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The FiveStar Project reaches the launchpad!

14/09/17: A message from EFA Chairman Richard Black:

The EFA is delighted to announce that two part-time Development Managers have started work with us on 1st September 2017 as part of the FiveStar project. They will work on identifying the projects which will expand Eton Fives, securing whatever funding is necessary and seeing the projects through to the point where the new activities become part of the established Eton Fives community.

The FiveStar project is the Eton Fives Association’s seven-year strategy to take the game into a new era: to find out more about the ambitious aims of the project please CLICK HERE.

The new appointments have been made possible thanks to an anonymous donor, who has given £100,000 to fund a Development Office for two years. This will give us the chance to translate our dreams into achievement.

The two Development Managers are

London and the South East: Alex Knight

alex knight

Alex has been involved with Fives from an early age - he was born while his father was still on court! As a choral scholar, he was mainly focused on music at Eton and Cambridge and only started playing fives in his 20s, but now plays in the league for the Old Etonians, where he was club secretary for many years, and enjoys regular friendly fives with the Brigands at Charterhouse.

Alex's early career was in arts management as Project Director for the Association of British Orchestras, where his role encompassed fundraising and events management as well as membership liaison. He then moved into recruitment, initially in the technology sector and subsequently across a broad range of senior appointments, and he has been a partner at executive search firm Altium Associates for the last seven years.

As a player who loves the game and with strong personal connections to fives, Alex is really excited about this role and the possibilities for the sport.

Midlands and the North: Tom Tsang

tom tsang

Tom is new to Fives but is a fine all-round sportsman with a degree in Sports Science. Originally from Yorkshire and now based in the Midlands, Tom has six years experience with the National Rugby League, first as a Development Officer and then National Education Officer, and 18 months experience as Participation Project Co-Ordinator with the British Equestrian Federation.

He is currently Head Coach with the Coventry Bears rugby league team and is excited by the opportunity both to learn a new sport - he has already got some gloves on and taken to the court - and to help grow the game in the Midlands and the North.

I am responsible to the EFA Board for the success of the project. Gareth Hoskins is helping me to co-ordinate the activities and the running of the Development Office.

This is big step forward. We have already generated many ideas for developing Eton Fives.

We need the support and ideas of all EFA members and we will be conducting an extensive consultation exercise with all members in the next few months.

With your help and support we will see many new Eton Fives centres and many new players as the Project unfolds.

Richard Black

Chairman, Eton Fives Association

For further information, please contact Richard Black or Gareth Hoskins by CLICKING HERE