Parkour UK

Following the election of three new Elected Directors at our 2018 AGM and the appointment of the former Minister for Sport, Tracey Crouch MP as our Senior Independent Director, we are now inviting nominations for home country Elected Directors.

We really are encouraging everyone within the Parkour/Freerunning community to think about these roles on our Board, as there has never been a better time to positively impact the continued growth and development of Parkour/Freerunning across the UK. 

We are seeking passionate and committed individuals who can continue to help develop and maintain Parkour UK’s strategic focus towards its future development and sustainability.

We are continuing to strive for a more diverse Board of Directors, therefore we would particularly welcome nominations of women, BAME groups and people with disabilities.

We are now seeking nominations from Parkour UK member organisations for the following roles:

Elected Director (Home Country)

• Scotland

In accordance with our current Memorandum & Articles of Association – 26.1 & 28.1 Elected Directors shall be nominated for election by a Voting Member in respect of that Home Country, subject in each case to the approval of the Board. The election of Elected Directors shall be decided by votes cast by the Voting Members in respect of that Home Country at the 2019 Annual General Meeting.

We can pay travel expenses and provide a full induction to the NGB’s work. You will be expected to attend at approx up to six Board meetings a year.  In addition we would encourage your attendance at a number of Parkour UK meetings and events, as well as our member organisations events.

If you would like to nominate or be nominated for the role of Elected Director you must first ensure that you are a member of a Parkour UK member organisation that has a valid 2019 membership.

ALL nominations must received by completing the Elected Director Nomination Form. Each nomination must be seconded by another member organisation of Parkour UK. The closing date for nominations is 12pm on Wednesday 17th July 2019.

In accordance with our Memorandum & Articles of Association 28.1 – Voting Members may only nominate or second one candidate for each post and the form must be completed and returned to the Chief Executive not later than 10 days before the date of the AGM (17th July 2019) at which the election is to be held. 

If you would like further information about the nomination process please contact our CEO, Eugene Minogue on eugene.minogue@parkour.uk or 020 3544 5834.

#GiveParkourAGo

In accordance with our current Memorandum & Articles of Association, 38.1 – an AGM is to be called by at least 21 clear days’ written notice; 

Parkour UK’s 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Saturday 27th July 2019, 2pm in Cardiff, Wales. 

This years AGM will be hosted by our members Fluidity Freerun at their Academy, Unit G , Pengam Road Cardiff United Kingdom CF24 2RZ and the following documents will be made available in preparation for the meeting:

• AGM Agenda (issued not less than 7 days before the AGM)
• 2018 AGM Minutes [Draft] (issued with the Agenda)
• The Directors’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2019 [Draft]
• Parkour UK – Proposed Memorandum & Articles of Association
  including summary of the proposed amendments
• Voting Form [Affiliate Member]
• Proxy Voting Form [Affiliate Member]

In accordance with our current Memorandum & Articles of Association;

• 28.2 Any Voting Member may nominate individuals to be Elected Directors. Any nomination must be made on the form prescribed from time to time by the Board and signed by the nominee. Any nomination must be seconded by another Voting Member. Voting Members may only nominate or second one candidate for each post and the form must be completed and returned to the Chief Executive not later than 10 days (17th July 2019) before the date of the AGM at which the election is to be held.
  • 28.2 In respect of the following appointments, the following provisions shall also apply:
  • 28.2.1 in relation to the appointment of the Independent Directors, nominations may be made by the Board;
  • 28.2.2 in relation to the appointment of the Chief Executive, nominations may be made in accordance with Article 27.8.
  • 28.2.3 in relation to the appointment of a Treasurer, nominations may be made by the Board;
  • 28.2.4 in relation to the appointment of the President, nominations may be made by the Voting Members.
• 34.1 Any Voting Member shall be entitled to have included on the agenda of the AGM and any General Meeting any matter, motion or proposal. Such matter, motion or proposal shall be accompanied by an explanatory statement in summary form, which must be distributed with the notice of said meeting.
• 34.2 In addition to submitting membership application to the Board, proposals may also be submitted by Voting Members for consideration at the AGM and must be received by the Company not less than 60 days prior to the relevant meeting at which they are to be discussed.
• 34.3 All proposals submitted by Voting Members for consideration at any General Meeting must be received by the Company not less than 15 days (12th July 2019) prior to the relevant meeting at which they are to be discussed.
• 34.4 Each Voting Members shall be entitled to appoint 2 (two) delegates to attend at the AGM and any General Meeting. Each member shall have the votes attributed to them in Schedule 1 to these Articles (that is votes per member and not votes per delegate). In addition, each Voting Member shall be entitled to appoint one further person to attend the AGM and any General Meeting as an observer who shall have no entitlement to vote or speak (except that an observer shall be allowed to speak with the permission of the Chairperson).
• 34.5 At meetings of the Company, an individual may only represent (either as delegate or observer) one member, and may not vote or speak on behalf of another member (except as duly appointed proxy of another member), and shall if required produce to the Board evidence sufficient to satisfy the Board that he/she is a properly appointed delegate of the member that he/she claims to represent.

Notes:

1. All current Parkour UK Members are invited to attend. All members must RSVP by 6pm on Friday 26th July 2019 if they wish to attend in person, this will help us in our planning and administration of the Annual General Meeting. Members are able to appoint a proxy to attend and vote in their place. A proxy need not be a member of Parkour UK
2. Entitlement to vote is based on our current Memorandum & Articles of Association.  ALL proxy votes must be received (either by post or email) by 6pm on 26th July 2019
3. If you have any queries relating to the AGM please contact our Chief Executive – Eugene Minogue on eugene.minogue@parkour.uk or 020 3544 5834
4. Independent invigilation of the AGM will be provided.

#GiveParkourAGo

Coaching Week – great coaching leads to healthier, happier communities

Running from the 3-9 June, the annual campaign which empowers athletes, coaches and the general public to celebrate great coaching will this year send a strong message that explains why it makes sense to support and invest in coaches.

Parkour UK  is working with UK Coaching to support Coaching Week and would like you to help us support the campaign by letting your coaches, participants, parents and anyone else connected to your club/session know about the campaign. Doing so will help you raise the profile of your work and inspire coach learning.

Here’s how you can make Coaching Week your own:

• Make and share your organisations #GreatCoachingPledge.
• Have your coaches make their own pledges and share them on social media.
• Display the We’re Committed to the #GreatCoaching Principles Poster on your notice boards
• Hand out the Why Coaching? Leaflet and the Ways to Improve Your Child’s Experience of Coaching Leaflet to your members.
• Share stories about coaches who are making a difference. Find inspiration in the #GreatCoaching inspiring stories collection.
• Host a mini event during Coaching Week to showcase and celebrate #GreatCoaching at your club. Remember to invite local media too. Don’t forget to submit it to UK Coaching.
• Remember, to post a picture of your event or display on social media using #CoachingWeek #GreatCoaching & #GiveParkourAGo

Further information regarding Coaching Week and how you can get involved can be found on ukcoaching.org/coachingweek 

All Parkour UK Awards, CPD & Qualifications can be found here

Established in 2009 by the UK Parkour/Freerunning community and the City of Westminster, Parkour UK is the recognised National Governing Body (NGB) in the United Kingdom and the first globally to achieve this status.

Parkour UK as the National Governing Body (NGB) for Parkour/Freerunning, provide governance and regulation of Parkour/Freerunning throughout the UK, act as custodians of the sport/art, protect the rights & freedoms and promote the interests of Traceurs/Freerunners (practitioners), our member organisations & the UK community.

We work closely with partners encouraging and developing the safe and appropriate practice of Parkour/Freerunning in addition to working with local groups, organisations, as well as national organisations/bodies, local authorities, constabularies.

Following the recent announcement of the appointment of the former Minister for Sport, Tracey Crouch MP as our Senior Independent Director, we wish to recruit up to 2 Independent Directors for an initial four-year term, and are now inviting applications. 

Our Independent Directors are appointed by the Board Nominations Committee (Independent Chair, Independent Director, Elected Director & CEO) based on who meets the skills and experience we are seeking.  As a result, in order to apply for this role, you must be able to demonstrate that you have no association with an organisation in membership of Parkour UK at the time of your application.

With our new governance structure, vision and mission, we need individuals who can help develop and maintain Parkour UK’s strategic focus and direct the changing organisation towards its future.  You would need to be able to make a commitment to Parkour UK and devote the necessary time, have strategic vision, independent judgement, an ability to think creatively and a willingness to speak your mind.

We are looking for an Independent Director(s) who has the relevant skills and experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Legal;
• Marketing and Digital technologies/social media;
• Finance and accountancy.

Ideally, the successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• An impressive track record of success in the private, public and/or voluntary sector;
• The ability to operate at Board level for a National Governing Body (NGB);
• A good understanding of the role that sport plays in society – particularly a modern lifestyle sport like Parkour/Freerunning;
• Ability to think creatively and strategically;
• The skills to challenge current thinking at Board level;
• A clear commitment to improving diversity and equality and understanding the needs of under-represented groups in sport;
• A good understanding of the UK’s sporting landscape – including the UK Code for Sports Governance.

In line with our Equality and Diversity Policy and the UK Code for Sports Governance, we are keen to achieve a more diverse Board of Directors and would welcome applications from those communities or segments of the UK population who are currently under-represented on the Board, in particular former athletes, women, BAME groups and people with disabilities.

We can pay travel expenses and provide a full induction to the NGB’s work. You will be expected to attend approx. six Board meetings a year.

Increasingly we are establishing committees to oversee and drive our work, and support the work of our CEO, and during the Autumn are gearing up to publish our first organisational strategy. In addition, we would encourage your attendance at a number of Parkour UK meetings and events such as our AGM, as well as our members events at a local level.

For more detailed information about Parkour UK and a list of the current Directors, please visit our website.  For an informal discussion about the role of Independent Director please contact our Independent Chair, Stephen Mitchell, on 07968 364189.

Please send a covering letter stating your interest, suitability for the role of Independent Director and CV to Stephen Mitchell, Independent Chair via email to stephen.mitchell@parkour.uk. The closing date for applications is 6pm on Friday 28^th June 2019. Interviews will be held in Central London during the w/c 8^th July with the appointments being passed to our Board and ratified at our AGM on the 27^th July 2019 in Cardiff.

#GiveParkourAGo

We are very proud and delighted to announce that the former Minister for Sport, Tracey Crouch MP has joined the Board of Parkour UK, as our Senior Independent Director.

Following completion of our open recruitment process for Independent Directors, in November 2018, Tracey’s offer of appointment was approved by our Board and Membership, at our AGM on the 8th December 2018. Following formal approval, the formal offer of appointment was made on the 10th January 2019, the second anniversary of the recognition of Parkour/Freerunning as a sport. The offer was formally accepted by Tracey, following due process and receipt of advice from the Government’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. Tracey was then formally appointed as of the 11th March 2019.

As Senior Independent Director, Tracey will have a specific role, as set out in our Mem & Arts 25.2 & the 1.20 & Appendix 8 of the UK Code for Sports Governance, which responsibilities include:

• providing a sounding board for the Independent Chair;
• serving as an intermediary for other Directors when necessary;
• acting as an alternative contact for stakeholders to share any concerns if the normal channels of the Independent Chair fails to resolve the matter or in cases where such contact is appropriate; and
• leading on the process to appraise the Independent Chair’s performance.

Tracey said: “I am delighted to be joining the Board at a really exciting time for urban sports and look forward to supporting Parkour UK at a crucial time in its development”.

Eugene Minogue, Chief Executive said: “We are extremely excited and honoured to have successfully appointed Tracey to the Board as our Senior Independent Director. Tracey’s genuine enthusiasm and interest in Parkour/Freerunning and our vibrant community is refreshing. Tracey will add significant experience, knowledge and expertise to enable us to continue grow, develop, disrupt and take our sport to the next level – both in the UK but also on the international front too!”

#GiveParkourAGo