Set up a New Sports Club
There are three important things that need to be thought about
before setting up a new sports club:
- Are there enough potential members?
- Are there enough volunteers to run the club?
- Is there another club in the local area that is already meeting
the needs of the sport locally?
Once there is a general agreement to set up a club, a formal
meeting will need to be called. During this meeting there will be a
number of things that need to be decided and agreed on. It is often
worth doing some preliminary work before the meeting, so that
decisions can be made at the outset.
Below is a list of areas that will need to be thought about and
agreed on in order to set up a new sports club:
A Club Name
This can be anything you decide. It is necessary in order to
draw up formal documents and open a Bank / Building
Society account. You might want to do a check to make sure that no
other local club has the same name.
Club Constitution
A club constitution is a simple document that outlines the
functions of the club, procedures for membership, meetings and
committees. Having a club constitution will help to clarify how the
club's procedures should work.
It is vital that the constitution is open and non discriminatory
and that it reflects the sport's equity policy. A club constitution
is often a prerequisite for funding and applying for tax
relief.
Your National Governing Body (NGB) may be able to provide you
with a model constitution, which you should look to adapt to your
club. Before the initial meeting it is advisable that there is a
draft constitution drawn up, so that the group can adapt and agree
it at the earliest possible opportunity.
Club Officials
A club will need a number of officials to run the club on a
formal basis. A Club Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer are the
minimum required. These posts will need to be elected. Before the
meeting it is advisable that there are willing people to take up
the roles. The club needs at least three elected members onto the
committee. There can be other members on the committee as laid out
in the clubs constitution.
Many clubs will have other roles that people in the club may
volunteer to carry out outside of formal club positions.
Committee meetings and AGM's
A club committee is a group of people who are formally
responsible for managing the club. A club's success will be greatly
down to the work of the committee. Establishing a committee with
clearly identified job descriptions or roles helps to identify who
does what in the club, helps to spread the workload and ensures
that the club is not dependant on one or two people. It might be
useful to establish basic role descriptions to ensure that everyone
knows what is expected of them and others.
The committee should meet at least quarterly, some committees
meet monthly. An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be required as
laid down in the club constitution so that all members can have an
input into the running of the club. It is at the AGM that the
committee is elected.
Finance - Income and Expenditure to Run the Club
As a new club it will be important to raise funds to run the
club; initially these funds are likely to come from membership
subscriptions. It is also advisable to produce a list of costs to
run your club throughout the year, which will help you create a
budget of income and expenditure for the next 12 months, ensuring
that there will be enough income to meet the outgoings.
A club will need to set up a Bank / Building Society account in
the name of the club. A bank will usually ask for two signatories
for the withdrawal of cash or signing of cheques.
The Treasurer must maintain either:
- a bound account book for recording details of the financial
affairs of the club, or
- a computer-based program from which printouts can be made in
the format of an account book. If a computer-based system is used,
appropriate back-up arrangements must be put in place to avoid
irretrievable loss of data.
Normal book-keeping practices must be observed, particularly in
that entries should never be changed, but any errors corrected by a
new entry. A receipt book with numbered counterfoils will be
required to keep a record of income received.
All monies and cheques received should be paid into the club
bank account, recorded in the account book and, for cash received,
a receipt issued from the numbered counterfoil receipt book. No
cash payments should be made directly from cash received.
Memberships
Your constitution should state that your club is open to all and
thus your club should offer different membership categories for
young people, and possible discounts/ reduced-cost membership for
those less privileged. You will need to draw up a list of
information that will be needed from members, also thinking about
whether each member will need to affiliate to join leagues /
competitions, and whether there is a need for a photograph. On the
joining form you will also need to clearly layout the yearly
membership subscriptions and any other costs members should expect
to incur during the year (e.g. match fees).
Insurance
Clubs are advised to obtain adequate insurance to cover their
members (including coaches, volunteers, officials, parents,
spectators and players) plus visiting competitors. This may be
mandatory before you enter certain leagues and competitions. Clubs
must have suitable Publi_ Liability insurance and professional
indemnity insurance for the activities they deliver. Advice on
insurance for your sport can be obtained from your NGB.
Affiliation
It is recommended that the club affiliate to its relevant NGB.
Although each governing body offers different benefits from
affiliation, some include; insurance, access to training course
(sometimes at a reduced rate), access to qualified umpires and
officials for competitions, entry to competition and leagues,
magazines and advice leaflets and discounts on equipment and kit.
These are on top of the direct benefits you gain through
affiliation. It will also allow the NGB to work on your behalf to
represent your sport's interests, work on issues surrounding your
sport, help develop and move your sport forward and to work
together with other national and local sporting bodies and
organisations in the development of sport within the UK.
Teams / Leagues / Competitions
The club will first need to decide what type of club it is,
whether it is going to be a recreational club or a club that runs
in house training and/or enters inter-club competitions.
If the club decides to run in-house competitions it will need to
decide the format and how these will operate alongside entering
local leagues and other competitions. Each activity will have
different competition structures dependant on the sport. The club
may also need to decide (depending on sport and demand) what teams
it will run, whether it will have youth team(s), women’s team(S),
mixed team(S), and at what these should compete. If you are unsure
about the competition opportunities available to the club, please
contact your local NGB officer who will be able to help and advise
you as to the opportunities available locally.
Venues and Facilities
It is likely if you are starting up a new team that you will
need to find a local facility to operate from. This might be a
school, local authority facility, or facility belonging to another
voluntary group / club. It will depend on your sport, how often you
need to use the facilities and on costs involved. You might want to
note in the membership joining instructions that alongside the
yearly club membership there is a session fee to cover the cost of
hire. Your local Sports Development Officer (SDO) should be able to
help you find a local facility.
Once you have chosen a venue you will need to look at Health
& Safety and the Duty of Care which the club has to members
whilst at the venue.
Further Information and Support
For further support on running a sports club, utilise
our RunningSport page to
download guidence documents, or contact
Jen Wilks
Club & Volunteer Development Officer
The Sports Partnership Herefordshire & Worcestershire
01905 542035
email - j.wilks@worc.ac.uk
Visit - www.morethansport.com
