Examples of Good Practice

Best practice covers a wide range of areas that could include your club’s policies, the way you communicate with members or it could even cover the training and support you provide for your club’s coaches. Best practice can mean different things to different people, but in its simplest sense it describes a method of doing something that is efficient, safe and effective. Below are some suggestions of things to consider and also some examples of best practice that some clubs are already using.

Communication

When communication is going well, it can be really beneficial – but when it doesn’t work things fail pretty quickly. A key practice for clubs is to be able to communicate with their members and vice-versa. A key point to make early on is that the communication needs to be in most cases a two-way process. One massive consideration is what communication method to use. With the advent of the internet and social networking the methods and types of communication are numerous. The key is identifying which method people respond to best be it text, email or letter. Knowing the most effective method can save time and money. One simple way to do this is to ask people when they join your club.

Another simple yet effective method of communication is the trusty notice board. If used correctly, this rather simple method of communication can save a lot of time and effort. The trick is putting the right information on display and keeping it current. The benefit however is, if everyone is directed to the same place for info i.e. the notice board you, can be sure everyone is getting the same information. The other useful thing about notice boards is they are openly accessible. Remember not every club member will have access to the internet or mobile phone, but as long as people come to the club or where ever your venue is they can see the notice board. If you would like to see examples of a good notice board go to the ‘get noticed’ resource on the resources page.

Working Together

A good example of best practice, that we have seen on a number of occasions are clubs working together either within a sport or across sports. The benefits of this are numerous; it can allow clubs to share resources, expertise and even members. For example two local football clubs in Warrington took the time to share information on Club Accreditation through the FA Charter Standard process. One club had already achieved the accreditation and the other club was keen to follow suit. By coming together and sharing the information and processes need to complete the accreditation it meant the second club achieved Charter Standard a lot quick that if they had worked on their own. This meant both clubs could contribute to raising the quality and standard of their sport in their area.

Partnership working is also looked upon more favourably by potential funders, as it shows a wider need and better commitment to projects being funded. In Warrington we have taken working together further by establishing ‘mini-forums’ these forums are groups of clubs that have come together to work-together and share best practice to develop their club and their relationship with other clubs. Each of the forums concentrates on a local area so the issues that the clubs raised tend to be shared for more info visit the ‘Mini-Forum’ pages.