England Touch Association thanks leaving volunteers

England Touch Chief Executive Chris Simon has thanked a number of volunteers who have recently stepped down from the Association’s management group.

Julia Kang (Disclosure and Barring Manager), Mark Aldous (Accounts Manager), Nick Dobbin (Lead Sports Scientist) and Jon McNaught (Company Secretary) have all given their time to England Touch, helping to make the Association the progressive and expanding organisation that it is today.

In setting up and managing England Touch’s DBS system for many years, Julia has put in place the essential framework needed for a sport which welcomes players of all ages into its clubs and national teams, work which has been done behind the scenes.

Mark has been a key cog in keeping the finances working smoothly, an important role as England Touch’s turnover has grown as playing opportunities have increased and the ETA has continued to host major events.

Nick’s contributions have been invaluable in supporting England Touch’s on-field growth and achievements on the international stage. He has worked in both European Touch Championships between 2012 and 2018 and two Touch World Cups, and the research he has undertaken has increased the knowledge and understanding of the physical demands faced by Touch players at all levels.

And Jon McNaught has been the Association’s Secretary for 18 months, supporting the Chair, Chief Executive and Board of Directors as England Touch takes the steps towards professionalising the organisation.

“Julia, Mark and Nick have been around for some time and put in a massive number of hours over the years. The work they have done has helped us take big strides forward as an organisation,” Simon says. “Every sports body relies on volunteers, but this is especially true for England Touch, and the dedication shown by Julia, Mark and Nick for such a long period of time has been exemplary.

“Thanks, too, to Jon, who has been a supportive presence to myself, Mark Croston and the Board of Directors over the past 18 months. Whilst he only joined the team in 2019, Jon has helped as we continue to make steps forwards with regards our organisational structure and governance.”

All four positions are now open for applications, and Simon added that recent announcements such as the partnerships with London Irish and the British Heart Foundation show that England Touch is an exciting organisation to be a part of.

“We have already announced a couple of exciting partnerships with more in the pipeline, and England Touch is going in the right direction,” he says. “I’m sure that we will be welcoming new people into the organisation to build on the strong foundations which have been laid.”

Full details of the roles will be put on the England Touch website shortly, but if anyone is interested in getting involved, then please email Head of Volunteers, Nikola Halse on volunteers@englandtouch.org.uk.