Tarquin Stephenson is the Coach/Welfare Officer of Colchester Gladiators American Football Club. He is primarily responsible for the safety and well-being of the guys he coaches but also coaching them and developing their own skill set within the sport.

He played a consultancy role in the club's achievement of Clubmark. The Committee, including the Clubmark co-ordinator, held most of the responsibility for putting the application together. Tarquin helped out advising them on the best way to instigate the changes we needed to make around our youth team, and as a coach he was able to ensure that the changes that were discussed on paper were actively put into practice when dealing with the youth face-to-face.

He believes that Clubmark has really hammered home the message that the Gladiators take their youth system seriously, and people are starting to really recognise that. The Club as a whole has always been known for innovation and development, and this is another string to its bow. As more and more people understand what Clubmark is, and what it symbolises, we've had more young players interested in joining, more parents looking to take active roles in the club, and even other coaches looking to get involved with a programme that is marked as one of the safest and best developed for young people in the country.

He said, "As Welfare Officer, the duty of care I have for the young players in the club is always at the forefront of my mind. Achieving Clubmark shows the community that this responsibility is not taken lightly by me, nor by the Colchester Gladiators as a whole."