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Frequently asked questions
1) How long will it take my club to gain accreditation?
2) Will it cost the club anything?
3) What are the benefits?
4) My club is only a small club - can I still register for Clubmark?
5) What support is available to help us?
6) Why do we need to attend workshops on sports equity and safeguarding children?
7) How do I access the workshops that are required by Clubmark?
8) Is it compulsory for all clubs to work towards achieving Clubmark?
9) Do other sports have Clubmark?
1) How long will it take my club to gain accreditation?
This depends on the current position of the club. To help you to determine this, the registration process requires you to make an initial assessment of your club. You will find that some criteria will take longer than others to complete. For example, it may take longer to attain criteria that requires attendance at workshops than it would to implement codes of conduct.
Having an identified individual with lead responsibility for Clubmark is a key factor in helping you to progress through the accreditation process, and this individual should be supported by other members of the club as required when gathering information. For this reason the club should ensure that all members are made aware of the club's intention to register for Clubmark.
It should be noted here that it is preferable for the required procedures to be implemented fully and properly rather than quickly.
2) Will it cost the club anything?
There is no fee associated with registering for the Clubmark programme. There may be a cost incurred by the club in achieving criteria that involve attendance at workshops although support is often available from partner organisations to minimise such costs (see section on support available for further information).
Clubs from across sport that have achieved Clubmark report a number of benefits. These include:
- Club development - the foundation of any club is its youth structure and by developing and strengthening that the whole club benefits
- Increased membership - addressing issues such as sports equity and safeguarding children gives parents added confidence when selecting a club for their children
- Developing coaches and volunteers - clubs are encouraged to support and develop these key individuals via specific qualifications and workshops that help to develop their skills
- Raised profile - once Clubmark accredited, clubs will be listed on a national database and in other directories to help them to attract new members and to grow. Achievement of the accreditation also offers clubs to gain publicity via the local media
- Improved standards - the Clubmark programme helps clubs to establish clear procedures that provide a firm foundation for future development
- Funding - increasingly funding agencies look for Clubmark accreditation when determining whether a club should receive financial support
4) My club is only a small club - can I still register for Clubmark?
The Clubmark criteria are to be encouraged as minimum standards for good practice for all clubs, regardless of size or competitive standard. The criterion that relates to suitable coach : boxer ratios would be of particular relevance in helping you to determine whether this issue is of particular significance to your club.
5) What support is available to help us?
Clubs will be assigned an ABAE officer, who will be able to provide email and telephone based support. Boxing development officers will be able to provide additional support to clubs that are based within a BDO's locality. Relevant information is also available on the ABAE website and within the Clubmark resource pack.
Another source of support is your County Sports Partnership (CSP). Each county has its own CSP and they offer varying levels of support which may include officer support and financial support in the form of subsidised places on local workshops. Further support may be available from your local authority sports development team.
It is recommended that all clubs establish contact with their CSP and local authority sports development team to discuss potential support available. Doing so will also meet one of the requirements of Clubmark (C4.7).
For further funding support your club may wish to consider an Awards for All application to pay for workshops and courses; for more information please visit: www.awardsforall.org.uk. In addition your CSP and/or local authority may host workshops that provide more information on Awards for All.
Please note: we are aware of consultancies offering to support clubs through the Clubmark process at a cost to the club. We believe that the support detailed above will sufficiently meet the requirements of clubs and that they should not have to pay this extra cost for support. We would therefore recommend that clubs speak to us before considering payment to a consultancy.
6) Why do we need to attend workshops on sports equity and safeguarding children?
All clubs ought to provide an environment that assures safety and fairness for all. These workshops help clubs to do this by providing specific guidance based on current legislation and recommended good practice.
The Sports Coach UK workshop 'Equity in your Coaching' and runningsports' 'A Club For All' contain similar material - albeit aimed at a different audience (the former is aimed at coaches, the latter at club officials). It is therefore recommended that the club send a different person to each of these workshops.
7) How do I access the workshops that are required by Clubmark?
CSPs, and some local authorities, regularly run a programme of all workshops that are required by Clubmark. Should you have trouble locating one in your direct area then it is likely that a neighbouring CSP may be able to help.
8) Is it compulsory for all clubs to work towards achieving Clubmark?
Registering for Clubmark is not a mandatory requirement of the ABAE although given the benefits it is to be strongly recommended.
Not having Clubmark does not necessarily mean that a club doesn't maintain good standards. However, without Clubmark clubs may find it more difficult to demonstrate their standards of practice, particularly to agencies and individuals outside of the sport. Clubmark provides a widely recognised form of evidence that your club has met recommended standards of good practice.
9) Do other sports have Clubmark?
Yes. Clubmark is the recognised quality assurance programme for sports clubs in England and 25 Governing Bodies of Sport (GBs) currently operate the Clubmark scheme. A number of GBs have included additional criteria for clubs to meet beyond the minimum standards required by Clubmark, for example the Rugby Football Union's Seal of Approval scheme and the Amateur Swimming Association's Swim 21.
As a recognised cross-sport quality mark, the ABAE's Clubmark accreditation will allow boxing clubs to demonstrate that they are meeting the same minimum standards that clubs in other sports are currently able to demonstrate to their players, parents, and wider partners including schools and local authorities. This is important for the development of the sport of boxing as it puts us in a better position to compete with other sports for what can be limited resources.
For more information on Clubmark please visit: www.clubmark.org.uk. If you have any further questions please contact Matthew Williams, National Club & Coach Officer at matthew.williams@abae.co.uk