Club accreditation

What is Club Accreditation?

Club accreditation is a method of recognising and acknowledging quality clubs in Surrey and nationally.  It provides a structured approach to improving and developing your club and ensuring that your club is a truly quality sporting environment.  Working towards club accreditation is essential if your club is looking to gain funding assistance and can bring many other benefits.

  • Do you want to improve and develop your club?
  • Do you want your club to receive a range of benefits and rewards?
  • Do you want your club to be recognised as a quality club?
  • Do you want help from sports development professionals?
  • Do you want to achieve Clubmark?

If the answer to any of the above is yes, then the Active Surrey Club Accreditation is something that your club should investigate.  Active Surrey Club Accreditation will assist you in further developing your club, gain you recognition and respect within Surrey and prove you are a quality sports club, whilst providing a stepping stone to achieving Clubmark.

What is Active Surrey Club Accreditation (ASCA)?

Active Surrey have taken all the criteria required for Clubmark and divided them into three easy to achieve levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold.  With the help of Woking Borough Council's Sports Development Officer, your very own guidebook and ready-made templates, your club can work through the levels, putting into place procedures that will benefit your club.  As you progress you will receive advice, support, publicity, certificates of achievement and many other great rewards along the way!

Why should my club get accredited?

  • ASCA develops your club to be well organised and effective.
  • ASCA reassures parents and teachers that your club is child-friendly and safe.
  • ASCA supports club coaches and volunteers with discounted training courses, equipment and kit.
  • ASCA helps clubs with health & safety issues.
  • ASCA encourages strong partnership working with schools, governing bodies and local authorities.
  • ASCA helps your club receive greater publicity and exposure.
  • ASCA helps your club achieve funding assistance.
  • ASCA nets you more volunteers and more members.
  • ASCA makes your club eligible for reduced rates and taxes.

Does ASCA help you achieve Clubmark?

Clubmark is a national club development and accreditation scheme that is run by Sport England and many national governing bodies of sport.  However, not all clubs can prove their worth as not all sports run the scheme; and when they do, Clubmark can appear a daunting challenge and confusing to complete.

Instead, Active Surrey have devised a more structured, logical and easier approach for ALL clubs to be able to improve and benefit.  The three stages are clearer and more understandable and the levels naturally link in with other club initiatives such as Step into Sport and Community Amateur Sports Club that can reduce your tax burden, increase membership and attract new volunteers.

And, for clubs from sports with Clubmark, on achieving Gold accreditation the club will have completed 95% of the criteria required for Clubmark, and will thus be eligible for that award too!

What Do I Do Now?

If your club is interested in gaining Active Surrey Club Accreditation and being recognised as a high quality sports club, then contact Jill Dixon, Woking Borough Council Sports Development Officer on 01483 743 804 or jill.dixon@woking.gov.uk.