We profile Active Surrey's Community Sports Development Manager, Eli Karlicka-Cook.

Eli has long been involved in sports administration and her enthusiasm and commitment to working with clubs and volunteers is evident to all those who deal with her.

Prior to her current position at Active Surrey, Eli worked as a generic sports development officer in South Gloucestershire and as a regional development officer for volleyball in the South West.

Eli's experiences in these roles is where she developed an understanding and appreciation of what it takes to develop a quality club and she continues to be amazed by how much time and dedication people give to providing enjoyment for others in a club setting.

As Active Surrey's Community Sports Development Manager Eli supports key partners (sports development officers and sports governing bodies) to develop and improve clubs within the county.

Since gaining its Clubmark licence in April 2011 Active Surrey was quick off the mark developing a Clubmark webpage, has been actively informing and encouraging clubs to embrace Clubmark and as of September 2011 there are over 260 Clubmark accredited clubs in Surrey.

The CSP's aim for Clubmark is to further develop its clubs and support governing bodies in their quest of having the best clubs for their members.

Outside of work, Eli volunteers at her local swimming club (Dorking Swimming Club) where she is Swim21 coordinator and was instrumental in helping its achieve Clubmark re-accreditation in March 2011.

Eli's thoughts on Clubmark:

"I believe in well-run community clubs that want to share their success and hard work. Clubmark accreditation gives these clubs the opportunity to show their commitment to creating a safe and enjoyable environment for all."

For more information about becoming accredited through Active Surrey please visit http://www.activesurrey.com/clubs/clubmark