Sports clubs get helping hand

12 Feb 2015 03:06 PM

Sports clubs are at the heart of community sport – so we want to look after those who run them. That’s why we’ve launched Club Matters – which provides free and practical help to those involved with a grassroots club.

Whether they’re a club chair writing a plan to attract new members, a treasurer managing budgets or a club captain asking existing members what they want, Club Matters can help their clubs to thrive.

Guidance and support

At its core is a simple website with all the essential resources – but it extends way beyond the keypad. Club Matters provides the following support to clubs:

• Mentoring – Either for long-term support, or just a short call to sound out ideas, Club Matters’ flexible mentoring scheme offers personal support at a time and place to suit.

• Club Improvement Plans – Online resource for clubs of all sizes and at all stages of their development, to establish where they are performing well and where they can develop.

• Club Views – A club survey tool helping users to ask members and volunteers what they think about their club, and make suggestions.

• Clubmark – The nationally-acknowledged accreditation scheme for community sports clubs. As part of Clubmark accreditation, clubs will have the opportunity to request a Club Matters mentor to help them through the accreditation process.

• Online Support – Help and guidance in all areas of running a sports club. This includes online toolkits, quick reference guides and e-learning modules.

Looking after sport volunteers

Nick Bitel, Sport England’s Chair, said: “Sports clubs play an important role in community sport – providing sporting opportunities for millions of people every week.

“But clubs need committed people to run them. It’s the people who organise the events and encourage new members to join that keep clubs going. They’re the ones that can benefit directly from this.

“Club Matters has been carefully designed to give those involved in running clubs what they want, in a simple, easy to access way. We’ve worked to create a single support package which is open to any club that wants support and information. And importantly, it’s free.

“No matter the size of the sports club, this is a great tool and something that I know people will find incredibly useful.”

Over the next eight months, Sport England will be holding sessions throughout the country to demonstrate the benefits of Club Matters to people from sports clubs, sports governing bodies and county sports partnerships.

Register for Club Matters

Go to the new website, take a look around and register: www.sportenglandclubmatters.org