More News On Club Mark

More News on Club Mark

For several months I have been writing about my concerns with regard to Club Mark and the United Kingdom Coaching Certificate and I am trying to warn the Public about its implication. Those in favour of Club Mark etc say it will never be a legal requirement in the formation of a Club, this may be true in theory but in practise I have my doubts for the following reasons:

1) Schools now have Sports Coordinators and they are already told not to recommend a Club that does not have a club Mark
2) Insurance premiums will be considerably higher for non Club Mark clubs if they can get insured
3) Schools, Educational Establishments, Sports Centre, Church facilities and Councils will only hire their facilities to Club Mark Clubs, This is being denied but I know of one School who will implement this in the next two years and as an ex Borough Councillor my sources tell me that the Council will be forced to operate the same.
4) Those clubs without Club Mark will be looked on with suspicion

So what is the Club Mark here is a piece from the official Web Site http://www.clubmark.org.uk
Clubmark was introduced in 2002 by Sport England to:
· Ensure that accrediting partners apply core common criteria to ensure that consistent good practice and minimum operating standards are delivered through all club development and accreditation schemes.
· To empower parent(s)/carer(s) when choosing a club for their children.
· To ensure that Clubmark accredited clubs are recognised through a common approach to branding.
· To provide a focus around which all organisations involved in sport can come together to support good practice in sports clubs working with children and young people.


The Club Mark is a great idea for Professional Clubs and Amateur Clubs with hundreds of members but my concern is for the Club of maybe just 20 children or the person who wants to start a club from scratch. Listed below is the Bronze award the lowest Club Mark on offer, I have used the Judo Version as that is the one I know but the rest of sports will be on the same level

Accreditation Criteria


Coaches and Volunteers


1) There are a minimum of two BJA Club Coaches or two UKCC Level Two Coaches working within the club programme -all coaches must hold a current valid BJA Coaches Certificate

2) The club has a Welfare Officer

3) The club has a Volunteer coordinator

4) The Welfare Officer has attended a Sports Coach UK Time to Listen course

3) At least two volunteers (one is the Welfare Officer)have attended a Sports Coach UK Safeguarding Children course

4) One coach has attended a sports coach UK Equity in your Coaching course

5) One volunteer has attended the Running Sport Club for All course in the last 12 months

6) At least two volunteers have attended the Running Sport Club For All courses in the last 12 months

7) The club has two or more qualified active Competition Officials within its membership


Duty of Care and Child Protection
8) The club has adopted the BJA Child Protection Policy and is working towards the procedures laid down

9) The club has adopted codes of conduct for all coaches, referees and volunteers working with children and young people

10) The club has a code of conduct for parents/guardians

11) The club has written procedures for dealing with injuries/accidents

12) The club has access to a telephone at all club sessions, gradings and competitions

13) Coaches and volunteers have access to first aid equipment at all club sessions, gradings and competitions

14) The club has the contact details of parents/carers and emergency/alternative contacts

15) The club records all junior players taking part in coaching activity on attendance sheets with access to important medical information
16) The club is affiliated to the BJA. and has Public Liability insurance

17) The club has an open/non­discriminatory constitution that is reviewed annually and comparable to the current BJA model

18) The club has a named contact for new and prospective players

19) The club has a specific membership category and pricing policy for children and young people

20) The club has contact with the Local Authority Sports Development Officer and/or County Sports Partnership

21) The club ensures that alt coaching and competition takes place within a safe facility

22) The club has a set of rules for children and young people

23) The club communicates regularly with players/ parents/carers via regular mailings of newsletter or information bulletin

24) The club has established one Club/School link at yellow belt standard

25) The club has a current written 12 month action plan updated annually at the club AGM


Playing Programme


26) The coaches and volunteers responsible for the programme have job descriptions with clear roles and responsibilities assigned

27) The club has separate Junior and Senior training sessions

28) The club provides opportunities for juniors to gain grades in the BJA Mon grading scheme

29) The club provides opportunities for members to attend BJA County/Area competitions

30) The club operates with a recommended player/coach ratio of no greater than 20.1


To obtain this you will need a Committee of a minimum of 6 to fit most constitutions plus you will need 2 qualified Coaches, Welfare Officer, 1 appointed Volunteer, 1 Child protection Officer, 2 competition official’s admittedly some of these can come from the committee, how many new clubs will get that amount of support from parents and how many new comers will have the expertise to organise the Club Mark. One of the Clubs that hire my Swale Martial Arts Club has had to form a sub committee to deal with the implication of getting a club mark this show how much work is involved.
What about the cost:
UKCC Coach Course £300 per person x 2 = £600
Welfare Officers Course £17.50
Volunteer Coordinators course £17.50
Safe guarding Children Course £17.50 x 2 + £35
Equity in Your Coaching Course £17.50
Running Sports Club for All courses £17.50
Competition Officials Course £17.50
First Aid Course £25

Total Cost £747.50

On top of this you have affiliation for your club and coaches on an annual basis.

So what do I think of the future?
1) Clubs will close
2) Clubs will try and merge to make clubs of 300 and more. This will eventually lead to all Coaches becoming paid professionals with all the relevant costs to the members
3) New clubs will not be started
4) Participation in Sport could fall by as much as 50% with all the Social problems that goes with children not being guided.
5) New Sports will not be invented
6) Competition will be paramount rather then participation
Although I have been great believer in Coach Education I had introduced a “Coaching Effective Programme” to my association back in the very early 1980’s I do think education should be a voluntary thing not compulsory. Since then there has been great strides in the education of Coaches and parents this has been done by modern technology and lots of information and publicity on the subject not by compulsion

I feel the UKCC and the Club Mark although well meaning will be detrimental to Sport in General and to the Public as whole if continued in its present model, there is a compulsion in this country and the EU for Government and its institutions to control every aspect of the Individuals life, the individual should have the Human Right to choose even if they choose incorrectly.

The UKCC and Club Mark will produce massive great clubs well organised and well coached, there events will be spectacular and a joy to watch and I can foresee a lot of people watching sport. Maybe we will get even more Olympic Medals to some this may justify the UKCC and Club Mark. Yet this will happen at the cost of less people actively participating in sport, sport is not about WATCHING it is about DOING. The Sports Council should remember their old slogan “Sports for All”.

Martin Clarke

The Author:



Martin Clarke Bio
D.O.B. 20/1/50 Father: John Martin Clarke 6th Dan 1927 - 1990 EnglishMother: Margret Gertrude Clarke 4th Dan - German. Wife: Valerie Susan 2nd Dan. Children: Donna Louise 19/5/70, John Martin William 4th Dan Judo 2nd Dan Jiu Jitsu, 4th Degree Sambo Wrestling 16/10/73, Susan Joanne 1st Dan 30/8/74. PRESENT GRADES: 8th Dan Judo, 6th Dan Jiu Jitsu, Grand Master CombatSombo and Sambo Wrestling. Black Standard Strength Sets. COACHING QUALIFICATIONS: Teachers Certificate in Handball & Weightlifting. Coaching Supervisor for the International Budo Federation, CombatSombo International, British Sambo Federation and Academy of Sport and Movement. Founder Member Academy of Coaching and Guild of Sports Internationalists.
POSITIONS HELD: Former Borough Councillor, President International Budo Federation GB, President British Sambo Federation and English Sambo Federation, Former Chairman Sittingbourne Sports Advisory Council, Former Treasurer Southern Region British English Olympic Wrestling Association, Former Council Member International Amateur Sambo Federation. International Budo Federation International Council Member. COMPETITION RECORD: won in excess of 300 medals in Judo, Sambo Wrestling, Weightlifting (Olympic and Power), Jiu Jitsu and Amateur Wrestling. Represented Great Britain at Judo, Jiu Jitsu and Sambo Wrestling. Member Olympic Judo Squad 78/79/80. World Games Silver 1985, World Silver 1986 Sambo Wrestling. World Silver 1984 Jiu Jitsu. European Bronze in 1991 at 41 years, first international at 16 years. World Sambo Silver Veterans 1998
World Master's Judo Champion 2001 ORGANISATIONAL RECORD: Since 1980 Martin has organised the IBF National Judo and karate Championships on an annual basis, before that he organised Area and County events for The British Judo Council and British Schools Judo Association, He has organised the British Amateur Wrestling Junior Championships, 5 Multi-Nation Judo Tournaments, 2 International Karate Meets, 1989 European Sambo Wrestling Championships, 1992 World Sambo Wrestling Championships. He has coached/managed Jiu Jitsu, Sombo Wrestlers and judo Players at International and World Events. Since 1989 he organised the International Summer School at St. Mary’s Bay.
Awarded Gold Medal for services to International Sambo by FIAS (World Governing Body for Sambo) only person in GB to receive this award. Member of the Academy of International Sambo Masters (only 8 people were invited to this Academy)WORK EXPERIENCE: Left School 1965. Agricultural apprenticeship, Agricultural College 1968 - 1969. Various city & Guilds, County Exams and National Certificate in Agriculture. Coached Professionally since 1971. KEC Coach 1971 - 1980. Since 1980 Managed the East Street Sports Centre. Owns a small boarding house, in 1990 opened Clarkes Sports Studio, 1997 opened Clarkees Bar. Continues Coach professionally.