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Parkour UK, the officially recognised national governing body for Parkour and freerunning in the UK, has secured a £120,000 funding grant from Sport England.

In addition to supporting executive capacity the investment will enable the launch and implementation of the NGBs next development phase clearly defined by the 2019 -2023 ‘Move with Purpose’ strategic plan.

Dan Newton, the newly appointed CEO at Parkour UK, says:

“Despite the term ‘Parkour’ first being documented back in 1998, its practice was only officially recognised as a sport, with Parkour UK awarded official NGB status, in 2016. As a result, the sport is only at the start of its professional journey and we need to ensure the professional foundations are in place to support and safeguard the interests of our practitioners. I am leading a passionate Board, driven by an ambition to amplify the social impact of Parkour across the country through best practice governance, a market research driven understanding of Parkour’s social value and successful strategic delivery.”

Parkour UK has laid out its intent in ‘Move With Purpose’, a three year strategic plan due to launch this summer, designed to build a sustainable and resilient future for the sport.

Dan continues:

“This Sport England investment will enable us to expand our resources and provide the vital capacity we need to deliver against our ongoing objectives. We intend to commission extensive independent market research to deepen the understanding of our community’s need and the value Parkour delivers to society. This will enable the formulation of strategies based on solid market intelligence, ensuring resource is allocated where it delivers most impact. We also intend to make two new appointments to extend our team and provide the on the ground support we need to drive the NGB towards the achievement of strategic targets.”

Stephen Mitchell, Independent Chair, Parkour UK, adds:

“This funding award unlocks so much potential. With executive resource and a Board of high performing, passionate professions now in place, I look forward to working with Dan to drive this forward thinking, inclusive and modern NGB towards success. We are totally committed to the achievement of Tier 2a classification of the Code of Sports Governance, providing solid professional foundations from which to deliver against all objectives outlined in ‘Move with Purpose’, steering the sport of Parkour towards a more resilient and sustainable future.”

The Sport England grant has been awarded to 12 months from April 2020, enabling Parkour UK to move its strategic plans forward. Speaking of the award, Phil Smith, Director of Sport, Sport England says:

“Since Parkour UK achieved recognised NGB status in 2016, the team has worked incredibly hard to create a stable foundation on which to grow. This new funding award will enable Dan and the team to continue their good work, moving Parkour UK into a new phase of its journey”

As Parkour UK begin a new era we are recruiting two positions; the roles are Development Manager and Development Co-ordinator. Both will work alongside the Chief Executive Officer and board to understand and support the Parkour community and to deliver our ‘Moving with Purpose’ strategy.

The objectives set out in the ‘Moving with Purpose’ strategy are:

1. Grow our community – Increasing the number of qualified coaches, growing the number of communities and practitioners, and sharing best practice and sustainable models
2. Communicate, educate and influence – Influence and advocacy, a media and communications strategy and Parkour parks and facility guidance.
3. Maximise culture and commercial opportunities – Leveraging investment for social, health and wellbeing interventions, a digital strategy and working with the leisure operator, health and fitness sector.
4. Build our capacity and resources – Securing continued capacity investment for a core team, working in partnership with other lifestyle sports and leveraging external investment through commercial and social partnerships.
5. Insight and impact – Developing an efficient and effective way of capturing participation data and understanding the community (workforce and participants).

If you would like to discuss either of the roles, please contact dan.newton@parkour.uk.

Dan Newton has been appointed CEO of Parkour UK, the officially recognised National Governing Body for Parkour and freerunning in the UK.

Dan is no newcomer to Parkour UK. Since September 2019, Dan has held the role of Interim CEO whilst on part-time secondment from his 9-year role as Development Director with Rounders England. During this period, Dan has worked closely with the Board of Parkour UK, the wider Parkour community as well as partners and stakeholders, to develop a strategy, built on solid governance foundations, that will enable the NGB to drive growth and sustainability.

Having graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Development and Coaching, Dan began his sporting career as a Development Officer with South Yorkshire Sport. This led to a role as Governing Bodies Officer for Derbyshire Sport and from here he went on to play an instrumental part in the strategic delivery, funding drive and intellectual development at Rounders England.

Throughout his career, Dan has made a huge commitment to advancing his own skills and expertise, completing many renowned professional development programmes. Most notably, in 2015, Dan graduated from the highly acclaimed, Sport England Leadership and Management Programme, affiliated to the Cranfield University School of Management. He then went on to mentor others through a Sport England led Mentoring Programme.

Speaking of the appointment, Stephen Mitchell, Independent Chair, Parkour UK, says:

“Dan is perfectly placed to steer Parkour UK through its next, significant, development phase. His dedication to the professionalisation of sports governance and proven track record in securing funding and creating commercial partnerships, coupled with his comprehensive knowledge of the wider sporting landscape and passion to gain Parkour the visibility, professional recognition and commercial buy-in that the sport deserves, make him the ideal candidate for the job.

I would like to extend my thanks to Katherine Knight, Chair at Rounders England, for facilitating the initial period of Dan’s professional development and creating a game-changing opportunity for us to appoint an incredibly passionate and experienced CEO who will lead our executive team and the wider Parkour community through the next phase of the sport’s development.”

Stephen Mitchell, Independent Chair, Parkour UK

Dan’s appointment as CEO will begin on July 1, 2020. He adds: “I have been keen to secure a CEO position for a while and was just waiting for the right opportunity. The sport of Parkour is unique in many ways and while it is predominantly driven by youth, its core principles – exploration, adaptation and problem solving, delivered through the execution of functional movement patterns, gives the sport’s relevance across the whole life course.

“For children as young as 18 months, practice encourages creativity, confidence and independent thinking whilst in older adults the sport improves balance and agility, helping to guard against trips and falls. This, for me, extends the value of Parkour way beyond the field of play delivering benefits that expand into everyday life and is one of the reasons I am so keen to play my part in the ongoing professional development of the sport.

The community is very entrepreneurial, celebrating individualism, creativity and self-expression. As the officially recognised National Governing Body, we need to provide a framework that allows the sport to thrive and safeguards practitioners whilst also respecting the sports core values, spirit and ethos. This is a challenge I look forward to facing along with my colleagues on the Board and beyond.”

In addition to his CEO role with Parkour UK, Dan is also an Independent Director at Boccia England, Chair of the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Development Directors Knowledge Sharing Forum and Lay Member of the South Yorkshire & Humber Recruitment Advisory Committee, responsible for recruiting magistrates to serve across the region.

Parkour UK, the officially recognised National Governing Body for Parkour and freerunning in the UK, has bolstered its Board with the appointment of two, new Independent Directors.

Independent Chair, Stephen Mitchell, explains: “These latest appointments have resulted from natural evolution and will play a vital role in the successful delivery of our new 2020 strategy – Moving with Purpose. The additional skills, expertise and professional perspectives delivered by these new Board members will also support our ambition to build a progressive, high performing organisation that epitomises best practice in modern NGB governance as outlined in the Code of Sports Governance.

Natasha Preville (BSc, MSc, Dip.) brings with her 20 years cross-sector experience, including more than a decade in media production where she delivered numerous award-winning campaigns for the BBC and Red Bee Media. As a keen advocate for the vital, transcending role education, sport and culture can play in transforming lives, Natasha launched a consultancy business focused on helping young people to identify and access opportunities to thrive within the culture, media and sports industries.

“The growing, global popularity of the sport is driven by a youth movement. This creates its own challenges. In part, there is a natural desire to impose restrictions in order to manage perceived risks, however, the sport’s ethos of freedom and self-expression, ‘To Be and To Last’, presents an interesting balance of Risk-Benefit. I look forward to supporting the provision of a safe practice framework that protects and preserves Parkour’s ‘free flow’ movement and creative foundations. I am also keen to use my experience to heighten positive awareness of Parkour, moving beyond limiting beliefs and ultimately drive effective future growth and sustainability.”

Natasha has been joined by Hannah Holland (BA Hons, CIM), a marketeer with more than 20 years’ experience, managing domestic and international projects, both in the public and private sectors.

Between 2015 and 2019, Hannah was a member of the senior management team at Rounders England where she oversaw the delivery of ‘Profile’, one of three strategic pillars underpinning the NGB’s vision and mission. During her time in post, Hannah secured and implemented significant Sport England funding to facilitate the brand creation of ‘We Are All Rounders’, a consumer-facing campaign designed to drive participation and form a closer connection between the rounders community and the NGB. Hannah also re-modelled the membership programme, creating the Rounders England Members’ Club.

Hannah is a passionate runner and weekend triathlete. As an active member of Run Wednesdays, a large community running club in Eastbourne, Sussex, Hannah has a personal appreciation of the benefits sport delivers. She adds:

“The physical and mental benefits of regular involvement in sport are well documented and I truly believe that the key to encouraging mass participation is good accessibility and diversity of activity. One size definitely, does not fit all.”

“Parkour or free running is unique in many ways. Whereas many sports are built on the development of formulaic techniques and skills, Parkour is much more free form, enabling practitioners to create their own definition of success and to challenge their own individual boundaries. I intend to help raise the visibility of this incredible sport, ensuring as many people as possible are provided with an opportunity to get involved.”

Parkour UK would like to publicly acknowledge and thank Sport England for their investment into the board diversity programme which was delivered by Perrett Laver and RimJim Consulting – who actively supported the recruitment process for Natasha.

Hannah and Natasha join Steve Mitchell and Tracey Crouch, MP, as Independent Directors on the Board.

Data from Sport England‘s #ActiveLives Report shows participation figures of 96,900 in Parkour/Freerunning!

Following recognition, Parkour/Freerunning features in the participation figures in the new Sport England Active Lives Survey. With the first set of participation figures for Parkour/Freerunning featured in the Active Lives November 15/16 Report, showing participation figures of 96,700, the May 16/17 Report, showing participation figures of 101,800 and then May 17/18 Report, showing participation figures of 93,600.

On the 11th April 2019, Sport England have published the Active Lives Adult Survey – Nov 17/18 Report.

The data on those (16+) in England only that have participated in Parkour/Freerunning showed over 96,900* (with approx 52,000 being male and 44,900 being female) had taken part at least twice in the last 28 days! Which is over one-and-half-times the size of Rugby League, over twice the size of Orienteering and almost four times the size of Triathlon!

Broadly our participation rates remains very stable and consistent, with the May 2016/17 results showing a ‘bounce’ – which we suspect is due to the recognition of Parkour/Freerunning as a sport in Jan 2017.

Find our more about the Active Lives Survey on Sport England’s website.

The data certainly demonstrates the reach, breadth and depth of Parkour/Freerunning, not just in England, but across the UK and our community.

We certainly feel that Parkour UK and our community have plenty to contribute to the Sport England strategy. In addition to the Government strategy #SportingFuture, coordinated by Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the strategic plans of Sport Wales, Sportscotland & Sport Northern Ireland

#GiveParkourAGo

*(table 5 row 65)