fly casting and World Cups at the same time
• 100 euro annual membership fee - provisional and cooperating associations non voting membership at the ICSF GA, no rights to participate at the World Championships in Casting sport and Fly casting and World Cups

[Paul Arden]

I don’t need a campfire to think about it now. It’s going to be too much for me unfortunately. Entry alone is 950 Euros Or 1500 Euros if my wife casts too!