Kent Archery Development Officer Appointed

The KAA Committee would like to congratulate Kay Holliman on her appointment to the newly created position of Kent Archery Development Officer. She took up her new post on Monday 22 October 2007.

This post is the first of its kind in the UK and is a direct, tangible legacy of the Meteksan Archery World Cup event in Dover earlier in the year. Kay will be employed by the Kent County Council Sports Development Unit (KSDU) and based at their offices at Kings Hill, West Malling. Funding has been provided by Sport England, GNAS, the KSDU and Dover Town Council for up to three years. From a GNAS perspective this is seen as a pilot for a nationwide scheme.

Kay is an active member of Black Lion Archery Club in Rainham and has left her job as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant to take up this new and very challenging post.

So what is this new job all about? Put simply, it covers a number of specific development activities in the county, geared towards developing the sport as a whole and making it more readily available to the public. The first year's action plan is to:

  • identify three places in the county (focus areas) to introduce archery to schools and special schools and develop a package to help them deliver archery sessions - this will include advice, planning, equipment, arranging Leader training and creating links with local clubs;
  • introduce archery to community groups and leisure centres in those three focus areas;
  • provide development advice and assistance for clubs that want it, especially relating to ClubMark, disability sport and services available from outside organisations;
  • increase the profile of archery within the county.

Future objectives include further increase in participation and the development of coaches, volunteers and elite performers.

Although Kay will be employed and managed by the KSDU, she will be liaising closely with both the KAA Committee and Invicta Coaching Group.

If you would like more information about the Kent Archery Development Project, please contact Kay on 01622 605409 or e-mail her (these are her work phone number and e-mail address). For information about the support and services provided from the Kent Sports Development Unit, please visit their web site.

This new appointment is just one of the ways in which we are looking to improve the sport that we all love, to a level of which we can all be truly proud.

Meanwhile the KAA is also working on its transformation from an administrative committee to one that is more deeply involved with development within the county - of the sport, of its administration, of its clubs and of its archers. There is a huge amount to do and we've started by putting in place some of the necessary ground-work - next on the list is the new constitution for discussion and (hopefully) acceptance at its EGM on Sunday 18 November.

Please make an effort to attend and, very importantly, take a short while to read through the proposed constitution beforehand. More information and the constitution we will be voting on are available here.