WCL becomes a subsidiary of BWLA

World Class Lifting (“WCL”) this week completed the move to become a wholly owned subsidiary of lifting’s national governing body, the British Weight Lifters’ Association (“BWLA”).  Late in 2006, WCL was established to develop and deliver a world class programme for Olympic Weightlifting in the build up to the games in Beijing 2008 and London 2012.  In April 2008, WCL also took on responsibility for the Paralympic Power Lifting’s world class programme.

Commenting WCL Chair Jonathan Fuller said, “I am delighted that the two organisations have now officially come together.  WCL was established with the clear target of maximizing British lifting success at Olympic and Paralympic Games and major World and European championships, but could never achieve this in isolation.  WCL is dependent upon BWLA increasing the number of participants and clubs and raising the profile of the sports. 

“Under our Performance Manager Fiona Lothian, WCL has grown rapidly over the last few months since we opened our offices and high performance centre at Leeds Metropolitan University.  Thanks to the National Lottery funding received through UK Sport we now have first class training facilities, two highly respected coaches in Tamas Feher (Olympic Weightlifting) and Nicola Vaughan-Ellis (Paralympic Power Lifting) and a full complement of support staff.  It now makes eminent sense for BWLA and us to seek economies of scale through sharing facilities and office staff.  We look forward to continuing and developing a close working relationship with BWLA’s staff under Chief Executive Steve Cannon and supporting BWLA’s activities whenever practical.”

WCL’s objectives and responsibilities remain unaltered by becoming a subsidiary of BWLA and will be represented on the BWLA Board by Jonathan Fuller and Finance Director Mark Martin, who is also to become Finance Director for BWLA.

Commenting on the move Bill Barton, Chair of BWLA, said, “In the two years since Mike Heath and Neil Binder joined the BWLA Board they have worked hard to ensure that the BWLA achieve the standards of quality demanded by UK Sport. At the same time they have greatly improved the relationship between the BWLA and UK Sport.

Thanks also to them and the Board of WCL for developing closer ties which has now led to the two organisations coming together and I feel this will be of great satisfaction to UK Sport.

As BWLA Chairman and a BWLA member for more than 50 years it gives me a great deal of pleasure knowing that, as the BWLA heads into 2010 and its centenary year, it is still the Governing Body for weightlifting in the UK.” 

All correspondence for BWLA should now be addressed to:

BWLA,

110 Cavendish

Headingley Campus

Leeds Metropolitan University

Leeds, LS6 3QS

Tel.   01138127098

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