ENGLAND BOXING RESPOND CONT.
including the funding of club support officers, subsidising coaching and safeguarding courses and other development projects.
“A lot of the money that went into the high performance aspects of the sport was into GB Boxing and not England Boxing – so out of our control.”
COMMUNICATION
“Again, our inbox and the way we go out and meet the regions, the clubs and their representatives would suggest that this statement simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. At the time there was much push back about the use of registering on the Vault, but this again provides greater transparency than how registrations were previously undertaken. We have also changed the articles to ensure that as long as a club has one carded member then they can vote at the AGM, thus providing far greater democracy than what was previously available. The reality is very different to the statements made.”
WHITE-COLLAR BOXING
“This is inaccurate in terms of what we are looking at. The boxing world tends to refer to ‘white-collar boxing’ as if it were an entity with a clear definition and identity. In reality, it is a catch-all term for any form of the sport that is not licensed by a recognised governing body. Some of it is well run and regulated and some very poorly so, the latter causing justifiable concern to the NGB and the clubs for both safety/duty of care and reputational issues for our sport. It is our right and duty to open dialogue with our members in order review this and to clarify what we can and cannot sanction according to our Articles and Rules.
“What we have detailed to our members, is what is currently permitted to be undertaken within our rules and specifically for one-off charity events. What we have also said is that we need to have a debate in an open and transparent manner to address the issues, threats and safety problems that white-collar boxing cause. It’s unregulated, unaccountable and can be unsafe. As a responsible governing body, we cannot ignore it. We need to address the issues it raises because England Boxing is a governing body that’s, through its rules and regulations is regulated, safe and accountable to the government through Sport England and the international governing body. Critics can’t have it both ways; on the one hand they are saying we don’t have sufficient duty of care or communicate and encourage debate and then when we do they criticise for us trying to address the issues.”
IN CONCLUSION
“In recent times, there have been a lot of changes within England Boxing, with a clear strategy and ambition to grow the sport in this country. Our programmes not only deliver growth, but are ones that provides greater support to the membership, better and broader competition, clearer communication and, with it, transparency of governance, regulations and rules. The fact that we have seen a significant number of clubs and individuals return back from the breakaway – and we currently have 890 clubs – is a testament to this.
“As the recognised governing body, we are overseen by Sport England, the national statutory authority for overseeing the English governing bodies. It means unlike the breakaway, we are accountable, transparent and have to confirm to national regulations and have safety as a priority. So it’s not a question of bowing to edicts, but adhering to properly held governance requirements and the associated accountability.
“As stated, lots of changes, improvements and growth have been made, but we won’t rest as there is plenty more to do in order to ensure we, as a governing body, and our members provide the best opportunities from grassroots through to international level for the boxers. Ultimately, this is their sport and what a good governing body should be about.”