The Board announce their collective resignation

As we approach to the two-year anniversary of the formal announcement of the recognition of Parkour/Freerunning as a sport and Parkour UK as the NGB, the Board at our last Board meeting on the 23rd October 2018 in-accordance with 21.1 & 21.1.9 of our Memorandum & Articles of Association have collectively and unanimously agreed that the Board would tender their resignation, with effect from our 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The Board are collectively tendering their resignation for two reasons;

  1. unfortunately, due to the continued lack of support and engagement from Home Country Sports Councils of the UK (Sport England, Sport Wales, sportscotland, Sport Northern Ireland and UK Sport) and;
  2. to address some Governance issues by bringing forward our transitional arrangements, as set out in Schedule 2 of our Memorandum & Articles of Association, which will now be implemented at the 2018 AGM. 

Both of these factors have contributed for the need of this collective course of action.

On Monday 12th November, a letter from our Independent Chair, Stephen Mitchell was shared the Chair’s & CEO’s Home Country Sports Councils of the UK, as well as the Dept. Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and Sport + Recreation Alliance – advising them of the collective decision of Board and the reasons for their decision.

Context – Lack support and engagement from Home Country Sports Councils of the UK;

  1. The Board of Parkour UK together with those we represent have continued to drive our community and lead our sport in a way we believe sets a new methodology for how an NGB of the future could be operated, maintain its community representation and be financially sustainable for the long term, without having to rely on public subsidies. Our community is young, inclusive, diverse and vibrant, and we continue to push new agendas for how our sport can be utilised to deliver against the Government’s strategy Sporting Future outcomes. We have created and/or led on innovative approaches on: mental health; physical literacy; virtual reality; open data; performance sport; over 60s; urban redesign; play and exploration; academic research; and working with the law – to name just a few. In addition, we certainly feel that Parkour UK and our community have plenty to contribute to the strategic plans of all the sports councils.
  2. Participation in Parkour/Freerunning in the UK is significant, this is in part demonstrated by the participation figures within Sport England’s Active Lives data. The data on those 16+ and in England only, that have participated in Parkour/Freerunning was almost twice the size of those doing Skateboarding, almost three times the size of those partaking in Judo and almost four times the size of regularly doing Triathlon!

This is the case notwithstanding the fact that Parkour UK has received no strategic funding/investment; such as Sport England’s Core Market Funding for NGBs, as well as any funding streams from the other Home Country Sports Councils of the UK, in contrast to many other sports. Some comparative examples from England only are shown in the table below:

SportParticipants 
Nov-16

Participants 
Apr-17

Participants 
Oct-18
2017-2021 Funding Award
Sailing131,700126,000117,100
£3,219,850
Angling124,700124,700120,900
£682,500
Parkour96,700101,80093,600
£0
Rounders89,30090,50074,900
£1,425,000

Context – Address some Governance issues

As detailed above, the Board meeting on the 23rd October, where it was collectively and unanimously agreed that the Board would tender their resignation as of as the 2018 AGM;

  • Additionally, an Elected Director has not regularly Board meetings and has consistently failed to respond to contact from the CEO, Chair and other Board Members. 

    Therefore, they’re are in breach of his director’s duties and in-accordance with 21.1 & 21.1.6 of our Mem & Arts – unless the Board resolves otherwise, that without sufficient reason for more than 3 (three) consecutive Board meetings have been absent without permission of the Board.

    The Board resolved that they will be removed as an Elected Director as of the 2018 AGM in line with the other Directors resignations.

  • Also, an Independent Director has not consistently attended Board meetings and has consistently failed to respond to contact from the CEO, Chair and other Board Members

    Therefore, they’re are in breach of their director’s duties and in-accordance with, in accordance with 21.1 & 21.1.7 of our Mem & Arts – that person is requested to resign by all the other members of the Board acting together; 

    The Board resolved that they are requested to resign as an Independent Director as of the 2018 AGM in line with the other Directors resignations.

Furthermore, these follow the previously announced resignation of Catherine Baker, our Senior Independent Director in August . 

The resolutions are in-line with our Memorandum & Articles of Association, as well as being in the interests of Good Governance and Parkour UK.

Next Steps

The Board resolutions, as detailed above, will be implemented as of the 2018 AGM – scheduled for the 8th December 2018 and will include the following;

  • Bring forward our transitional arrangements, as set out in Schedule 2 of our Memorandum & Articles of Association
  • The Community/Members of Parkour UK will have the opportunity to to nominate and elect up to four Elected Directors (1 x England, 1 x Wales, 1 x Scotland & 1 x Northern Ireland)
  • Advertise and appoint up to three Independent Directors;
    • our current Independent Chair has offered to provide a commitment to continue to serve (which would complete his maximum 2 x four-year terms) in the capacity as Transitional-Chair to provide support before stepping down at the 2019 AGM, if this is the wishes of the community/members of Parkour UK and also the newly elected and appointed Board.
    • therefore, the Senior Independent Director, which will be advertised as a ‘Chair-elect’, on an interim period up until the 2019 AGM (circa July 2019) when they would then take up the role of Independent Chair.

The newly Elected and Appointed Board will be in place as of the
our 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM).

If you have any queries relating to this announcement and/or the 2018 AGM please contact our Chief Executive – Eugene Minogue on eugene.minogue@parkour.uk or 020 3544 5834

#GiveParkourAGo