Who are the the RPRA

Who really are the RPRA?
Are they a private business, a business offering the fancy a service?
What is their function?
Are they really needed.
It would be good to hear fanciers views on this and maybe shed some light on who they really are and why we need them.

well i dont think they are much cop with strays for starters i have had numerous calls to pick up pigeons...why not call the owners just seems an easy way out

i would say they are there as a central body to co-ordinate and help run smoothly all the different clubs/feds, and to organise race point access with land owners etc......i dont really see how they as employees of the rpra can make and impose rules upon the members, ok the piegoen fancy does need some sort of rules to make things run smoothly but these rules shouls be put forward and agreed upon by the majority of the members.......

I do believe that they do much good work don't get me wrong.
Especially of the admin side of stuff, Racepoints, licences, rings, transfers etc.
OK this is a side of things that we don't see and racing would not continue without.
But even so this is a paid service, paid by us as individuals.
Lets make another thing perfectly clear, the RPRA is not owned by the fancy in any way shape or form.
So any monies that come come in is not our monies, they are the RPRA's monies.
So they can do with it and give it to any organisation or charity they please, without our say so.
This money may be raised from us but it's all for payment for services rendered.

Another point is if we have a problem with any rules or decisions we should take this up with our own federation secretaries and committees and not the RPRA as we are sometimes led to believe.

But as for a voice of the fancy, I think they are so much out of touch with the fancy it's unreal.

I also agree that the fancy themselves should shoulder the blame for the state of the fancy as they have played a huge part in the demise of the sport.

A good question

Gaz b wrote:

I do believe that they do much good work don't get me wrong.
Especially of the admin side of stuff, Racepoints, licences, rings, transfers etc.
OK this is a side of things that we don't see and racing would not continue without.
But even so this is a paid service, paid by us as individuals.
Lets make another thing perfectly clear, the RPRA is not owned by the fancy in any way shape or form.
So any monies that come come in is not our monies, they are the RPRA's monies.
So they can do with it and give it to any organisation or charity they please, without our say so.
This money may be raised from us but it's all for payment for services rendered.

Another point is if we have a problem with any rules or decisions we should take this up with our own federation secretaries and committees and not the RPRA as we are sometimes led to believe.

But as for a voice of the fancy, I think they are so much out of touch with the fancy it's unreal.

I also agree that the fancy themselves should shoulder the blame for the state of the fancy as they have played a huge part in the demise of the sport.

You habve a valid point Gaz