Presidents Update

Dear members,

I wish to bring you up to date on a number of issues

Return to Training

As I am sure you are all aware, the government have now announced the pathway out of lockdown. This means grassroot sports will soon be able to return, and that we can re -open our clubs.

Following on-going discussions with Sport England and DCMS we can now confirm we may open our clubs as follows.

March 29th .... All ages may return to OUTDOOR training

April 12th..... 17 year olds and under may return to INDOOR training

May 17th .... Adults may return to INDOOR training

As it stands, all training must be socially distanced, and non-contact, Free standing pad/bag work is allowed, providing cleaning protocols are in place. Barefoot indoor training will be allowed for all age groups.

We continue to make representations regarding the type of training we are allowed and hope that we may soon be permitted to do more than previously.

Some have asked about the return of school sport from the 8th March. Any clubs that are part of a school's activity programme will be advised directly by the school if they are allowed.

New Licence and procedures

As stated in previous communications, we are replacing the red/white licence with a blue/white licence.

The red/white licence remain valid until December 2021 but from January 2022, the only valid licence will be the new blue/white version. We will start issuing the new Blue/White licence from this month (March) for any requests for licences.

Also, as we roll out the new licence, we will also introduce clear sell by and expiry dates. The purpose of this is to ensure we have a more robust licencing system.

In short, the new licence issued will come with a both a sell by date for the association, and an expiry date. A licence will remain valid for 12 months to your members, but Associations will be expected to sell any licence they acquire within 12 months of purchase if their member is to enjoy a full 12 months EKF membership.

If you need further information, please contact Mr Ivor Thomas at registration@englishkaratefederation.com

The other change is that it is now mandatory that all EKF members must be issued a valid licence slip. That is, we require our Associations to issue the actual licence slip, and not just the number. We recognise that this will take a little time to completely roll out, but the expectation is that this is fully implemented by January 2022.

AGM

It will come as no surprise that due to the pandemic, and further lockdown; we have had to further delay our AGM.

We want to hold the AGM as a face-to-face meeting with members. As such, we are looking to hold the meeting in June when we feel lockdown measure will be eased enough for us to hold the meeting.

More information and details will follow in due course, but should members have any questions please feel free to email admin@englishkaratefederation.com or president@englishkaratefederation.com 

Safeguarding matter

EKF wish to remind members to be diligent in arranging and attending courses (both in person and online) with Instructors and coaches that are not part of their Association or not part of the EKF.

We are aware of a number of incidents where the person leading the course is on the DBS barred list. In short that means they are deemed to represent a significant and potential risk to children and vulnerable adults. The law bars them from coaching minors and vulnerable adults.

Anyone who might arrange sessions where such people are coaching can also be held legally responsible. As such we urge you to complete your due diligence and safety checks.

The EKF will take the strongest action when we are made aware of such breaches happening and will pursue this obligation beyond confines of EKF membership. It is important we all police our activity.

Website

We are currently updating and refreshing the website. This should go live in the next couple of weeks. A formal announcement will be made on Facebook and other social media when the new site is live.

Future events

We will announce plans for future events once we have had clear guidance from DCMS and Sport England. Whilst Government have identified the 21st June as an end to all social distancing, they have not made clear what other conditions might be put in place. Once we know more, we will make a formal announcement of the plans we have.

In closing, we have every reason to feel more positive. We know it has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone, and we have a lot of rebuilding to do. It won't be easy, and we will all face challenges as try to recover. EKF will do all it can to help members in this task as we prioritise the rebuild of our clubs and dojo.

If you have any questions, or need further information, please email president@englishkaratefederation.com or admin@englishkaratefederation.com

In the meantime, continue to stay safe, and keep those around you safe

Kind regards

Steve Coupland

EKF President