As Chairman of GAIA I continue to be questioned regarding GAIA and AAPGAI. The following has been written to set the record straight

AAPGAI was formed in 2003 at the GAIA meeting at Caer Beris in Wales. It was formed for the specific purposes of those who held the APGAI qualification to come together socially and for skill development as a resource for GAIA, this all under the umbrella of GAIA. This is clear because it was myself who proposed and was responsible for the formation of AAPGAI.

It became clear very quickly that certain members of GAIA, who were also holders of the APGAI qualification were intent upon using the formation of AAPGAI to break away from the main organisation. Initially, these members attempted to force the thinking of a very few upon the majority, then they tried to gain control over the APGAI qualification. When these attempts proved futile and it was clear that GAIA was not willing, or indeed able to concede to their wishes, they effectively broke away and formed their own qualifications. Needless to say, in forming these new qualifications, they assessed each other to become qualified.

Some members of AAPGAI have attempted and continue to attempt to undermine GAIA and deliberately mislead people to this end. This has been done to build up AAPGAI at the expense of the main organisation, GAIA. GAIA's answer to this is, has been, to get on with the real work of promoting quality game angling instruction, developing the recognised qualifications GAIA and APGAI, both of which are wholly owned by GAIA and to look to the future of game angling instruction for all levels of recognised qualification.

As the professional body for game angling instructors in the UK, GAIA recognises that anyone has the right to form an association, when AAPGAI broke away from GAIA those involved were fully entitled to do so. It should be clear, however, that GAIA represents the vast majority of instructors in the UK and is the sole owner and administrator of the APGAI qualification. It is also the body recognised by the governing body and the Angling Development Board.

With a fast growing membership, currently around 400, GAIA is continuing to develop its qualifications in the areas of coaching, game angling instruction and casting skill development. As such it is unique and of vital importance to game angling instruction in the UK and beyond. It is comfortable in others pursuing their own agendas, as the management of AAPGAI have done, but it should be clear that, no matter what anyone may claim, the APGAI qualification has nothing whatsoever to do with AAPGAI and that AAPGAI is a trade organisation of casting instructors, that issues its own qualifications to its members.

The claim that AAPGAI was formed to represent the APGAI qualified instructors, is completely misleading, the majority of APGAI qualified instructors are members of GAIA. It is also clear that AAPGAI was originally formed to serve the ongoing requirements of GAIA and its members, no matter what may be claimed by a few who choose otherwise.

Finally to quote from the AAPGAI website - "The Game Angling instructors Association (GAIA) was formed in 1997 and this has become the umbrella organisation for all qualified game angling instructors".