BJA AGM, 6th Nov 2021

Love Judo? 

Hate the politics?

Don’t want to get involved?

 

“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

Albert Einstein

BJA AGM & British Judo Status Quo

Judo in Britain is at a crossroad after being hit by the worst ever crisis. 
After losing 50-60% of its members since the first Covid lockdown, March 2020.

This year’s BJA accounts at the AGM covers the period:
1st April 2020 to March  31st 2021. 
The worst ever period for judo training!

Online and in digital format, you can find previous year’s AGM Documents!  

Previously published BJA AGM docuements:

BJA AGM 2016-2017 – click to view.

BJA AGM 2018-2019 – click to view.

BJA AGM 2019-2020 – click to view.

 BJA 2017 – 2021 Strategic Plan:

Establish robust systems of governance at every level of the sport……….

 

BJA website, October 13, 2021:

2021 AGM PAPERWORK AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD

Love judo?  

Hate the politics?

……and don’t want to know?

DO NOT CLICK the link to BJA management’s 
2021 AGM paperwork available to download“!

 

You will not find:

1. The BJA Annual Report.

2. The BJA Accounts for the financial year, 2020-2021.

3. Who the auditors are & their report on the accounts.

4. Complete information about what will be voted on at the AGM.

The three main corporate objectives laid out in the BJA Strategic plan, 2017-2021 were:

  1. “Increase participation to 50,000 by 2021”

  2. “Produce a minimum of 4 Olympic and Paralympic Medallists in 2020”

  3. “Establish robust systems of governance at every level of the sport in accordance with UK Government standards.” 
 

How has the documents, information and voting content been distributed by BJA management for the BJA 2021 AGM?

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For this year’s BJA AGM, BJA management has reverted to the use of print and paper, produced a leaflet containing the essential and required information about for AGM, 6th November 2021!

Should you be a BJA member, BJA coach, BJA club volunteer, BJA official or a parent of an u18 BJA member and wish to know more? 

 

BJA, 29 October 2021:

“The Annual Report is only distributed to clubs affiliated to British Judo and our Board Members.” 
Written response on behalf of the BJA board of directors.

So, how has BJA management distribute this year’s AGM information and documents?

By post!  

Are you a BJA judo club Chair or Secretary, entitled to vote and required to receive the AGM information & documents but haven’t received anything?

Maybe……………

 –   The AGM letter was sent to the wrong address due to an outdated BJA database?
 –   The AGM letter was sent to where the judo club trains, or used to train?  
 –   The BJA AGM letter was lost in the post or hasn’t arrived yet at the location it was sent to?

Or maybe this year’s AGM information, documents and voting are just “a formality” and like last year’s AGM?

Only 4% of BJA clubs are interested in attending and voting? 

Keep up to date about

JUDO – NEWS & EVENTS!

Free – Open – Independent

Last Year's BJA AGM held online 7th November 2020.
With the accounts covering the financial year:
1st April 2019 - 31st March 2020

At last year’s BJA AGM 2020, 32* out of 547 BJA voting entitled judo clubs voted yes at all AGM 3 votes:

 

1. Approval  of  Annual  Report

2. Approval of Annual Accounts

3. Approval  of  Auditors  [Sedulo]

 

* UKEngage was in charge of voting at the 2020 BJA AGM.


On the day of the AGM, 7 November 2020, they reported:

 

Total number of Voters: 547

[BJA clubs entitled to vote.]  

Attending the AGM: 33
[BJA clubs entitled to vote & attending.] 

6.07% Attendance.
[4% required]

For: 33 – 100%

Against: 0

Abstained: 0

For: 32 – 100%

Against: 0

Abstained: 1

For: 32 – 100%

Against: 0

Abstained: 1

Nobody requested any of the 3 votes to be secret, as is possible, when voting. 

When asked what clubs attended, the BJA initially failed to respond and then required an independent GDPR consultant to assess whether the names of judo club were covered by GDPR privacy regulations?  

They aren’t!  

The BJA eventually released the names of the voting entitled judo clubs attending, the number was no longer 33 (as reported by UKEngage) but 36. 

Last year’s AGM being online and “fully digital”, due to Covid-19 restrictions, has not improved reporting accuracy and governance transparency.

In the recently released “approved” AGM 2020 meeting minutes, club attendance is now reported as 46!

 

BJA website, October 13, 2021:

 Minutes from 2020 AGM Meeting

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BJA 29 March -2021:

“AGM 2020 Clubs Represented”:

  • Urmston Judo Club
  • Pudsey Judo Club
  • Osterley Judo Club
  • Kelmscott Judo Club
  • Hackney Judo
  • Abingdon Judo Club
  • Budokwai
  • Norwich Premier Judo Club
  • St Albans Judo Club
  • Bangor University Judo Club
  • Rochdale Judo Club
  • Kendal Judo Club
  • Peterlee Judo Club
  • Katana Judo Club
  • Felixstowe Judo Club
  • Wolverhampton Judo Club
  • Dowty Judo Club
  • Rainhill Rockets Judo Club
  • Avon Judo Club
  • Irfon Judo Club
  • Pinewood Judo Club
  • Bedford Judo Club
  • Metro Judo Club
  • Portland Judo Club
  • East Yorkshire Judo Academy
  • Kumo Judo Club
  • Police Sport UK Judo
  • Samurai Judo Club
  • Procoach Judo Club
  • Solihull Judo Club
  • Exmouth Vikings Judo Club
  • Renzoku Judo Club
  • Osterley Judo Club
  • Chichester Judo Club
  • Kin Ryu Judo Club
  • Ealing Judo Club

AGM meeting minutes, October 2021.

Club attendance (46):

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Remuneration & BJA SLT?

You may have come across comments on social media by BJA board members stating that they “aren’t paid a penny in salary” for their work?  

BJA website article,  April 28, 2021

BRITISH JUDO WELCOMES APPOINTMENTS OF TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS

According to the recruitment company, that cost between £10,000 and £16,000 to recruit these two board member, what their employment terms would be?

No Salery!

Remuneration & Expenses as agreed.

 

Definition:

remuneration

/rɪˌmjuːnəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/
noun

 

Money paid for work or a service.

__________________________________

What is the difference between salary and remuneration?

Remuneration is a broad-based term that is meant to represent all the ways in which an employee is compensated for labour and his or her role within a company.

A salary refers to a fixed payment for labour or services that is provided on a regular basis.

 

Last year’s BJA accounts. 

(approved by 32 BJA clubs out of 547)

 

Remuneration:

£429,160 paid to BJA Directors & 6 persons that are part of the BJA Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
 
This is equavalent to 63,73% of annual BJA membership income, 2019-2020, being spent on REMUNERATIONS only.
 Of the complete annual turnover, it represents 8% of expenditure.
 
Who were the BJA directors, 2019-2020?
DIRECTORS:
  • Ronnie Saez, Chair
  • Peter Blewett, Vice Chair
  • Andrew Haffner
  • Loretta Cusack
  • Ryan Wilkinson
  • Malgorzata Grzyb, Senior Independent Director
  • Fred Prosser, Chair, Welsh Judo Association
  • Bill Taggart, Chair Northern Ireland Judo Federation
  • Claire Lish (aka “Lishy Loo” & “Mumma Lish” on FaceBook)
  • Graham Campbell
  • Alex Slade
  • Neil Fletcher
Who is the BJA SLT (Senior Leadership Team)?
This remains unknown? 
The BJA not responding to the question!
 

The unkown BJA SLT does have a charter:

The BJA SLT Charter

 
Who approves BJA REMUNERATION payments?
  • BJA Chair: Ronnie Saez
  • BJA CEO: Andrew Scoular
  • 2 x independent BJA directors

Purpose of the BJA remuneration commission?

“To determine and agree with the board the framework or broad policy for the remuneration of the chief Executive
[CEO Andrew Scoular – see above],
the Chairman
[BJA Chair Ronnie Saez – see above] 
of the company and such other members of the executive management as it is designated to consider.”

BJA turnover 2019-2020:

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BJA remuneration 2019-2020:

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This Year's BJA AGM, 6th November 2021

– How many BJA affiliated clubs have recieved the AGM letter, information and documents?

– How many will attend the AGM?

– What does the Annual Report say?

– How much money did the BJA spend during the 12 months of the financial year?

– What were the millions of pounds spent on?

– How much was spent on remunerations, paid to BJA directors and the BJA Senior Leadership Ream?

 

During the financial year:

– Many BJA staff were furoughed with the UK government paying 80% of their salary.

– No Matside Magazine was produced.

– Britsh Judo Elite attended very few competitions and international training camps.  (Saving of approx. £315,000)

– DestinationJudo was shut down, coaches laid off and the equipment sold.

– The Club Grant Scheme was funded by Sport England (£150,000) and BJA regions (£50,000).

 

At the specially convened BJA “Covid-19 meeting”, 25th March 2020
(2 days after the first UK lockdown).

BJA CEO, Andrew Scoular, stated:
 

The 3 month [lockdown] scenario is the worst one for BJA, if the situation continued for 6 months [lockdown] this would be better for BJA………

 

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BJA AGM, 6th Nov 2021

Love Judo? 

Hate the politics?

Don’t want to get involved?

 

“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

Albert Einstein