Open Letter to Members:

Dear British Wrestling Association Member,

Please find attached a draft copy of new Articles of Association for the British Wrestling Association (link).

Articles lay out the mission and operating principles of our Association and ensure that activities take place within a transparent structure , e.g. that the method of appointment of Officers and their terms of office are appropriate and agreed by all.

Jem Lawson, our Chair, who has now been in post for almost exactly two years, is keen to restructure the organisation to give more autonomy to the Home Nations, whilst at the same time, bringing the Articles up to modern standards of good governance, as outlined by the 1 April 2017 “Code for Sports Governance” (link) issued by UK Sport and Sport England.

As a British organisation, the British Wrestling Association has a mandatory obligation to comply with this national code; if the BWA do not comply there can be no funding from Sport England.

A Working Party with a representative from each Home Nation has contributed to the changes, but now, whilst they are in the final stages of draft form, is a good moment to seek the views of members of the Association.

The BWA would like to hear your views, for or against the changes (link to document). Please respond to ce@britishwrestling.org by 29th September.

There is a Board meeting to give final consideration to the changes on 30th September and the Articles are to be voted on at the AGM, scheduled for 3 November in Nottingham and preceding the British Championships on 4 November.

Colin Nicholson

Working Party:

• “A Code for Sports Governance”