What is Clubmark?

Clubmark is an accreditation scheme for high quality junior sports clubs. It is managed by Knight, Kavanagh & Page on behalf of Sport England and sets the standard for all high quality sports clubs in England.

What does Clubmark stand for?

Clubmark stands for higher standards of safety, fairness, coaching and management. That way the nation's sports club infrastructure will be safer, stronger and more successful.

This means that a club that has been awarded Clubmark has achieved minimum operating standards in safeguarding and protecting children, quality coaching, equal opportunities and good management.

In essence, a club that qualifies for Clubmark is a well run club which is ACTIVE and ACCESSIBLE. This means that getting the best out of young people and giving everyone a sporting chance.

Why should clubs apply for accreditation?

Clubmark provides recognition for high quality clubs. It is important that all clubs should strive to this quality standard. Clubmark is an important club development tool and provides a solid foundation for all clubs wishing to establish a youth structure.

Who is eligible for Clubmark?

All clubs that are affiliated to a Sport England recognised NGB can gain Clubmark accreditation. Clubs are not disadvantaged simply because their NGB is not licensed to accredit. Licensed CSPs can accredit clubs in their area that do not belong to a licensed NGB, such as handball, ice hockey and korfball. 

Who accredits Clubmark?

There are currently more than 30 National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) and over 20 County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) licensed to accredit clubs.

How can my club apply for Clubmark?

Registration for Clubmark should be through your NGB or CSP who will provide you with all the relevant resources and information. We recognise that sometimes the hardest part of accreditation is knowing which organisation to contact to register an interest so to help clubs get started we have developed the Pathway to Accreditation. Just answer a few simple questions and we can point you in the right direction.

What does working towards Clubmark accreditation involve?

In working towards Clubmark accreditation, clubs will essentially need to put together a portfolio of evidence which outlines the minimum operating criteria. This criteria for example, includes having a child protection policy, demonstrating a coaching plan and having up to date public liability insurance.

Who assesses clubs for Clubmark and how is Clubmark a quality assured scheme?

Each of the NGBs/CSPs which are able to accredit clubs must go through a rigorous licensing process and provide evidence that there are sufficiently resourced to operate Clubmark. In additional all assessors are required to have attended training to ensure a clear understanding of the evidence required. Finally clubs in each region are externally assessed by trained staff from KKP to ensure that NGBs/CSPs are supporting clubs throughout the process and that clubs evidenced is appropriate and up to date.

How do I know which clubs have Clubmark?

Each accredited club is also recorded on the Clubmark database that can be accessed from the Clubmark website. Also, look out for the Clubmark logo - all accredited clubs are presented with a certificate to display and use the logo on their website, letterheads etc.

How long does Clubmark accreditation last?

Clubmark accreditation lasts for 3 years (or 4 years for some NGBs). At this stage each club will be re-assessed on all areas of the award. Clubs are also asked to complete an Annual Healthcheck to ensure no major changes have taken place and there will be at least one visit by the licensing organisation within the accreditation period. All clubs may also be visited by a trained member of staff from KKP as part of the external verification programme.

What is re-accreditation?

A club must re-submit their file to their NGB or CSP (whichever body accredited the club), after a three or four year period in order to become re-accredited.

I'm not sure if my club has Clubmark accreditation - how do I know?

There are a number of sports which adopt a different brand name for their Clubmark accreditation. If your Club has any of the following awards then the Club also qualifies for Clubmark:

CAPS (Netball)
Club Charter (Squash)
Clubs First (Hockey)
Club Future (Badminton)
Go-ride (Cycling)
Golf Mark (Golf)
GymMark (Gymnastics)
LacrosseMark (Lacrosse)
Premier Club (Table Tennis)
Seal of Approval (Rugby Union)
Snowmark (Snowsports) 
Swim 21 (Swimming)
Tennis Clubmark (Tennis)
Top Club (Canoeing)
Volleyball (Volley 1-2-3)

Are many clubs joining the scheme?

Clubmark is the national standard for quality junior sports clubs. Many governing bodies of sport are adopting the scheme and more than 5,800 clubs have now achieved Clubmark. Sport England is working with sports organisations, County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) and local authorities to encourage more clubs to raise standards and join.

How can I find a Clubmark club near me?

The national Clubmark database holds records for every accredited clubs across the country. This database can be filtered by sport, region, local authority and CSP to help you to find the most suitable club for you.

What is in it for the clubs?

Clubs awarded Clubmark can be proud of what they have achieved. They are shown to have a commitment to developing junior sport. Parents can be assured that their children belong to a safer club. Members can be sure their club is a well managed club, striving to offer the best in coaching and sports development. By striving to achieve higher standards clubs are likely to attract more members and build a sustainable future. Clubs which apply will receive help and support from their National Governing Body (NGB) or County Sports Partnership (CSP) to achieve higher standards. 

What are the next steps to expand Clubmark across the country?

The National Governing Bodies which already use Clubmark are encouraging more of their clubs to join and more of the NGBs currently not using Clubmark are expected to come into the scheme. Processes for other organisations to award Clubmark such as County Sports Partnerships are in place and the number of CSPs licensing is now rising.

Has the equity criteria for Clubmark changed?

It is important in sport, as elsewhere, that everyone has equal status and opportunities. Being accessible is about making opportunity available (as players, performers, administrators, officials or coaches) to all members of the community.

Clubmark clubs are committed to ensuring that they are accessible to the local community, taking into account their local circumstances. The importance of clubs in promoting sports equity and equal opportunities cannot be underestimated.

Revised Clubmark criteria for this aspect (now entitled Knowing your club and its community) is being introduced via the licensed NGBs and CSPs to help clubs take practical and relevant steps to be more accessible. This will help clubs recruit and retain members from all sections of its community.

What changes have been made to the equity criteria?

The key difference is that Clubmark criteria does not insist that attendance at ‘A Club for all' workshop' is essential. The club now has to produce an Equity Action Plan or incorporate equity actions within its club development plan.

This should be a short summary of how to recruit and retain members based on fairness and can be either separate or part of the overall club development plan.

The club can still send people on the course as it is an excellent support opportunity and some NGBs and CSPs still require you to do this so it is essential that you check with your licensing organisation.

Equity in your coaching is still a requirement for coaches but we will be introducing equity tasks which will be a requirement for all coaches to complete. These tasks will be based on practical application of understanding accessibility. 

Why have these changes been introduced?

There are a number of reasons, but the main factors are:

• in response to club feedback that it can be difficult to access appropriate courses that can hold up the Clubmark process.
• the Clubmark advisory group felt that the courses were not producing tangible outcomes and were considered by some to be a ‘tick box' exercise.

The new methods will ensure that support and information is more accessible (new online learning opportunities coming soon), results can be evidenced to an increase in participation leading to more sustainable clubs.

What do I need to do?

If you are a licensed NGB/CSP officer, you need to take responsibility for communication to clubs, information is being cascaded down from the National lead officer and is available on the website. You may also need to be prepared to answer queries from clubs and support them in drawing up appropriate actions.

If you are an accredited club, you do not have to take any action now. However, we advise that, you introduce the action plan as part of the annual health check. This will ensure that you are prepared for re-accreditation and may also increase your membership.

If you are actively working towards Clubmark, you need to check with your licensing organisation to find out when they will be implementing the new criteria.

What is the Vetting and Barring Scheme?

The Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) was established in response to one of the recommendations of the Bichard Inquiry, which followed the Soham Murders, that all those who work with vulnerable groups should be registered.

The VBS is a partnership involving the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and overseen by the Home Office. The CRB is responsible for the application and monitoring features and the ISA is responsible for the decision making and maintenance of two barred lists - one for those barred from working with children and one for those barred from working with vulnerable adults.

The VBS aims to prevent unsuitable people who could pose a risk of harm to children or vulnerable adults from working or volunteering with these groups. Those who are assessed by the ISA as presenting a high level, provable risk to any child/young person or vulnerable adult in any context will be barred from membership of the scheme.

The ISA will increase safeguards when used in conjunction with CRB checks. If an individual is ‘not barred' this will not necessarily mean that they are appropriate or suitable for a specific role with vulnerable groups. The information available through CRB checking will still be essential to enable organisations to assess an individual's suitability for a particular role within a particular organisation.

Once the VBS scheme is fully rolled out, it will be illegal to hire someone (covering employees and volunteers) in regulated activity, with a few exceptions that will be listed in guidance, who is not registered with and therefore has not been checked by the ISA.

More FAQs can be found at http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=422  

What is the current situation with the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS)?

In December 2009, Sir Roger Singleton's review of the scheme was published and the Government accepted all of his recommendations. These involved making sure the scheme draws lines in the right places and protects children without getting involved in private arrangements between parents and friends.

Sir Roger's review means that original deadlines for guidance documents have been put back. The generic guidance for employers and voluntary groups in implementing the VBS was published on 19th March by the Home Office and can be viewed at www.direct.gov.uk/vetting. A small task group of representatives from the sport and recreation consultative group is currently developing the sports sector specific guidance.

How will vetting and barring guidance affect sports clubs?

The guidance is aimed at people working in sport who will have to manage applications to the CRB and ISA as part of their safe recruitment processes. It will help people understand their new legal responsibilities and understand how the scheme will work in practice.

Application for ISA membership will be on the same form as application for an enhanced CRB. For most sports clubs this process is managed by their National Governing Body and we would advise you to contact your NGB for support and guidance. Registering with the scheme will be free of charge for volunteers. For those in paid employment, it will cost £64.

The following milestones are still to come:

• July 2010 - new entrants to work with vulnerable groups can register with the ISA; 
•  November 2010 - new entrants must register with the ISA before starting work; and 
• April 2011 - existing workers can start to register with the scheme.

The Criminal Records Bureau has also developed an online tool to help people work out which roles involve "regulated activity," requiring individuals to register with the ISA.