FRIDAY, October 7th, 2016, AT 8:45 AM/ PST

Colin Payne Steps Down

In His Own Words, On His Own Terms...

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From Colin Payne: Once again it seems Facebook is the easiest and quickest way to get any news out there and so wishing to make people in the game aware of a couple of things I'm putting it on here and tagging more than a few people in the sport so they can be made aware of it. With the sport sometimes being rife with gossip and untruths I want to make sure people are clear as to why I have taken the decision I have.

For over 10 years I have been co-director for Europe for the IKF a role I shared with my good mate Carl Sams. From the end of this month I will be resigning from this position however I would like to make it perfectly clear that this is a purely personal decision and is not in anyway due to any fall out, disagreement or otherwise.

My relationship with Carl, my good friend Pete Foley in Ireland and IKF President Steve Fossum is the same as it has always been and each of these people have given me their full support and backing with the step I have taken and have been nothing but supportive.

For the best part of 20 years I have worked with one sanctioning body or another, happy to work with other like minded people within the sport and I hope I have been able to make a positive contribution in that time. It's not been easy a lot of the time as I juggled that with the running of my gym and association, my promotions but also most importantly my family.

My Wendy and Chelsea have supported me in everything I have done and I cannot thank them enough but it's fair to say they have put up with a lot during that time as I spent many hours away from home.
Going to events is of course something all us coaches have to do as our fighters are competing on a regular basis but my time it's fair to say has been stretched even further as I've undertaken work on behalf of the IKF and others.

So it's time to step back just a little and from the end of the month I will no longer have a role in the management team of the IKF. I of course will continue to be as active as a coach as ever and I'm also very pleased to say my gym TKO Elite has never been busier. With our membership at the highest point it's ever been it will keep me extremely busy but for now I just don't have the time left to do anything else and want any spare time I have to be spent with my family.

I've been very grateful for the trust that was put in myself and Carl by Mr Fossum. I'm very proud of the work we have done. I honestly believe that very few sanctioning bodies have contributed as much as we have in trying to organise and administer the sport properly.

For us it was never going to be about being the 'busiest' association, we have set what we feel are realistic but firm guidelines for the sport as we believe it should be done. We have been very fortunate to be supported in that work by promoters of integrity and who have full belief in what we do. They have respected that we have never pulled back from trying to set the best standards for the sport even if sometimes it hurt us as other promoters decided to go elsewhere as we sometimes were 'just too much hard work'.

I always knew when answering the phone to promoters that if their first question was 'how much is it' that there was not much chance of them going with us as the cost was the first factor (though I must add that IKF costs are far from expensive).

Having a professional sanctioning service, with titles with integrity and firm guidelines was never what they wanted and that's fair enough however Carl and I decided from day one that we saw no point in duplicating what others were doing and that if, as has sadly happened since it seems in ever increasing numbers, people do not wish to have a clear and firm structure then they should be left to do what they felt was best for them.

The ever increasing numbers of 'sanctioning bodies' offering nothing but a cheap set of initials and no control (promoters picking their own officials, etc) may be what some want but we saw no need to join them.

I will remain an IKF promoter as I wish my own events to continue as they have always done. I will continue to be an official of the IKF and will undertake work for them as they wish. I will though be undertaking my last official management role later this month when I oversee the IKF England team as it travels to Italy for the unified World Championships and once that is over I will be ending my role as Co-Director.

I would like to thank Carl once again for his support in this decision and for working alongside me for all this time, its been a real pleasure. He has my full support and confidence that the IKF will continue to play a strong and valued role in the sport here.

Lastly and most importantly I would like to thank my wife Wendy and Chelsea for all their help and support. I could never had done the job without their backing, but now it's time to step back just a little and hopefully give us all a little more time together.

Steve Fossum / IKF: Thank you for all your work Colin Payne. We as the IKF were PROUD to have you as a part of the IKF Team, and remain so. The work that you and Carl Sams have done for the IKF has been nothing short of outstanding and even though your stepping down from the management side, you will ALWAYS be a Valuable part of the IKF along with the rest of the team you and Carl have created.

TIME is the most valuable of things and all of us here can only hope that you spend that TIME with your Family FIRST, and whatever time you have left, the rest of us are privileged to have you share with us...

You are a man of Integrity and Honor sir and I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we are PROUD to call you our Friend...