Club accreditation is a method of recognising and acknowledging quality clubs. It provides a clear and structured approach to improving and developing your club and ensuring that your club is a truly quality sporting environment. Working towards club accreditation is essential if your club is looking to gain funding assistance.
Clubmark is Sport England's accreditation scheme, which was designed to help clubs develop clear policies and procedures to ensure that their clubs are safe, child friendly environments. Active Surrey Sports Partnership has now designed a scheme, which runs alongside Clubmark, breaking it down into three manageable chunks. Support is available from Active Surrey and Spelthorne Borough Council to help clubs achieve these awards. If you are interested in working towards club accreditation please read the information below:
Active Surrey Club Accreditation
Do you want to improve and develop your club?
Do you want your club to receive a range of benefits and rewards?
Do you want your club to be recognised as a quality club?
Do you want help from sports development professionals?
Do you want to achieve Clubmark?
If the answer to any of the above is yes, then the Active Surrey Club Accreditation is something that your club should investigate. Active Surrey Club Accreditation will assist you in further developing your club, gain you recognition and respect within Surrey and prove you are a quality sports club.
What is Active Surrey Club Accreditation?
We have taken all the criteria required for Clubmark and divided them into three easy to achieve levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. With the help of sports development officers and your very own guidebook and ready-made templates, your club can work through the levels, putting into place procedures that will benefit your club. As you progress you will receive advice, support, publicity, certificates of achievement and many other great rewards along the way!
Why should my club get accredited?
ASCA develops your club to be well organised and effective.
ASCA reassures parents and teachers that your club is child-friendly and safe.
ASCA supports club coaches and volunteers with discounted training courses.
ASCA helps clubs with health and safety issues.
ASCA encourages strong partnership working with schools, governing bodies and local authorities.
ASCA helps your club receive greater publicity and exposure.
ASCA helps your club achieve funding assistance.
ASCA give your club 20% discount on all purchases from Bishop Sports, a leading sports equipment and kit manufacturer.
ASCA allows you to receive Peak Performance coaching and sports science journals and support material at discounted rates.
ASCA nets you more volunteers and more members.
ASCA makes your club eligible for reduced rates and taxes.
Does ASCA help you achieve Clubmark?
What is the difference between Clubmark and Active Surrey Club Accreditation? Almost nothing! Clubmark is a national club development and accreditation scheme that is run by Sport England and many national governing bodies of sport. However, not all clubs can prove their worth as not all sports run the scheme; and when they do, Clubmark can appear a daunting challenge and confusing to complete.
Instead, in Surrey, we have worked with our partners to devise a more structured, logical and easier approach for ALL clubs to be able to improve and benefit. The three stages are clearer and more understandable and the levels naturally link in with other club initiatives such as Step into Sport and Community Amateur Sports Club that can reduce your tax burden, increase membership and attract new volunteers.
And, for clubs from sports with Clubmark, on achieving Gold accreditation the club will have completed 95% of the criteria required for Clubmark, and will thus be eligible for that award upon completing the 5% of sports specific work required by your National Governing Body.
Currently a number of clubs in Spelthorne are working towards ASCA. These include Sunbury Cricket Club, who have achieved the bronze award, Ashford Hockey Club, Ashford Cricket Club and Didasko Netball Club.
If you are interested in undertaking Active Surrey Club Accreditation please contact Simon Hards, Leisure Development Officer (Sports) on 01784 446452 or email leisure@spelthorne.gov.uk
