There is no right or wrong way to produce a development plan for your sports club but the following guidelines should give you some positive ideas on how to get started. There are two types of plan:
- A development plan: a long term plan (usually 3 to 5 years), this plan focuses on the club's "vision" for the future
- An action plan: a short term plan (usually 1 year), this plan prioritises the short term actions required to get the club onthe right path to achieving its long term "vision"
You can use the excellent Running Sport: Developing your Sports Action Plan booklet as a useful guide to creating improved pathways for progression of players in your sports club (linked in panel to right).
There are also a series of case studies of different sports clubs from throughout Scotland showing how they have successfully engaged in club development for the benefit of their members and sports.
Who should be involved in planning?
The most difficult part of action planning is that it takes TIME, a limited resource for all clubs! Before you start the planning process you will need to consider the best way of managing the process within your club. It is important that members take an active role in shaping the club's future, therefore involve and consult the members wherever possible. Ensure that the participants involved in this planning process represent all interests in the club. However, it is highly recommended that a small working group is identified to carry out the necessary paperwork and action points.
Remember: It is the club that has to DO the work, not the action planner & the process is almost as important as the final document itself..
Four stages of planning
1. Where are we now? - the AUDIT
All clubs provide varying sporting opportunities for many different levels and abilities, therefore before you can begin to plan for the future it is important that you consider the clubs current circumstances. By carrying out an audit the club can identify its strengths and weaknesses, as well as look at any possible opportunities or threats for development. This process will provide a clear base for setting some realistic aims and objectives for the clubs future.
2. Where do we want to be? - the AIMS
Having undertaken the audit you will have established your current status (where are we now) and started the process of identifying the clubs main objectives for the future (where do we want to be). To ensure that the aims and objectives are achievable it is important to keep them realistic. You should now be ready to formulate an ‘Action Plan’ to identify how you will achieve these objectives.
3. How will we get there? - the PLAN
Once the club has completed the audit and identified the aims, the third stage - action planning - should fall easily into place. The Plan identifies how you will begin to work towards the club's ‘vision’ and achieve it's aims. Therefore you will need to break down each aim into specific targets for your club to achieve in the first year and some proposed targets for future years.
In order to produce an Action Plan you will need to go through the following five questions:
- The Target - WHAT do you want to achieve?
- The Action - HOW can it be achieved?
- Timescale - WHEN will it be done?
- Led by - WHO is going to do it?
- Cost - What will it COST in terms of money, time, people and facilities.
4. How well did we do? - the REVIEW
Once the action plan has been agreed and is a working document, it is vital that the plan is reviewed and updated periodically, at least annually. Monitoring and reviewing your club’s progress is invaluable for ensuring that the club continues to move forward. Provided that the targets set in the action plan are measurable, the process should be simple and not too time consuming.
This process will look at future developments, it will also help to reflect on where the club has come from and where it is now. Importantly the club should then formally recognise the volunteers (committee members, administrators, coaches and officials) who have put in the hard work to make it happen!
The Audit
Before your club can begin to plan for the future it is important to consider the clubs particular circumstances and what opportunities it currently provides. The easiest way to do this is to work through a club audit. The club audit should be used as a guide for a SWOT analysis:
- Strengths - e.g. lots of volunteer helpers
- Weaknesses - e.g. few qualified volunteer helpers or coaches
- Opportunities -e.g. potential links with the local secondary school
- Threats -e.g. reduction in junior members this season
In addition to your own club audit you can also explore the local sports provision and identify what support is available from other sports providers or partners in the area. For example there may be coaches or officials working for the local authority who may be able to offer your club some additional support, or there may be a junior after school club who may like to develop their skills in a larger club. For any audit to be useful and a true basis for planning, time should be taken to complete it honestly and accurately.
The Aims
Having completed the club audit and the SWOT analysis you should be able to identify some aims to build upon your club’s strengths and tackle it’s weaknesses. The aims should be:
- Specific to your club
- Measurable – consider how the clubs progress will be assessed
- Agreed – it is vital that the club involves all committee staff and coaches in the process
- Realistic – the aims should be challenging yet achievable
- Timescales – the club must consider the time needed to achieve the aims.
There's a worked examplee of how the SWOT analysis is used to generate a club's aims in the Resources panel.Turning the aims into step-by-step actions is the point of the Action Plan.
The Plan
The action plan formally identifies and prioritises the club’s aims. The Plan should be used to establish the timescales, personnel and costs for each aim. This plan may be used as a business plan when applying for some funding grants. There are many different forms of action plans and again, you'll find an example in the Resources panel.
Remember to review the plan. Once the club has completed and agreed the action plan it is important to set up a regular review meeting to monitor progress. The plan should be a working document that can be modified and adapted to reflect the progress and any change in circumstances. Provided that the targets are measurable, this process should be simple and not too time consuming.
Club Development Policy
A development policy clearly demonstrates the club’s commitment to developing quality opportunities for its members. The policy should be a working document that can be changed as the club develops and should be supported by an action plan which ensures that the policy is put into practice and that the aims are met.
To raise the profile of the club’s commitment to development include the policy in the club handbook or maybe post it on the club notice board.
Junior Development Plans
There's a separate article in the Articles panel exloring the benefits of establishing a development plan for junior sports in your club, together with a worked example.
