What is Tennis Clubmark?


Clubmark was introduced by Sport England in 2002 and is currently being implemented across 34 sports. The LTA administers its own version of Clubmark based on the National guidelines for best practice combined with real life examples of successfully run places to play across the Country.

There are over 600 Clubmark accredited places to play in the UK, with a further 600 working towards the best practice accreditation.

Tennis Clubmark is split into the following 4 sections:

Benefits of Clubmark

As a single, national standard, Clubmark gives sports clubs of all types structure and direction. Clubs awarded Clubmark have seen many tangible benefits, such as:

Increased membership

Addressing issues like equity and child protection gives parents confidence when choosing a club for their children. Retaining members Clubmark stimulates real thought about how clubs cater for junior and all members. The culture it promotes boosts the morale of players and ensures that volunteers are recognised for their contributions.

Continuous improvement

Accreditation encourages a club to adopt better, more organised systems and structures, thus helping them to run more effectively and efficiently.

Funding

Many funding bodies state that applicants must be Clubmark accredited or working towards.

Facilities

More and more local authorities and other leisure operators give priority-booking slots to Clubmark accredited clubs. Some also offer discounted rates for facility hire.

Developing coaches

As part of Clubmark, clubs are entitled to receive help to develop the skills of coaches. This, in turn leads to better quality provision and improved player performance. Parents can be confident that appropriately qualified coaches are deployed.

Volunteers

Clubmark promotes a volunteer culture where hard work and dedication is recognised. Once accredited, clubs find more people are keen to get involved, especially parents.

Links with schools

Increasingly, schools are looking for guarantees of quality and the presence of child- friendly systems and procedures. Clubmark clubs are normally the first invited to work with local schools and schools are being encouraged to signpost pupils to Clubmark clubs.

Raised profile

Clubmark is a highly valued accreditation. As well as raising the profile with local authorities, NGBs and other sporting and community bodies, all accredited clubs are listed on a national database and in other directories, to help them to publicise what they do, attract new members and grow.

Marketing and communication

Clubmark gives clubs the confidence to promote themselves. All Clubmark clubs can access the Clubmark member's area, utilise the Clubmark logo and take advantage of other brand resources as well as bespoke information to help generate more publicity. The universal brand, recognising quality clubs across more than 30 sports is a really valuable marketing tool.

Club development

The foundation for any club is its youth structure. The Clubmark accreditation process is designed to assist clubs to attract and cater for young members, and build a strong future.