New faces in England Touch management

As the new year approaches England Touch is taking the opportunity to announce a number of new faces within the Association’s management structure.

Mark Croston formally stepped down as Chair in September 2022 to concentrate on his role at the helm of the Federation of International Touch. His place has been filled by Non-Executive Director, Justin Conway, who will be Acting Chair until the next Annual General Meeting.

As well as being one of the most knowledgeable players and coaches in England with London Scorpions and coaching England’s Mixed Open team through multiple World Cup and European Championship cycles, Conway is also a highly experienced lawyer, having been a partner at some of the City of London’s most prestigious firms.

Going into an 18 months which will include a home Touch World Cup and Atlantic Youth Touch Cup, as well as a trip to France for next summer’s European Touch Championships, as well as an upcoming launch of an ambitious vision for both England Touch and the sport as a whole in England, Conway says that it is an exciting time for the Association.

“Touch in England is going in a positive direction in many ways,” he says, “from continued success on the international stage, growth of the National Touch Series, getting Touch included in the British Universities and Colleges Sport calendar, and providing resources for schools across the country to enable more children to take up the sport.”

He continued: “Mark deserves a lot of credit for how England Touch has developed over the four-and-a-half years he was in position, and on behalf of the rest of the Board I thank him for his leadership.

“It will be a privilege to be England Touch’s Acting Chair until the next Annual General Meeting.”

Chief Executive, Chris Simon, joined Conway in thanking Croston for his contributions since 2018.

“Mark has been a constructive Chair to work with,” he said. “He has constantly challenged us to think positively and proactively about how we can grow Touch at all levels, and in remaining focused on delivering good outcomes as we developed our vision and submitted our applications to Sport England. It’s been an enjoyable experience and I’m glad he is staying in the sport with the Federation of International Touch.”

Elsewhere Martin Wright has stepped down from his long-held role as South West Regional Lead, with Erica Robertson relinquishing her position as Referee Course Co-Ordinator.

Martin is replaced by Lexie Williams, who won the UK Coaching Young Coach of the Year Award for 2022, with Chloe Spencer taking over Erica’s duties, although Erica will be continuing as Coaching Course Co-Ordinator.

“Both Martin and Erica have held multiple roles within our workforce, and having them step down from some of them is a reflection of how successful they have been in helping England Touch grow over the last few years,” Simon added.

“The role of a Regional Lead has expanded dramatically, and while it used to be about organising teams for the Nationals it is now also about supporting the growth of Touch across the region, in universities, clubs and schools, and creating the pathways for people to progress within the region. Martin will be continuing as an Assistant Coach with the Men’s Open national team, which itself takes up considerable time, especially with a European Touch Championships this summer and then the World Cup in 2024.

“Erica has helped facilitate having hundreds of individuals attend Level 1 and Level 2 referee courses over the last few years, with an increasing number of courses being offered each year. With similar expansion of the Coaching Course programme it is also understandable why she would concentrate on one and not both.

“We massively value their contributions and it is brilliant that they are continuing within our workforce.

“Lexie will be an excellent Regional Lead, building on the foundations Martin laid, and Chloe will be a strong addition to our referee management team.”