Since achieving Clubmark accreditation in July 2003 Turnford Netball have increased their younger age group threefold.

The club now boosts 8 senior teams and less than 16 junior teams from under 9's all the way up to under 16's. The club has successfully completed its annual review this year as an England Netball gold CAPS club and continues to work towards the high standards that have been set.

The Clubmark programme has proved to be one of the best development tools for basketball in England in recent times. The last three years has seen a dramatic increase in accredited basketball clubs, along with a similarly significant, in fact extraordinary, rise in the numbers of young people experiencing the sport. Clubmark has been the development engine that has driven the game forward.

Having worked on a variety of development issues for a number of years, I can fully recommend the GolfMark/Clubmark process to any golf club.

GolfMark has always been an integral initiative within golf development and the benefits should not be underestimated as it can help golf clubs to increase their junior membership and junior players.

In October 2006 the ECB embarked on a journey to build capacity to support the ever growing ECB Clubmark process. Over the past year the ECB has subtly shifted the emphasis of ECB Clubmark from not only accrediting new cricket clubs but placing an even higher importance on the maintenance of ECB Clubmark standards.  At the same time; the ECB revised its ECB Clubmark operating process (including criteria), aligning it to recent legislation and modernised sports development resources.  The creation of network of ‘ECB Clubmark Nominated Officers' began.

Survive and Save Club are based in Harrow, Middlesex is an accredited Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) Swim21 Teaching Clubmark Club, Approved Training centre and Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS) Approved Training centre for the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification providing learn to swim opportunities and converting swimmers into lifesavers to save lives.

This is the attitude that we have faced in Southampton in January. Team Southampton is a new exciting volleyball club which achieved Clubmark in March this year. Our philosophy as club and for volleyball in general is to develop the interest of children into playing volleyball.

In 2005 City of Salford Volleyball Club (CoSVC), was contacted by the EVA to discern interest in working towards Clubmark/Volley 123 & the potential appointment of a dedicated community sports coach to work in the area.

At that time the club had already been successful in an ‘Awards for All' grant application & as a major development step undertaken a level 1 coaching course for a number of senior players, club volunteers & six members of the Salford School Sports Development Team. By forging strong development links, the club was able to promote volleyball as one of the designated sports to be offered to Salford primary schools, as part of the Salford Sports Development teams - ‘Active Schools' project.

Survive and Save Club based in Harrow, Middlesex is an accredited Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) Swim21 Teaching club, Approved Training centre and Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS) Approved Training centre for the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification, providing learn to swim opportunities and converting swimmers into lifesavers to save lives.

The club relies on a large teaching staff to provide swimming and lifesaving classes. We have up to 8 sessions per half hour over the three hour Friday evening session and so there is a need for qualified and ‘stable' staff.

Clubmark, the Sport England mark of high quality junior sports clubs, gives sports clubs of all types structure and direction. All the main sporting agencies involved in the delivery of sporting opportunity for young people endorse the national accreditation scheme.

There is increasing evidence of agencies, such as local authorities and other leisure operators, recognising and rewarding Clubmark clubs. This ranges from establishing numerical targets for Clubmark clubs to the promotion of Clubmark, raising its profile with clubs, partners and local residents.

There are many benefits to achieving Clubmark, however, those of a financial nature are limited and tend to focus on lump sum awards upon achievement of Clubmark accreditation. However many sporting bodies, such as county sports partnerships and leisure operators are realising the value of an association with Clubmark and hence are looking at ways to recognise and reward accredited clubs.