Clubmark
Background to Clubmark
Clubmark is the Sport England mark of high quality junior sports clubs. National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) and county sport partnerships (CSPs) award Clubmark to proven high quality clubs. The national scheme has been in place since 2002 and there are now around 4,700 accredited clubs across more than 35 sports.
As a single, national standard, Clubmark gives sports clubs of all types structure and direction. Clubs awarded Clubmark have seen many tangible benefits, such as increased membership and the development of coaches and volunteers. Clubmark provides a focus around which all organisations involved in sport can come together to support good practice in sports clubs working with children and young people.
Knight, Kavanagh & Page (KKP) manages Clubmark on behalf of Sport England. It is responsible for validation of NGBs and CSPs, for moderation of its impact on clubs and for the marketing and promotion of the programme throughout
Record numbers cross the finishing line...
Quarterly figures for Sport England’s quality accreditation scheme for sports clubs with junior sections report a record increase in newly accredited clubs taking the total to 4,700 Clubmark clubs.
Clubmark was originally created in 2002. Knight Kavanagh & Page (KKP) was contracted to manage and drive its strategic development and operation in 2006 when the number of accreditations stood at 1,250.
Since then, the number of accredited clubs has increased by more than 350%. There are now Clubmark clubs in more than 35 sports; plus a further 4,000 actively working towards achieving this recognised stamp of approval.
KKP has, working closely with Sport England, NGBs and CSPs, taken the raw product and turned Clubmark into a robust, high quality, defensible scheme endorsed by wider stakeholders across the sector.
Only clubs affiliated to a Sport England recognised NGB can gain Clubmark accreditation. However, clubs are not disadvantaged simply because the NGB in their sport is not licensed to accredit. A licensed CSP can accredit clubs in its area that belong to a Sport England recognised but not licensed NGB, such as handball, ice hockey and korfball.
During November, Sport England awarded three more CSPs a licence to award Clubmark taking the total number of licensed organisations to an astounding 42!!
Nottinghamshire County Council is carrying the mantle for the CSP and clubs in the County, working through the licensing process in record time and providing high quality evidence along the way.
Clare MacLeod, National Clubmark Manager said, “Each organisation has to provide written evidence of the process that they will follow to support and assess clubs. These are commonly known as “protocols”. Those submitted by Nottinghamshire are as good as I have seen and we shall definitely be sharing these with others as an example of best practice.”
Club Development Officer for Nottinghamshire, Anna Quick said “We are really pleased to have not only achieved our licence but also to have accredited our first Clubmark club in such a short space of time. It is a credit to the members of the Club and Volunteer Development Group, sports development officers and, of course the clubs all working really hard to achieve our goal of getting more clubs with the standard in the county.”
Sutton Sting Ice Hockey Club (Sutton in Ashfield) achieved all criteria required to become the first in Nottinghamshire to be awarded Clubmark under the new county licence.
Ian Johnson, Club Chairman said “we’ve been wanting to achieve Clubmark for over a year now. We realised this accreditation will open doorways for us to apply for funding and will also give organisations more confidence both to allocate funds and offer us support. If more ice hockey clubs get this award then the sport will start to get the recognition it deserves. I’m sure this will also apply to other sports receiving the award.”
The continued strength of club development in the East has been further cemented by the award of a Clubmark Licence to Active Norfolk – the 4th of 6 CSPs in the region to achieve this.
Its workforce development team of Ben Jones and Ian Grange has led the CSP through the licensing process, working closely with two pilot clubs, Acle Indoor Bowls Club and Strikers Ten Pin Bowling of Club,
Acle became the first bowls club to be awarded the coveted Clubmark by Active Norfolk, demonstrating its high quality and the fact that it offers a welcoming, safe environment for young participants.
“We have been working hard over the summer period preparing our application for Clubmark and putting everything in place ready for the inspection,” said manager Denis Goodley. “We have always encouraged youngsters into the club and have been rewarded with national championship appearances in junior events.”
Another first in
Leicester-Shire & Rutland Sport is also celebrating not only achieving the license to accredit but also the accolade of accrediting Clubmark to the first disability sports club.
Burleigh Inclusive Multi Sports Club in Loughborough offers young people with disabilities between the ages of 8 and 19 the opportunity to participate and receive quality coaching in a variety of multi-sport activities. It has been operating for the last 5 years during which it has increased membership and the variety of sports on offer.
The CSP has managed a rigorous process to ensure quality at every stage. Natalia Marshall, Sports Development Officer supported the club to ensure that the necessary policies and procedures are in place.
The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) has supported the CSP team and the club throughout the process. Emma Gibson, EFDS Club Development Manager has been the driving force behind developing Clubmark for inclusive sports clubs, which were previously unable to benefit from Clubmark as they offered more than one sport.
She said, “I am delighted that Burleigh has successfully come through the process and been awarded Clubmark. We have a number of other clubs currently working through the criteria and I hope that they will now follow suit. There are many disability sports clubs operating effectively around the country and the EFDS will support anyone suitable who wishes to go through the Clubmark process.”
Andy Reed MP, Chairman of Leicester-Shire and Rutland Sport added “I am delighted that Leicester-Shire and Rutland Sport can now accredit local sports clubs with a Clubmark award. Burleigh Inclusive Sports Club is the first disability club in the
This recent surge in club accreditations and licence awards signifies that the quality base of the scheme is completely embedded with its NGB and CSP partners who recognise the sports development benefits that Clubmark brings.
Against the backdrop of policy change and economic uncertainty, the intention is to ensure that Clubmark continues to go from strength to strength. What better legacy could there be from 2012 than a national network of safe, accessible, accredited community clubs offering high quality sporting opportunities for young people?
For more details on these newly licensed organisations visit the Clubmark website – www.clubmark.org.uk or contact Clare MacLeod, National Clubmark Manager on 0161 764 7040.