Clubmark newsletter - March 2010

News

The RFU celebrates 500 accredited clubs

The Rugby Football Union's drive to ensure that youngsters coming into the game benefit from the very best support systems that clubs can provide reached a major landmark recently when Clevedon RFC from Somerset became the 500th club to attain Seal of Approval (Clubmark) accreditation for its Mini & Youth set-up.

Whitstable Youth Bowling Club awarded Clubmark

Whitstable Youth Bowling Club has been awarded Sport England's Clubmark Accreditation.

Whitstable YBC are only the second Tenpin Bowling Club nationally to have received this prestigious status to date, the first being Strikers YBC in North Waltham.

Prestwich sports club... a shining example

Prestwich Cricket, Tennis and Bowling Club (PCTBC) has obtained Clubmark accreditation from GreaterSport for its Crown Green Bowling section and almost simultaneously has been awarded Charter Standard for its football section from the F.A.

A great day for Bungay Cherry Tree Angling Club

It was a great day for Bungay Cherry Tree Angling Club as Jonathan Wilson and Julian Taylor from the Angling Development Board presented the Club with its Clubmark certificate of accreditation.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

This year, we will be introducing a new section to the newsletter to highlight the questions we are often asked. To kick this off, here are a couple of recent questions and answers... 

Are clubs still required to attend 'A Club for All' training?

The criteria for the equity and ethics section altered last year and can now be found in the Knowing your club and its community section. The key difference is that Clubmark criteria does not insist that attendance at ‘A Club for all' workshop' is essential.

The club now has to produce an Equity Action Plan or incorporate equity actions within its club development plan. This should be a short summary of how to recruit and retain members based on fairness and can be either separate or part of the overall club development plan.

The club can still send people on the course as it is an excellent support opportunity and some NGBs and CSPs still require you to do this so it is essential that you check with your licensing organisation.

Equity in your coaching is still a requirement for coaches but we will be introducing equity tasks which will be a requirement for all coaches to complete. These tasks will be based on practical application of understanding accessibility.

In addition, runningsports has been updating and revamping the 'Club for All' course to make it more relevant. This is also likely to be available online in the near future so watch this space for more information on this.

If you haven't put action points into your club development plan, now is the time to consider it... before your next annual health check. Remember, where possible, involve as many people as you can in your planning, as this is likely to lead to best results. 

Can martial arts associations and clubs get Clubmark accreditation?

While we are very sympathetic, it is important to re-iterate that Clubmark is a Sport England product for clubs that are affiliated to a Sport England recognised NGB. Many martial arts clubs choose not to affiliate to the Sport England recognised NGB and are, therefore, not eligible for accreditation.

In a comparable case, many karate clubs are not eligible because Sport England does not currently recognise any body as the NGB for the sport. Once appropriate governance is established we intend, given that all key licensing criteria are met, to admit karate clubs to the Clubmark family as quickly as possible.

Visit the Clubmark website for more FAQs or if you have a question, you would like answering, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and include FAQ in the subject line.

Spotlight on

Spotlight on... Alexandra Moore, Head of Volunteering, Sport England

Alexandra Moore is Sport England's new Head of Volunteering. Previously Alexandra has worked for Greater Manchester Sports Partnership as Development Director where her responsibilities included workforce development, education and skills.

Prior to Greater Manchester Sports Partnership, she spent six years in Leisure Management and two years as a Senior Consultant for a Sports and Leisure Consultancy.

Did you know...

...about our focus for 2010

Clubmark continues to go from strength to strength. More than 5,800 clubs are now accredited with a further 4,400 working towards accreditation. But where do we want to get to by the end of 2010... More

...about Sport England's Centre of Excellence for Volunteering (COEV)

The Centre of Excellence for Volunteering sits as part of the NGB and Sport Directorate and consists of Alexandra Moore who is the Head of Volunteering with Kirsty Clarke and Sophie Tobin who are Senior Volunteering Managers. The primary focus of the team is to provide high quality advice and guidance to support the NGB's delivery of Sport England's Grow, Sustain and Excel outcomes.

The remit of the team extends to the relationship management of an important portfolio of National Funded Partners and Sport England programmes which aim to enhance our volunteering and wider club development solutions. These include Volunteering England, National Association for Voluntary and Community Action, Skills Active, Running Sports and Clubmark.

To ensure that the NGBs have access to the most relevant information the COEV works closely with a number of third sector partners to help widen our scope when it comes to volunteering and club development opportunities. The third sector infrastructure has huge potential to have a positive impact on community sport, through their support networks and ability to engage those from outside a traditional sport setting. Sport also has a great deal of good practice that others sectors have already taking interest in adopting and we see now as a fantastic opportunity to facilitate some of this sharing. We see such partnerships as those between sport and the third sector as important in their potential to support the growth and development of volunteering and increases in participation in sport, particularly as we work towards the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Clubmark represents an important part of the COEV programme in terms of supporting NGBs with club development and volunteering needs. The COEV will be working closely with KKP to ensure Clubmark continues to hold a strong position within the strategic landscape.

Summary of accredited clubs

Congratulations to all our latest Clubmark clubs...