Rt Hon Gerry Sutcliffe

Minister for Sport

 

 

Dear Minister

 

I attach a letter that I have sent to Martin Crick, sports coach UK, in response to the publication of the long awaited, over due, BJA document, “UKCC access for non-NGB members”.

Your predecessor, Mr Caborn MP, acknowledged that we had raised issues of concern regarding the development and implementation of the judo UKCC.

Sports coach UK acknowledges there are “difficulties” within the system – they candidly say so.

They also say they are 'genuinely anxious to resolve the judo situation.'

To date these have been just words Minister, with no indication that any action is being taken to seek resolve.

In fact just the opposite. The situation is being exasperated by the BJA’s continuing hostile and offensive behaviour and the introduction of rules that are unacceptable and inapplicable to non-members of the NGB. All in all this amounts to nothing less than an infringement of rights of those who choose to remain outside an NGB.

Sports/activities derived from the martial arts bear a relationship between the particular “brand” of the activity, and the coaching infrastructure of the NGB for that brand. In the case of judo the NGB brand is “Olympic judo”.

If you look at what the UKCC is supposed to be, and then look at how martial arts NGBs have always run their coaching, it is clear the two are not readily compatible.

The UKCC may be working well and benefiting other sports/activities. As the judo UKCC has been designed, and implemented, it a system fundamentally flawed. (This will prove to be the same in other martial arts if their NGB’s are allowed to follow suit of the judo NGB).

As it stands the judo UKCC is a BJA UKCC, which, may well be acceptable and workable within the restrictive confines of the BJA.

I hope you will reply confirming that positive steps are being taken to “resolve the judo situation”, confirming what measures are being put in place to deal with the issues we raise.

Yours sincerely,

John Goldman

Campaign leader
 

 

(webmaster see attached letter to Martin Crick, Sports Coach UK)

SAVE INDEPENDENT JUDO

A campaign to maintain the rights of independent judo groups

 

Campaign office:                

41, Willow Walk

Crediton

Devon EX17 1DD

e-mail saveindependentjudo@tiscali.co.uk

Tel: 01395 265532

 

 

 

Martin Crick

sports coach UK

 

August 7 2008

 

 

Dear Martin,

 

At a time when you say sports coach UK are taking active steps to, “resolve the judo situation” the BJA are exasperating the situation - and worse.

 

The publication (August 1 2008) on the BJA website of the document, UKCC Access for non-NGB members has been penned in a way nothing short of being provocative and contemptuous of non-members of the judo NGB. The ‘rules of access’ are offensive, discriminatory, crass, unreasonable and unjust, without regard for equity and equality of non-NGB members.

 

To date sports coach UK have distanced themselves from any involvement of this document, which, we were told by DCMS, was submitted to sports coach UK eighteen months ago as part of the UKCC endorsement process.

 

In response to our repeated concerns to sports coach that if the NGB/NSG (National Source Group) were allowed to decide on ‘rules of access’, they would do and say what they like, (and they have), sports coach UK CEO Pat Duffy made the farcical comment: “It is impossible to undo what has happened”, when at that time nothing had happened!!

 

We were asking for intervention and involvement to ensure what has now been allowed to happen, didn’t. Failure to monitor the development and content of arrangements of access for non-members of the NGB, has perpetuated “difficulties”, creating a bigger fiasco in which the rights of non-BJA members are violated further.

 

In their document (paragraph 6) non-NGB members are referred to as “dissidents”. This is outrageous, damaging, and, we are advised, potentially libellous. (The BJA has a history of calling non-NGB members names as you and DCMS are well aware; their chief executive Scott McCarthy, in a press interview, called non-BJA people “pirates, outlaws and renegades.”)

 

The campaign demands that the discriminatory, offensive and damming remark (“dissidents”) is removed from this public document. We call on sports coach UK to take positive action, without delay, to ensure that it is removed.

 

Such language is a damming indictment not only of non-BJA people but also of non-NGB people, whatever their martial art. This latest attack on non-NGB members has brought further widespread condemnation of the way the NGB for judo behaves, not just from within the judo fraternity, but from all quarters of the martial arts.

 

In judo, disgust and criticism of the BJA is not confined to independents. Members of the BJA and BJC are voicing their distain of BJA leaders behaviour too.

 

It is blatantly obvious the authors of the document aim to assert that non-NGB members, wishing to access the judo UKCC, must be competence tested by the NGB to ensure standards and issues of health, safety and welfare be met. This is a smoke screen. The document glaringly exposes the real issue surrounding access to UKCC courses: CONTROL and MONEY.  This is so evident, the man in the street reading the document would recognise this immediately.

 

The dialogue in this document, ambiguous, underhand and dishonest, attempts to undermine the competence, responsibility and professionalism of non-NGB members.

 

This is a shameful pretence. These smarmy guises can be readily shown for what they are:

 

1. Ridiculous, as to insist that applicants to a national award are to be competence tested by the BJA, before allowing access, is like saying no one could be a doctor who hadn’t been to Eaton!
   
2. Discriminatory towards non-NGB members who are equally fully qualified and competent as members of the BJA with all sensible, and required by law, safeguards in place. (This reference excludes BJA affiliates, the BJC and AJA, who, the BJA say are “respected and credible”.)
   
3. Flawed because of the variable systems within the NGB. “Firstly”, the BJA say, “it is important to recognise that the UKCC is designed for 'NEW coaches” and secondly, pre April 2008 qualified BJA grades, which don’t meet the new post April 2008 BJA requirements and standards, have access to UKCC courses.
   
4. Contradictory and inconsistent, highlighting an underlining disregard for equality and equity.

 

Sports coach UK has said, “There is recognition of the difficulties with the system (UKCC), especially the difficulties within the martial arts”.

 

Yes Martin, you are quite right, the difficulties you talk of are, “with the system”. In the case of the judo the NGB’s behaviour is inciting and perpetuating ‘difficulties’

 

Not content with name-calling, the NGB become self-appointed experts on ‘dissidents’ saying, “their (dissidents) grade criteria, credibility and ethos vary enormously.”

 

What the hell do the BJA know about “dissidents”? Previously, and according to their chief executive Scott McCarthy, they know nothing.

 

In his public statement, February 2007, Mr McCarthy said, “We do not have any specific knowledge whatsoever of ‘other’ bodies who teach judo”. He continued: “We also know that one of the key reasons why these bodies exist in isolation is the profit motive. (NOW WE’RE GETTING THERE - MONEY THE BJA WANTS) The bottom line is that we don't know enough about these bodies to comment.”

 

Yet with an air of authority, and in total contradiction to what they previously said, they do comment. They talk of, and call into question, the credibility and ethos of independent judo groups, offensively naming them as “dissidents”. 

 

The NGB is always quick to infer they have the tacit approval of the authorities for whatever they say or do – in the document the BJA say they are “working in accordance with the guidelines established by sports coach UK.”

 

Do these ‘guidelines’ include hurling insults and accusations at non-NGB members, calling them “dissidents”, and imposing “Prerequisites” and an “Evaluation process” blatantly discriminatory of non-NGB members wanting to access a national award?

 

You say: “We (SCUK) have taken active steps to begin to try to resolve the judo situation.”

 

The martial arts world needs to hear something more concrete than this.

 

Since sports coach UK has not involved non-NGB/NSG judo groups, keen to find a pathway forward, mutually beneficial for all, we question if the authorities have knowledge of the real  “judo situation” from the perspective of those outside the judo NGB, and, the standing and value of those outside.

 

Until the BJC and AJA became affiliates of the BJA (and the BJA have made it clear they want no more affiliates) these now “respected and credible” organisations would have been, according to the BJA, “dissidents” too, their grade criteria and credibility questionable.

 

Since paying into the BJA coffers, BJC and AJA members are jolly fine folk. It makes nonsense of everything doesn’t it?          To sum up:

 

1. Has sports coach UK endorsed the document: ‘UKCC access for non-NGB members – Technical Assessment Process’?
   
2. The document refers to non-NGB groups (with the exception of BJC and AJA, who, the BJA say are, “respected and credible organisations”) as “dissidents”. Will sports coach UK take immediate steps to ensure this discriminatory and offensive remark is removed?
   
3. What does sports coach UK consider “the judo situation” to be?
   
4. What are sports coach UK doing to “resolve” the “situation”?
   
5. What opportunities, promised by sports coach UK, have been made for existing non-NGB coaches, to map their qualifications over to the national UKCC standards”?

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Good wishes,

 

John Goldman

Campaign leader                                         Continues                                                           

                                                                                                                                   

NOTE: Just as I was about to forward this letter to you, I was sent the following newspaper article (Sunday Herald, Scotland). Japanese masters lend weight to fight for judo's soul The author, David Hammond, is a senior member of the BJC and editor of the BJC journal, Judoka.

 

The article endorses a number of issues the campaign has raised, which have still not been addressed by the authorities. It is also critical of the BJA, their ethos and handling of the UKCC. All in all, this article begs the question as to why the BJC are affiliates of the BJA.

 

 

Copies; Tom Hibbert MBE,  Andy Davies,  Rt Hon Gerry Sutcliffe Minister for Sport, Paul Clifton, Angela Browning MP, Roger Knapman MEP, Gordon Lawson, Jim Lawson, Others.