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 CLUBMARK - the future for Sussex Clubs with a youth section?

• I have been involved with youth cricket for 43 years . I have never been police checked. I do not hold any first aid qualifications. In addition to cricketing activities I have taken players on football tours at home and abroad; I have undertaken over 50 residential courses with schoolchildren.
• I have always taken out insurance with any private company as required. I have been covered ( I thought) by the Edcuation authority's insurance policy
• Reading the Clubmark presentation it becomes very obvious that I have been a disaster waiting to happen. Today my main role in life is to administer the ECB Development of excellence aged 12-15 programme for the 13 Counties in the South of England
• I maintain computerised records on each of the 190 players listed under 30 headings.
• Included in the information is the player's medical condition and a signed parental consent form stating that the ECB have permission to take the player to hopsital and to receive treatment if required.
• The coaching facility has to be one which has been inspected by the ECB and has in situ all the requirements laid down by the ECB
• Coaches are appointed at Level 3 and above. First aid kit/ first aiders are present. Registers are taken.
• The South programme consists of 30 days of cricket activity each year.
• It requires a substantial numbers of hours to support it
• CONTRAST THE SOUTH PROGRAMME WITH A CLUB YOUTH SECTION PROGRAMME
• Looking at the returns shown in Club audits
  The spread of players attached to Clubs does not necessarily follow that town Clubs have the largest numbers of young players.
• There are many small village clubs which attract players from the immediate locale but also from the surrounding countryside.
• Thus one finds a town club with 132 players aged under 12 with access to 11 coaches and a village club with 70 players under 12 and access to 2 coaches.
• It is noticeable from a recent presentation of Coach Co-ordinator, David Lewry , that he has records of 786 qualified coaches in the County BUT the Club audit returns show a total of 336 coaches. Leaving aside those attached to the County Club there would appear on the surface to be a 45% wastage of trained coaches.
• The Clubmark proposals do not distinguish between size of Clubs because - rightly so- it is demanding consistent, universal standards.
• The Club audits only identified 8 unqualified coaches across the 72 Clubs which submitted returns.
• Therefore there must be a large body of voluntary labour who are required to ensure the smooth running of each Club.
• The turnover of voluntary staff is quite high. An update of the youth contacts listed in the Sussex Youth booklet being prepared for 2003 shows a 28% change of name/telephone number.
• Clubs will need to undergo specific changes to their long term benefit but some- both large and small Clubs - have already expressed doubt as to whether they will be able to retain their present voluntary staff if they have to attend qualifying courses.
• One problem is trying to establish what exactly is required.
• TOMORROW An attempt to provide a possible TICK LIST of activities for Clubs who require to ensure Clubmark accreditation.
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