Club Mark and Club Accreditation

Club Mark was introduced in 2002 by Sport England. The Club Mark process is centered on improving the way your club operates. The process itself focuses on four key areas:

• Playing Programme
• Duty of Care and Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People
• Sports Equity and Ethics
• Club Management

A club is accredited via either its licensed National Governing Body (NGB) or County Sports Partnership (CSP). It must, therefore, be affiliated to the relevant Sport England recognised NGB in order to be accredited. If you not sure whether your sport is eligible you can go to: www.clubmark.org.uk to find out.

Simply put, Club Mark is a process of embedding good and safe practice into the everyday running of your sports club. The benefits to you as a club are huge. Undertaking the Club Mark process could be just the thing to breath new life into your club. You can find out more about the benefits of Club Mark at the following website: www.clubmark.org.uk. Alternatively, attend one of your local sports forums and talk to clubs who have been through the process and benefitted from the program. To find out where your local forum is and when it meets you can go to the ‘Club Forums’ page.

There are also a number of ‘Examples of Good Practice’ which can help your club to develop. If you are interested in finding out more or have begun working towards your Club Mark and would like some support, contact Tom Haworth, Club, Coach and Volunteer Development Officer. Tom can help you get through the paperwork and create a bespoke action plan to complete your Club Mark. Tom can also assess Club Mark files.