OWCC acheives ClubMark Status

The week Surrey Cricket advised us that we have achieved ClubMark status.  This is as a result of a lot of behind the scenes activity by a number of Committee members.

Chairman Stuart Woodrow said "Well done to all concerned (especially Brian, Gary and Mike) for the massive amount of hard work that has gone in to achieve this significant objective for us.""

ClubMark status brings a lot of benefits and is almost a requirement to progress as a club.

For more information see www.ecb.co.uk/development/clubs-and-leagues/clubmark/  and www.clubmark.org.uk

Benefits of Clubmark
As a single, national standard, Clubmark gives sports clubs of all types structure and direction. Clubs awarded Clubmark have seen many tangible benefits, such as: 
Increased membership
Addressing issues like equity and child protection gives parents confidence when choosing a club for their children.

Retaining members 
Clubmark stimulates real thought about how clubs cater for junior and all members. The culture it promotes boosts the morale of players and ensures that volunteers are recognised for their contributions.

Continuous improvement 
Accreditation encourages a club to adopt better, more organised systems and structures, thus helping them to run more effectively and efficiently.

Funding 
Many funding bodies state that applicants must be Clubmark accredited or working towards.

Facilities 
More and more local authorities and other leisure operators give priority-booking slots to Clubmark accredited clubs. Some also offer discounted rates for facility hire.

Developing coaches 
As part of Clubmark, clubs are entitled to receive help to develop the skills of coaches. This, in turn leads to better quality provision and improved player performance. Parents can be confident that appropriately qualified coaches are deployed.

Volunteers 
Clubmark promotes a volunteer culture where hard work and dedication is recognised. Once accredited, clubs find more people are keen to get involved, especially parents.

Links with schools 
Increasingly, schools are looking for guarantees of quality and the presence of child- friendly systems and procedures. Clubmark clubs are normally the first invited to work with local schools and schools are being encouraged to signpost pupils to Clubmark clubs.

Raised profile
Clubmark is a highly valued accreditation. As well as raising the profile with local authorities, NGBs and other sporting and community bodies, all accredited clubs are listed on a national database and in other directories, to help them to publicise what they do, attract new members and grow.

Marketing and communication
Clubmark gives clubs the confidence to promote themselves. All Clubmark clubs can access the Clubmark member's area, utilise the Clubmark logo and take advantage of other brand resources as well as bespoke information to help generate more publicity. The universal brand, recognising quality clubs across more than 30 sports is a really valuable marketing tool.

Club development
The foundation for any club is its youth structure. The Clubmark accreditation process is designed to assist clubs to attract and cater for young members, and build a strong future.

Not forgetting the most important reason of all - the positive impact Clubmark has on the way in which clubs think about and provide for young people!!