Skateboard England & Skateboard GB unite into a single organisation
It has been announced today that Skateboard England and Skateboard GB are re-structuring to form a single national governing body for skateboarding, under the name ‘Skateboard GB’.
Skateboard England was formed in 2015 and has supported the growth of grassroots skateboarding in England and Wales through various initiatives; while Skateboard GB, which was formed in 2017 has been key in supporting skaters for Olympic qualifying competitions.
The re-structured organisation will have responsibility for supporting & growing grassroots skateboarding in England as well as leading the development of the Olympic programme for the whole of the UK.
Establishing one skateboarding governing body will have many benefits, including having a singular brand for driving a stronger, more consistent direction, avoiding duplication of governance, resources and staff to focus time and effort for the growth of the sport and a strong link with other GB sporting organisations.
Skateboard Scotland and Skateboard:NI will remain separate to support and grow skateboarding within their own countries, and it is anticipated that a new skateboarding governing body will be established in Wales. Skateboard GB will work closely with and support those governing bodies, who will continue to be represented on its Board of Directors.
Over the last few years Skateboard England and Skateboard GB have together made key progress in supporting the development of skateboarding through:
- The creation of MySkate, an app that maps all 1,600 UK skateparks in the UK.
- Organising the National Championships to allow the best skaters in the UK to compete and gain Olympic qualifying points.
- Produced Covid guidance in line with government legislation, enabling skateparks to open and operate safely throughout 2020.
- Trained over 450 skateboard coaches.
- Created the first document giving guidance & criteria to local authorities for building better skateboarding spaces.
- Building the Skateboard GB Team up for international success through preparation & facilitation of qualifying events for the Olympic Games.
Skateboarding participation has seen continued growth over the last 5 years, with accelerated numbers of people starting (or re-starting) skateboarding in 2020 leading to the highest participation figures in 20 years. In particular there has been a significant growth in female skateboarding and those aged over 30 rekindling their love of the sport.
James Hope-Gill CEO of Skateboard GB said “As skateboarding makes its debut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year, this is a great time to structure the two organisations to enable even more growth of the sport in the UK. The re-structure is really important with the recent announcement of funding from UK Sport to help us develop talented skateboarders towards Olympic success as it creates a co-ordinated approach across the UK between all the home nations”.
The re-structure will happen with immediate effect, with all communication mediums falling under the name Skateboard GB.