Catalyst
Established in 2023, we are a specialist sports consultancy constructed to directly address the current pitfalls of American Football in the UK and Ireland. Built by the people, for the people and founded on the principles of a cooperative, we collectively we have over 50 years of experience across governance, delivery, officiating and coaching domains within UK American Football and a combined wealth of skills from a breadth of professional, cultural and educational backgrounds. Our experiential diversity uniquely enables us to take a holistic approach to solving the current challenges and our hope is that we can be a spark in accelerating the growth of and a force for good in the sport we love across UK/I - playing a part in ushering it towards a brighter future.
Our Vision
Our organisational vision is to act as a force multiplier, stewarding the game we love into a brighter future by;
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Creating places and opportunities for athletes, coaches and officals to play and develop
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Campaigning for and promoting the game across social arenas
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Supporting those who play a part in it through education, initiatives and product development.
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Just like our core initiative, our goal is ultimately to make Flag Football For All!​
Our Story
Our organisation is founded on two core beliefs;
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"It takes a village to raise a child" - in essence, nobody has all the answers and success is a collaborative journey.
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The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome. Effectively, if you want to see positive change, you have to change your approach and do things differently and as an individual you have a responsibility to enact that change not watch and wait.
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Our organisational structure and namesake are therefore entirely intentional. ​​
We're structured as a cooperative because;
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Every successful sports team has a village of helpers including administrators, therapists, support staff, marketers, nutritionists and coaches all working behind the scenes to support, nurture and help that team and it's players to flourish.​ Our team is Flag Football across UK/I and we want to make that level of support accesible to all, in our niche sport, removing the boundaries which keep it out of reach.
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We're built by the people, for the people and our successes are in part paid back to the community by reinvesting in the game, it's athletes, officials and coaches.
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We're Catalyst because;
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A Catalyst is a substance, event or person which affects important change. After 10 or more years trying to work within existing structures and seeing limited positive change, it's time for something new and we have a responsibility to the game we love if we want it to succeed.
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Our approach will be scientific in nature - practical, evidence based, iterative and agile. We don't work on the basis of opinions and egos are checked at the door.
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The more people who join Team Catalyst, the greater the positive impact we can have and the more we can catalyse change as a force multiplier for good.
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We want to be the team behind the team and believe that together we can elevate the game to new heights!
Our Mission
Our goals between 2023 and 2025 are to;
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Create a fresh and diverse range of Flag Football events, accessible to everyone across UK/I no matter their experience or aspirations
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Launch and normalise new playing formats and build new audiences for the game
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Actively promote the game through the creation of quality content and by engaging new media outlets and partners to further visibility of the sport
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Affect positive change within existing formats of the game
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Build and establish missing mechanisms which support the game (e.g. officiating)
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Establish a networked centre of excellence for the game with both virtual and physical arms, creating an ultra-accessible shared educational platform through which any individual or organisation, can get the support they need to excel within the sport.​​
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Establish an unbiased sponsorship fund to help support the development of Flag athletes and coaches.
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Establish an academy for the sport in the North of England, ideally with a purpose built facility