Developing the club to Top Club / Clubmark status
Sport England has developed the `Clubmark` scheme to allow sports clubs to show that they are well managed and child friendly. It is not granted directly but is tied to equivalent schemes run by the national governing bodies for each sport: in our case the Canoe England `Top Club` scheme. Top Club requires the Club to meet criteria set out by Sport England and Canoe England in four categories:
- activities
- coaching
- duty of care/ ethics
- club management
As these schemes become established they will become the benchmark by which clubs will be judged.
The Committee looked at the Canoe England `Top Club` scheme in 2006 and decided that we could achieve Top Club by going down the community club route. Much of what will be required will be a case of recording and formalising the way we manage our Club. We are aiming to achieve Top Club in 2007 and are well on our way there.
Top Club will not fundamentally change BADCC. It will help us run the Club more effectively and allow us to demonstrate that. It will show that we meet national standards in key areas such as safety, coaching and child protection.
For more information on Top-Club from the BCU Click Here
For more information on Sport England`s Club Mark Click Here