Project Description
AGM 2019-20
All university clubs have an equal say in electing their charity trustees. Every university club in membership of their Students’ Union and the BSTF, regardless of style or affiliation, carries an equal vote at BSTF General Meetings. Voting is exercised by an elected committee members representing their club and conducted by simple majority. See the Event Entry Portal link below, and navigate between trustee candidates using the tabs below.
AGM 2019-20 trustee candidates
I have been on the board of BSTF for 5 years now. Through this time the organisation has changed immensely. From the way that we run our core activities like events, all the way through to the organisational changes associated with becoming a charity and a BUCS sport. I would like to remain on the board to help see us through these difficult times for sport and to continue to be a part of an organisation that provides so many opportunities for Student Taekwondo.
My background is from University of Surrey where I studied Psychology and became very involved with the university Taekwondo club, holding various committee positions across three years. I went on to complete an MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Portsmouth. It was during this year that I was elected to the BSTF board. Being involved in student Taekwondo and helping to organise and run events to improve the experience of students from across the UK has been a great experience. It has also been very interesting to be involved in the planning and organisation that is required to deliver these events.
My day job is also within the sport sector, working as the Client Services Manager at the University of Surrey Sports Park.
Although I am no longer a student I still train at Surrey and enjoy working with BSTF to continually develop the events that student clubs can compete and develop themselves in. Personally, I believe that Taekwondo at University not only maintains a students’ fitness and skills but also provides unforgettable experiences and numerous friendships.
During my time with BSTF I have seen a vast amount of development and progress and I can only see this continuing. I would love to be able to stay involved and to assist this development.
Duncan Ross
I am currently in the last year of a PhD in Computer Science at the University of Bath. My taekwondo journey began in whilst I was in secondary school but the most important events took place whilst I was at university. I used to avidly compete in BSTF events and even qualified for and competed in the EUSA Championships in 2019. I am also the former Chair and Vice-Chair for the University of Bath Taekwondo club from 2016-2019. During my time as Chair, the club saw a dramatic rise through the leader board which culminated in winning the Club of the Year award for two consecutive years and the ITF Sparring and Indomitable Award trophies in 2019.
During my time as a postgraduate student I have also been a BSTF Trustee for over 3 years. One of my main focuses has been on development of systems to help with the running of the BSTF events. The systems I had developed had allowed us to automate the collation of scores during and event and also across the year, this helped to reduce delays during events which in turn allowed us to run bigger events. Looking ahead it is clear the pandemic poses a challenge to ensuring the BSTF can continue to offer students the best opportunities to develop through taekwondo. I am hoping to use my experiences as a former student athlete and as a current student to help shape the future of university taekwondo to ensure that students can continue learning and developing through taekwondo, especially during the current pandemic.
Sameh Hussain
I have been a member of the BSTF for 5 years now. Originally from Belfast and a graduate of the university of Southampton I discovered the BSTF after being kicked in head at one of our competitions.
Throughout my studies I competed in a wide range of taekwondo and kickboxing competitions as well teaching kids, refereeing, and helping to organise the BSTF competitions. I now work as a manager in one of the UK’s largest insurance companies I would say one of the biggest skills that I bring to the BSTF Board is risk evaluation and critical thinking. I hope to continue on the Board and work to ensure that we are prepared as we can be for all scenarios – most immediately in our response the recent pandemic.
Aside from this you would have seen me at competitions feeding BSTF content to the Instagram and Snapchat Gods, helping boost the exposure of both the charity and our incredible student-athletes.
It is safe to say that the BSTF has come a long way since joining 5 years ago, however I know I and the rest of the rest of the Board have big plans to help push on and develop the BSTF even further. I feel that my relentless problem-solving mindset is one of the key asset to the BSTF because, as you can imagine, nothing ever goes exactly to plan!
Kevin Madden
I began Taekwondo when I was 12 years old at my local club. I went on to train at the University of Surrey where I became captain for the team. I always enjoyed sparing but my passion was in patterns competitions, and I later became a member of the British Taekwondo Poomsae team.
I studied Mathematics at university and went on to complete my masters in Information Systems and Technology. I currently work for Amazon Web Services as a Commercial Architect. I hope to return as a Trustee following few years away, having been a member of the BSTF Board for 4 years previously – though you’ll all recognise me as I have continued to volunteer at almost every BSTF event over the years since then! I have gaining a lot of experience in organising events, EUSA team management and other duties over the past decade, and look forward to helping on the Board once again if elected.
Stephanie Gooch
Governance and Trustee Elections
The British Student Taekwondo Federation (BSTF) is a national student sport federation and registered charity. Founded in 1986, we are governed by an elected board of trustees and project a national student voice for more than 70 active university Taekwondo clubs.
The mission of the British Student Taekwondo Federation is:
- The advancement for the public benefit of physical education among students in Universities and Colleges by the provision of services and promotion of the martial art and amateur sport of Taekwondo.
To this aim we provide various support services, and deliver a range of programmes and events including the BUCS Taekwondo Championships Series, training camps, officials’ courses, BUCS London University Sports League tournaments, European Universities Games qualification events and team management and a range of other events and services.
We work closely with a variety of valued partners and sponsors including suppliers, athletic unions and sports departments, NGBs, Taekwondo associations/ companies and British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). We provide the framework for open, multi-discipline competition between all university clubs, independently managing and insuring our events to enable all university Taekwondo practitioners to train and compete together.
There are three categories of membership within the organisation, including: Member Clubs (open to all clubs in membership of their respective Students’ Union); Individual Affiliates; and Honorary Life Members.
Governance of the charity is undertaken by the Board which is comprised of the Executive directors, Non-executive elected trustees and Non-executive directors.
Their roles are described in brief below:
 Executive DirectorsManagement (Staffed posts) | Non-executive TrusteesGovernance (Elected posts) |
Non-executive DirectorsAdvisory (Selected posts) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Work to effectively deliver the charity’s objects 2. Manage the operations of the charity, including its tournament and event programmes 3. Ensure adequate financial planning and control systems are in place 4. Determine strategies to achieve the charity’s goals 5. Communicate regularly with the Board 6. Plan the charity’s annual budget 7. Report to the Charity Commission 8. Engage with stakeholders and partners | 1. Provide oversight, assuring the effective performance and governance of the charity 2. Ensure the charity adheres to its governing documents 3. Ensure compliance with charity law 4. Ensure the charity’s assets are only used to support its objects 5. Identify and avert conflicts with personal interests or loyalty to any other person or body 6. Authorise the charity’s annual budget | 1. Hold traits of independence, impartiality, wide experience, special knowledge and personal qualities 2. Attend the charity’s board meetings in an advisory capacity 3. Review and report on potential performance improvements, long term planning and risk analysis 4. Provide an independent viewpoint |
The AGM is typically held during the first term of each academic year and is an opportunity for all clubs to get the latest information on this year’s upcoming events, and to elect the governing Trustees. Every university club in membership of their students’ union and the BSTF, regardless of style or affiliation, carries an equal vote at BSTF general meetings. All university clubs nationwide have an equal say in electing their trustees. Voting is exercised by an elected committee member representing their institution’s member club. In order for students from each institution to take part in the charity’s tournaments and for a club representative to attend the AGM, each institution must be in current membership of the charity.
Trustees are the passionate individuals who offer their time, energy and expertise to improve university taekwondo for all. Candidates are typically PhD students or alumni with prior experience leading university sports club committees, and often bring special skills to the board from their field of work (e.g., medicine, law, systems engineering, project management). Posts are usually either 1 or 2 years in length after which you may stand for re-election. You must be available to serve the full duration of your elected term.
Please be aware that the role is very different from that of a club captain. Being a BSTF trustee can be hard work, but if you love university sport and taekwondo then there are few better ways to give back to it than becoming a trustee, and such a role will give you a wealth of experience that employers will love.
The main responsibilities of elected trustees, essential required skills and desirable additional skills are listed below.
| Key Responsibilities | Essential Skills | Desirable Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Elected trustees ensure the accountability, legal compliance, & efficient governance of the charity | Be eligible, understand and accept role and responsibilities of a charity trustee – check this handbook | Expertise in the governance of charitable organisations/ NGBs / Students’ Unions |
| Provide oversight on a wide range of the charity’s’ activities, promptly reviewing documents year round | Understand and support the charity’s objectives, always following its Standard Operating Procedures | Significant experience operating or governing university clubs or students’ union departments |
| Attend around 9 meeting per year, some online & some requiring travel, up to 12 months of the year | Candidates must be: Passionate, Responsive, Reliable, Capable, Collaborators | Significant experience working in professional environments, ideally at company board level |
| Attend & support 3 or more other events each year, including the National Championships Finals | To always act impartially in the best interests of all university clubs at all times | Successful record delivering major sponsorship agreements in the third sector |
| Commit to providing 16-20 full days per year across events, meetings, reviewing documents & other tasks | Prepared for a challenge which requires good time management skills, technical precision & hard work | Hold desirable specialist skills, such as: medical doctors; lawyers; programmers; accountants |
If you are interesting in becoming a BSTF trustee you must contact us by email to put yourself forward. This must be received a minimum of 10 working days in advance of an AGM and should include a short text biography (must be 300-500 words) for publication on our website along with a passport style profile picture. Please see the events page for the date and venue of the charity’s next AGM.
Prior to elections at the AGM candidates will be questioned by board members and clubs’ representatives on a range of topics, including what experience they might bring to the board and on their understanding of the role of a charity trustee. It is as a minimum recommended that candidates be aware of the charity’s management and governance structure, and gain a thorough understanding of the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s handbook CC3, The Essential Trustee, in advance of the meeting. For further reading on this subject the Wales Council for Voluntary Action have produced a detailed Guide for Charity Trustees, covering all aspects of charity management and governance.
