As we head towards the end of the year, I wanted to look back and acknowledge some of the achievements, successes and events we have experienced this year.

2023 has seen us continue to recover from the interruptions caused by Covid. It has been wonderful to see the popularity of face to face bridge increasing again as we come back together as a community.

Our major events saw successes to some of the usual suspects as well as some new faces. And our international teams represented us well at the World Championships in Marrakech.

I would like to thank the hard working Board and Council for their contributions throughout the year. I look forward to working with them to continue to help the ABF community grow and prosper in 2024. Thank you also to the players that support bridge events, and all the volunteers at the state and club level that give so much to make Bridge in Australia such a thriving and enjoyable community.

As I announced in November, David Fryda has been appointed as the Executive Director for the ABF. David brings a wealth of leadership expertise and bridge experience to the table and will be focusing on delivering the ABF’s strategic imperatives in 2024.

Looking to the new year, we have a full program of ABF licensed events coming up as well as the Summer Festival of Bridge in Canberra in January and our first ANC to be held in a regional location that being Orange in NSW in July. We also have Youth week in early January in Canberra for our younger players to enjoy and to showcase some of our emerging talent.

We are excited about expanding our community of young players in 2024 with our upcoming online youth course in March. If you know of any young potential players please refer them to the ABF online Young Player Bridge Course so we can continue to grow. The course is FREE but places are limited so they need to get in quick. Bookings will open from end of Jan.

I am also excited for the prospects of our representative teams. At the time of writing two of the four selection events have already been held. It will be an exciting time for all our representatives in October next year when they compete in the World Games in Argentina.

Thank you all for making our Bridge community such an enjoyable one to be part of in 2023.

On behalf of the Board, including our new Executive Director, I wish you all a healthy and happy festive season and a Happy New Year.

Allison Stralow
ABF President