BKA Five Year Development Plan: 2003/2008

Introduction

Since the Annual General Meeting last June, the Executive Committee has been giving much thought to the direction that Korfball should be taking in the Great Britain. It was recognised that there should be a longer-term vision for the sport so that all the organisational efforts and resources could be directed towards achieving the agreed objectives.

Our fundamental aim must be to become a Category A nation for Korfball but it is fully appreciated that it will take some time to achieve this goal. It is an often-quoted saying that every journey of a thousand miles starts with but a single step and there is no reason why this philosophy should not be applied to Korfball. The advantage we have is that we will not be starting from scratch - there is much to commend the organisation of the sport in this country and we must build on these firm foundations in a co-ordinated manner. In so doing, we will be making the best use of the resources at our disposal.

It is fully appreciated that the human and financial resources available to us are finite and so our plans for the way forward have borne this very much in mind. Having said that, it is quite surprising what can be achieved with such limited resources. In the space of six months, a Development Plan has been put in place, a Coaching Co-ordinator has been appointed, the syllabi for the coaching courses for Teachers/Leaders and Levels 1 and 2 have been revised in a most comprehensive manner and plans are in place for a National Schools' Competition in 2004. On top of this, a bid has been submitted for EC funding for the European Year of Education Through Sport Project (EYES) for 2004 and, if successful, this will provide central funding to assist us in taking Korfball into schools more than at any time previously.

The Development Plan

A draft plan was prepared in the early autumn and, after detailed consideration by the Executive Committee, was circulated to every Area Association for comment. All the feedback received has been very positive and many constructive suggestions were put forward for which the Executive Committee was most appreciative.

Having taken all of these into account, and having acknowledged the success of a similar programme introduced by the International Hockey Federation (as detailed at the seminar at the recent World Championships), the Executive Committee has decided that each of the first five years of the Plan should have a particular focus and these are shown below. The BKA has taken this initiative acknowledging that IKF may in the future decide upon different global objectives for each year. If so then BKA will almost certainly adjust its objectives accordingly. It should be noted that whilst each year has a clear objective other activities will still continue but at a lower level.

The “year” for the purposes of this Plan is the BKA financial year and this runs from 1 May to the following 30 April.

Within the Development Plan, there are a number of specific objectives geared towards increasing the numbers playing the sport and these are:

• Providing starter packs for Clubs and Areas on the setting up of new clubs.


• Together with the BSKA, reviewing the organisational structure for university Korfball and encouraging more universities to play the sport.


• Providing handouts for Freshers’ Weeks and encouraging Clubs and Areas to provide personnel for some of these.


• Offering a package of support for those taking Korfball into new schools.


• Providing supplies of introductory posters to be placed on notice boards and literature in support of new initiatives from Areas and clubs, and offering advice to secure local publicity.

In support of these primary objectives, there will be a number of organisational tasks addressed not the least of which will be to seek to appoint a Fundraising Co-ordinator to (1) identify potential funding sources and make applications and (2) initiate other fundraising activities.

In the coming months, the Executive Committee will be putting much more flesh on the bones of the above objectives and you will be kept abreast of developments via the website. The intention each year is to consolidate on our collective efforts so that the momentum can be maintained in succeeding years.

The Executive Committee recognises that there is much experience within Clubs and Areas on the setting up of new clubs and generally increasing the number of people playing Korfball, and the Committee would very much appreciate a sharing of these experiences so that others may benefit from this knowledge. This sharing of experiences and ideas would also contribute significantly to the successful achievement of BKA's aspirations for the first year of the Development Plan.

David Hubbard - BKA Development Officer

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