4BR has been informed that radical changes are to be implemented with immediate effect for the 2020 National Championships of Great Britain.

It follows a recent article on 4BR which highlighted five areas of debate surrounding elements such as re-alignment of sections, promotion and relegation and open adjudication.

Total Inclusion

4BR has seen details of the specially commissioned 'Total Inclusion' report that proposes the changes which will be put forward for debate at Regional level in the next few months.

A spokesperson told 4BR. "If agreed, this be the most radical and far reaching reform of the National Championships since 1945.

As the report suggests the new rules will all be about inclusion and gets rids of all the problems that have bedevilled the event over the decades. We are sure the approach will please everyone."

4BR understands that the problem of section alignment will be solved with the creation of a new 'Elite Section' that comes with open adjudication and an end to promotion and relegation. There will be new regional boundaries and clearer registration rules.

Yorkshire lead

When asked directly, the spokesperson confirmed the details.

"We are following the lead of Yorkshire banding which was to have 15 Championship Section bands in 2020.

We will therefore be totally scrapping the lower sections throughout the country, so that every band can now be a Championship Section band.

The new 'Elite Section' is a 'one section fits all' approach and means we have also get rid of the problem of ever having to go back to Cheltenham again.

The open adjudication means we can also decide on which bands go through to the Albert Hall without any of our favourites missing out. The place will be packed!"

Foreign players

They added: "It also means that bands don't have to worry about promotion and relegation and to ensure we finally rid ourselves of the problem of foreign players playing at the contests, we are going to invite all the best bands from Europe to compete in the new super section too."

4BR understands that the prize money at the Areas and National Finals will remain the same though...

April Fool...

Just in case anyone really thought this was true — as tradition dictates, we have to reveal that this wasn't quite what it seemed.

Thanks to Kapitol Promotions who were great sports on this and to everyone who left comments on our effort to try and hoodwink you on this very peculiar day....