British Wrestling is in a fantastic phase of growth all over the country at the minute, however, this also brings some challenges in the form of unlicensed competitions.
The number of clubs and wrestlers has been growing on a weekly basis since the return to the mat after the pandemic and this coupled with consistently sold-out competitions has been fantastic progress to see. As the numbers involved in wrestling increase, we will encounter some problems we previously haven’t dealt with before as a sport due to this growth.
Recently there has been a small number of events/competitions running outside of British Wrestling’s control. We know everyone is keen to wrestle more and we are delighted there is so much appetite for wrestling activity. However, we must highlight some issues for your consideration.
Any competition which is not booked through our system has no association with British Wrestling. These will not be covered by our insurance policy and will need an independent insurance policy.
Unlicensed competitions may not follow the British Wrestling guidance including our safeguarding policy and code of conduct. As such we can’t be confident of the experience provided by these events or the safety of the participants.
Similarly, clubs hosting training or competitions with non-members on the mat may invalidate insurance putting everyone involved at risk.
A recent competition did experience some issues that we have been made aware of however as the event is outwith our control we had limited means to act to rectify the situation.
This statement is to make people aware of what they are signing up for when registering for certain events.
Clubs are reminded that any informal club meets or local competitions should be registered with British Wrestling as per the competition regulations.
For more information or to discuss this in more detail please contact Development Manager – Competitions, Kieran or Chief Executive, Craig Anthony.
