Hi all,
What a busy last few months it’s been! Between competitions, positive conversations and work going on behind the scenes ahead of Commonwealths, there’s been a buzz of activity.
Annual General Meetings
The British Powerlifting AGM happened on Sunday 26th July and it was their first time using a new, digital voting system. It was great to see an improved level of transparency for public commentary, public voting and record keeping. Along with this new system, because people could vote online, in advance of the AGM, British Powerlifting also held an online discussion forum to allow members to come together and discuss the motions before voting closed. I really liked this opportunity because, while having extra conversation never hurts, it also meant that the actual AGM only took around half an hour.
I think it’s no secret that the NIPF AGMs run long because everyone wants an opportunity to be heard and to contribute. However, it doesn’t always suit everyone to come down on the day because the actual meetings run on so long.
This year, I’d like to give people the opportunity to have an early, online feedback session ahead of the AGM. Whilst we’ll still make sure to stick to the rules, as set out in our Constitution, I’d hope that expanding the opportunities for people to talk, share their perspectives and help others understand the nuance of some of the issues would help mean that we can get more people involved, ask questions and allow them to feel that their voice has been heard. Then, on the day of the AGM, whilst we’ll provide an opportunity for feedback on the day, we can hopefully streamline the process and give people back more of their day.
There’s no proposed date for the AGM yet, but it’s always worth planning ahead to see how we can help make the most of people’s time and make sure everyone can provide input to the fullest. If you’ve any thoughts around this idea or how you think it could be best implemented, please feel free to email me on ceo@nipowerlifting.co.uk or nipfinfo@gmail.com.
In the meantime, if you want to find out more about the British Powerlifting AGM, including reading my report to the BP membership, please visit: https://tools.britishpowerlifting.org/agm/bp-agm-2026/
Volunteering
There’s been some really passionate and productive conversations around volunteering, both locally and at the wider level across British Powerlifting. Whether it’s in person, on social media, or on podcasts, it’s been great to see the focus being put on the importance of giving back to the sport.
People choose to volunteer for many different reasons. Whether it’s to qualify for international selection, to give back to the sport, or just for the love of the game, it’s really admirable to see that people are speaking up and highlighting the value that it brings to them personally.
In opposition to that, it’s also really useful to hear why people can’t or don’t want to volunteer. From things like childcare or work commitments, lack of travel options, or just not being interested, it helps provide us with greater insight into our membership.
Given how the federation is growing, I think it’s great to see how there are more opportunities than ever to get involved. Whilst volunteer support on competition day is really important, people have been able to help grow the sport in so many other ways;
- Setup and takedown of the competition venue
- Running podcasts and producing videos to highlight the stories of people in our community
- Running our IT systems
- Contributing to media production and photography
Volunteering is a huge ecosystem and it takes so many talented people to operate this sport we love. I’ll never apologise for pushing everyone to try and volunteer in some shape or form, but I’d encourage everyone to give it a try here and there. You might just find your next passion. For those of you that already volunteer, thank you.
Competition Feedback
We recently issued a feedback form after the Sammy Porter NI Bench Press Championships because we wanted to hear from you about your experience. There was loads of positive and constructive feedback, so thank you! One of the most consistent bits of feedback that people brought up was around having more combo racks available.
While I agree that we can always do more to continue to elevate the standards of our competitions, including our warm up rooms, this heavily relies on our volunteers. There’s a lot of logistics that go into setting up for a competition, alongside the number of hours required to achieve the full setup. For example, did you know that it took a team of 12 people around eight hours to tear down the equipment from the gym it stays in, pack it in a van, transport it, unload it and set it all up? It took 16 people six hours to put everything back again. The clean up of the venue was even starting during the last flight of the competition.
If we want to help achieve the rising standard that our members expect, we need your help. While we’ll always appreciate people lifting the heavy stuff, people can help us in other ways:
- Do you have access to a van?
- Do you know sponsors who can help with the logistics of moving equipment around the country?
- Are you free to help load or unload equipment at the gym or venue?
A small measure of help can allow our event volunteers to create a better competition experience for everyone.
We’re going to continue to seek feedback after competitions, as it’s provided some great insight into how we can continue to improve. We always want to raise the bar on our standards and keep providing great events for all our members and supporters.
If you have any ideas, please feel free to email me or speak to any of the other committee members with feedback, ideas or offers of help.
Community Values
I don’t know how many of you have seen the recent news coming out of the Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation and their decision to issue a lifetime ban to a member. The individual expressed racist views and has rightly paid the price by being no longer able to play any part in our sport.
One of the values that the NIPF espouses in its Constitution is that our work shall have the character of equivalency. Basically, that everyone is treated equally. The NIPF has so many spectrums of diversity – community background, race, religion, gender, sexuality, neurodiversity, and more – and all are welcome here.
The NIPF firmly stands against bigotry and discrimination of any kind. It will always be a community that protects its members.
I know that I speak for the entire committee in that we take a zero tolerance approach to discrimination. We have in depth Safeguarding and Diversity and Inclusion policies, which equip us with the tools to deal with this swiftly and decisively. British Powerlifting has previously taken disciplinary action against people for sexist behaviour and attitudes and will not hesitate to do so again.
So, look out for each other. Challenge poor behaviour and attitudes. Promote the positive values which make our federation so fun to be a part of. Be the great role models that I know each of you are.
As ever, if you want to talk in confidence, provide feedback, have a moan about powerlifting or the federation, I’m always here to listen to it – the good and the bad! It’s been great having conversations with so many of you over the last few months. I’ve found out more about how you want to transform the federation in the coming years and I hope that I can help set that plan in motion for you all.
Josh Bell
CEO