News

This weekend 274 Judoka from 18 countries will descend on the University of Wolverhampton for the Birmingham Junior European Cup 2023. A unique opportunity to compete on the European circuit on UK soil, 23 Scottish Judoka will represent GB across two days of competition.

Reigning British junior Champion Ross Dempsey (Clyde Judo) will take to the mat on Saturday in the 60kg category as he looks to claim a European medal on ‘home soil’. There have been strong finishes for James Gray (Destination Judo), Daniel Givan (Destination Judo), Billy Rodman (Hibari-Kan Judo Club), Ben Fox-Kennedy (Sportif Judo Club) and Gregor Miller (Tayside) who have had top-seven finishes on the Junior European Tour so far. Will Birmingham be the opportunity they need for a podium finish?

The Birmingham Junior European Cup will also mark the first step on the Junior European Circuit for nine Cadet and 1st-year Junior female Judoka, as they look to progress on their competitive judo journey.

If you would like to go along and support our Judoka, tickets are still available here. Not able to make it along? Catch all the action from the weekend here. 

Scottish Judoka

Amy McGrorty (48kg)

Sophie Carson (48kg)

Rachael Gray (48kg)

Jocelyn Callaghan (52kg)

Hattie Jones (52kg)

Sarah Smith (57kg)

Sunny Doig (57kg)

Jemma Smith (63kg)

Sophie Wood (63kg)

Ross Dempsey (60kg)

Sam Walker (60kg)

James Gray (66kg)

Daniel Givan (66kg)

Reece Edwards (66kg)

Billy Rodman (73kg)

Ben Fox-Kennedy (73kg)

Eden Heffernan (73kg)

Jacob Callaghan (81kg)

George Brown (81kg)

Fraser Clark (81kg)

Matthew Sweeney (81kg)

Andrew Ross (81kg)

Gregor Miller (-100kg)

Last month a group of Scottish Masters Judoka headed to Japan for a two-week trip to experience the historic home of Judo. The trip of a lifetime saw the group of thirteen Judoka experience some excellent Judo training as well as experience Japanese culture.
From training at, and becoming members of, the famous home of Judo The Kodokan, to visiting Mount Fuji, the group packed a huge amount into their short trip. Highlights included Bill McNeil receiving his technical first dan in the cockpit of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, allowing him to step on the mat in Japan as a black belt.
Although originally set to take place in 2021, the trip was postponed twice due to covid restrictions, the group were able to make some strong connections with the Judo community paving the way for other Scottish Judoka to visit and train.
If you would like to get involved in the exciting Scottish Masters Judo community why not come along to their Monthly National training sessions? The next session is this Sunday, book your space here.

A Brief update from the Chair of some key events and recent news from May. 

Hi Judo Community,

May was an extremely busy month with 2 Grand Prix Events and the JudoScotland All Stars Championship taking place.

It was great to see such healthy numbers and participation at the recent Clyde Open where all 5 mats were utilised. I’ve heard good feedback from the Event.

I thought referees and officials at the All Stars Championship looked great in their new, logoed JudoScotland polo tops.  It helped portray a suitably informal approach to the event which, for so many young judokas, is their introduction to tournaments.  I felt it helped convey an appropriately relaxed atmosphere and supported the event’s positioning of being a ‘gentler/fun’ introduction to competition.

I’d like to give a special mention to Lisa Allan.  I’ve known Lisa for most of my life and was delighted when she became the International Judo Federation’s General Secretary.  She’s worked extremely hard over the years and it’s no surprise that she has achieved this success, her appointment is good for Judo and great for JudoScotland.  She’s an inspiration and recently visited the JudoScotland office where she gave a great motivational talk to our Staff – much appreciated Lisa.  We had a nice catch-up on the phone and we both agreed that the ‘Wee Lassie fae Wester Hailes has come a long way’.

On other matters, good luck to Sean Allan, I hope your preparation for the Special Olympics World Games on the 17^th – 25^th June goes well.  I would also like to wish Chris Murphy the best of luck at the Virtus Global Games which takes place in Vichy-France from the 2nd – 11th of June. We’re all rooting for you both.

And finally, I hope everyone enjoyed the Grand Prix in Aberdeen at the end of the month.  Gordon McCathie, our Vice Chair represented JudoScotland, and said he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks

Marc

There has never been a more exciting time to join JudoScotland. As part of our new strategic plan, Judo For All, we are recruiting for a full-time Lead Safeguarding & Wellbeing Officer to realise JudoScotland’s ambitions to embed safeguarding & wellbeing throughout the entire organisation. Our plan reflects the ambitious direction of the organisation and has been developed following an in-depth consultation with our members and stakeholders to encapsulate our collective aims.

Vision 

A Scottish Governing Body renowned for excellence, enabling people of all ages and abilities to realise their potential.

Mission 

Maximise the contribution of judo to Scotland’s communities through the provision of safe, inclusive and inspiring clubs based on judo’s values.

Main Goals

• To grow an engaged, diverse membership
• To make a positive contribution to Scottish society
• Progressive, inclusive opportunities across all levels
• Scottish athlete success
• Corporate excellence

The Role

Working in conjunction with the Head of the Business Delivery Team and with the advice of key stakeholders (primarily Children 1^st, sportscotland and British Judo Association), you will devise, implement and promote appropriate wellbeing and protection standards, policies and procedures for the sport of judo in Scotland.

Please complete the below Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form and submit it with your application.

The next Masters session is on 18th June at JudoScotland’s National Training Centre.

Training sessions are held once a month and all Masters are welcome to join whenever they can.

To support administration and preparation for sessions, registrations and payments (£5pp per session) will now be made online here, using Just Go, JudoScotland’s membership portal.

If you have a JudoScotland membership already, the process is simple. Log in to your account, using your membership number as your username and complete the event ticket for the session you wish to attend. If you don’t have a JudoScotland membership, follow the sign-up to become a member, following the prompts to get a JudoScotland membership.

If you are a member with another national association who is visiting for the Masters session, please contact us on 0131 333 2981.

Thank you in advance for your help as we transition to a new registration process to ensure that all participants are covered by relevant membership and insurance. And of course, if you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact JudoScotland.

There has never been a more exciting time to join JudoScotland. We are delighted to be recruiting for the role of Disability Development Officer, as part of our new strategic plan, Judo For All. Our plan reflects the ambitious direction of the organisation and has been developed following an in-depth consultation with our members and stakeholders to encapsulate our collective aims.

Vision 

A Scottish Governing Body renowned for excellence, enabling people of all ages and abilities to realise their potential.

Mission 

Maximise the contribution of judo to Scotland’s communities through the provision of safe, inclusive and inspiring clubs based on judo’s values.

Main Goals

• To grow an engaged, diverse membership
• To make a positive contribution to Scottish society
• Progressive, inclusive opportunities across all levels
• Scottish athlete success
• Corporate excellence

Joining the dynamic Business Delivery Team, the Disability Development Officer will lead on delivering progressive and inclusive opportunities across all levels. Leading on the support and development of opportunities for people with disabilities to engage, progress and flourish in the sport of judo.

This Mental Health Awareness Week we are pleased to share that JudoScotland have become signatories of the SAMH Charter for Sport. The purpose of the Charter is to use the collective power of physical activity and sport to create positive lasting change in mental health and wellbeing.

SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) is Scotland’s largest mental health charity, and they believe there is no health without mental health. SAMH has represented the voice of people most affected by mental health problems in Scotland for more than 90 years and are dedicated to mental health and wellbeing for all.

Freda McInulty, Business Support Team Manager said, “We are committed to supporting Scotland’s Mental Health Charter for Sports and Physical Activity. This is not simply a box-ticking exercise for us, we are looking at tangible ways to better support our members, coaches and staff, as no one should have to suffer with mental health on their own.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, contact your GP or visit SAMH for more information www.samh.org.uk.

Dumfries and Galloway! What’s going on, recently featured Sean Allan following his selection for Team GB Special Olympics ahead of this Summer’s Games. The Special Olympics will take place this June in Berlin.

20 year old Sean, trains at Castle Douglas Judo Club and Dumfries Judo Academy, where he started practising judo around 12 years ago.
Sean has an intellectual disability, however he has never let this get in the way of his judo journey, and has always been able to participate in mainstream judo classes with his peers. Although Sean finds some things a bit more difficult than his friends in the club, with hard work and support from his coaches and training partners, Sean has always found a way to succeed.
Sean’s training for this summer’s games has seen him engage in interclub training sessions with Hamilton Judo Club to provide extra training opportunities.
If you would like to support Sean in his Journey you can do so here.