A brief update from the JudoScotland Chair, Marc Preston, on activity in September;
Now that the dust has settled from the weekend that encompassed both The Gathering and the Annual General Meeting, it is time for me to write my final Chair Report.
One of the highlights from the past weekend was the great pleasure of being on the mat with Tato Grigalashvili, four-time World Champion at The Gathering. The session was outstanding and of the highest quality, and I’d like to thank Paul McGuiness and the team for delivering a world-class event for JudoScotland members and the wider judo community.
Thank you to all those who contributed to our AGM at Glasgow International Arena, where we all had a robust and frank discussion. It is fabulous that we can all speak so honestly together for the betterment of our sport, and on that, we are about to embark on a new four-year strategy that will help to accelerate judo in Scotland with a clear vision and united approach.
Given that it’s my last report, I thought that I’d reminisce a little about my 19 years as a Director, Vice-Chair and Chair. There have been so many highlights, but here are a few personal highlights:
- Being part of the interviewing panel and selection committee that recruited Judith McCleary, JudoScotland’s first female CEO. I have found Judith to be an extremely hardworking and committed individual, and I’ve enjoyed my time working through the journey with her and the team.
- Strengthened partnerships; the last few years have been fruitful in terms of new collaborations involving clubs and JudoScotland with a range of local and national partners. The influence and impact of judo in supporting people in their lives is ever-increasing.
- Being part of the Board that brought in 3 Independent Directors to make our Board a stronger and more complete unit to achieve JudoScotland’s ambitions.
- Bringing in two four-year terms for the Board, which encourages and supports new directors and ideas. And on this point, I would like to congratulate Kirsty Marsh and Graeme Randall on their recent appointments as Directors. I think this fully justifies the two-term policy to replenish the Board with fresh energy and new ideas.
I would also like to note that we brought the Scottish Judo performance programme back in-house, so that JudoScotland could have the appropriate input/control of this critical area. This is a highlight, but also one of my regrets during my time as Chair, as I was not able to push this programme and its development further along in its journey.
Another thing I am very proud of is when JudoScotland was presented with the 2024 Scottish Governing Body of the Year award – for the first time in our history! I was very pleased that we received such an accolade in recognition of the work of the team and wider judo community.
All of this would not have been possible without the dedication and support of our Board, staff, clubs, coaches, volunteers, officials, athletes, members and partners: together we are building a stronger and more ambitious future for judo in Scotland.
On the future, I’d like to say congratulations and good luck to our new Chair Sandy Hodge. I have no doubt that, with the support of the membership, he will be a fabulous Chair and take the organisation to a new level.
Thank you to my fellow Directors, Mark Brien and David Gibson, who retired from the Board at the AGM, and for their immense contributions to the sport. A lot of work goes unnoticed behind the scenes, and their unwavering support is appreciated.
A final and very special thanks go to our President Colin McIver and Vice-Presidents Rick Kenney, Jim Feenan and Graham Campbell for always being there when I needed advice.
I look forward to catching up with you all over the coming years!
Marc Preston
7th Dan
