There are some themes are common to most club planning processes:
People
The heart of every club is the people. From players and coaches to volunteers and parents, everyone has a role to play and can support the development of the club.
From generating a culture of involvement to succession planning and the development of coaches and officials, your plan should ensure that people are recognised and valued whatever the scale of their contribution.
For example, your club audit may identify a lack of parental support leading to an objective such as “to recruit a specific number of parent volunteers by a certain date.” Individuals closest to junior members can be asked to action this by inviting new parents to forthcoming social events and encouraging parents to stay during club sessions.
The key to ongoing success in this area is to get the most out of volunteers, whether they are parents or not. Some volunteers may be keen to help out, but lack confidence in their ability. Clarity of information/instruction given to them is essential and support should they want to pursue training/coaching opportunities is recommended. Formal and informal recognition of a volunteer’s contribution is important.
One thing all clubs should do is to work out all the tasks required for the smooth day to day running. Once you know what there is to do you can ask members who have the appropriate skills to undertake these tasks quickly and easily. You may have a club member that works in IT or design – an ideal candidate to help develop and manage the club’s website. Don’t be afraid to ask, you never know what hidden gems you may unearth!!
Programmes
Covering matches, tournaments and competitions you may want to ask yourself the following questions to help set future priorities:
- Do your current teams/players enter relevant and available competitions?
- How many coaches or coaching hours do you need to function effectively?
- Do you have a loyal and sustainable bank of officials?
- Do your players consider themselves to receive a quality playing experience?
- Could any social activities be used to enhance player or volunteer retention?
- Do you ensure there is a progression – a player pathway within your club competition programme?
- Are your coaches appropriately qualified, do they follow SGB coaching ratios?
- Do you have a reward and recognition programme for your players, coaches and volunteers?
The recreational element of club culture is growing more important and is an excellent vehicle for growing your club and providing opportunities for all to play.
Places
Whether you have your own clubhouse and ground, or use community, school or private lease facilities, the key is how facility access will support club operation and sustainability. This is an area in which ambitions and decisions should be based upon a longer-term perspective as it underpins virtually all other aspects of club operation. Meeting immediate health and safety requirements and addressing issues such as disabled access may take precedence over refurbishment and the club should be aware of its statutory requirements in this area as well as being clear on its facility requirements to meet its ambitions.
Pennies and pounds
All clubs could use more financial support; the key is to know where to look. Your plan could include:
- Approaching (via club members/parents) local businesses to attract sponsorship for junior teams.
- Finding out more about SPORTSMATCH (and if appropriate submitting an application).
- Awards for all is a good source for small community groups looking for small sums of money
Gala Rugby Club wanted to increase the numbers of boys and girls participating in youth rugby at grassroots level in Galashiels and the surrounding area. With the support of sportsmatch funding it employed a youth development officer, who subsequently coached, on average, 100 primary school children per week and co-ordinated Gala mini rugby with the midi system and youth rugby at Galashiels Academy.
sportscotland publishes a Guide to Funding for Sports Projects. You can download this from the “see also” section in the right hand panel.
Protection
Club development is not the same as club administration, although some aspects can overlap. Club member welfare is one such case. A key concern for clubs is to meet current legal requirements to ensure that their members are protected, safe and secure. Quality clubs have the correct insurances, procedures and policies in place with adequately trained staff to meet all legal responsibilities.
Equity also fits in here; clubs should aim to be accessible, welcoming and open to the full range of people in the locality in which they operate.
Procedures
Not to be underestimated, club management, administration and communication functions underpin its development and, ideally, ensure that you are continuously looking to improve.
It is vital that communication (both within the club and between it and other agencies) is not taken for granted. Regular, clear two-way communication is often a key to ensuring that members are happy and that the club’s growth and success is maintained.
Clubs should not be afraid to learn from others – strong, open relationships with other clubs can lead to shared systems for administration, collation of membership information and general organisation.
From keeping in touch with club members to making the most of the web, you can find more information in the Communications section of the website
Partnerships
‘No club is an island’; your relationships and partnerships with schools, your SGB, facility operator or other clubs can help to guarantee club stability and sustainability and raise its profile.
Actions in your club development plan could be as simple as making sure your club is represented on your local sports council or might extend to making better use of your facility by linking with other clubs where seasons cross-over.
Becoming an integral part of the Active Schools Network is a great club development tool and also supports the national drive to get more young people active. Linking with your local Active Schools Co-ordinators will strengthen a clubs position in the community and can also open new doors.
Another common feature is developing links with schools; this can have benefits for both the school and the club - boosting junior membership, improving access to facilities as well as providing young people in schools with a clear ‘pathway’ into your club and access to specialist coaching.
Inverness Blitz Academy of American Football has a club development plan for the period 2006-2011. For 2008-9 one of its key aims is to introduce American Football as a new activity in primary schools by revisiting schools where exiting players used to attend (providing PE sessions and after school sessions) and ensure that at least one new school is visited every 2-3 months. It also plans to hold at least 2 primary school tournaments for participating schools. You can download a copy of the full development plan from the see also section in the right hand panel
If school club links is a priority area within your club development plan you can find more information in the School –club links section of the website
Profile
Promotion and publicity can also raise awareness of your club and does not have to be costly especially in this modern, digital world. If this is an identified weakness, investing time upfront to build your website, or to get to know local journalists will pay off in the long term as these contacts and resources will generate publicity on your behalf.
Many clubs state that their development programme has "helped to put us on the map", endorsing the processes and its results:
- …New facilities and successful clubs were talked about
- …People came to visit.
- …We worked with the local media to attract publicity.
- …We were cited as case studies and published on the internet.
- …Successful club development generated pride in our club and members, giving a strong recognition factor.
