Sport England Clubmark Accreditation

ClubMark_CMYK 2013Many parents, not only in Basingstoke send their children to sports clubs without any thought of checking out their credentials to coach or their policies and procedures to safeguard participants. In Martial Arts, this is particularly prevalent when anyone who is a Black belt (and in some cases not) is assumed to be capable of teaching and running a sports club.

Sport England recognises and values the commitment made by sports clubs to develop high quality, welcoming environments for young participants. The development of clubs that encourage young people and adults to take-up sport, improve their talents, possibly play a leadership role and give them the option to initiate and maintain life-long participation in sport is an essential part of supporting the sporting infrastructure in England.

Shin Gi Tai Martial Arts Academy is the only Sports Club in the Country to have been awarded two Clubmark Quality Accreditations firstly through the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts and also through The British Judo Association.

 

British Council for Chinese Martial Arts – National Governing BodyBJA

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 parents / carers when choosing a club for their children.
  • To provide a focus around which all organisations involved in sport can come together to support good practice in sports clubs working with young people and adults.
  • Clubmark accreditation is awarded to clubs that comply with minimum operating standards in four areas:
    • The Playing Programme
    • Duty of care and safeguarding and protecting children and young people
    • Knowing your club and its community
    • Club Management

Sport England’s Clubmark Accreditation (www.clubmark.org.uk) recognises safe, high-quality sport for young people. We are Hampshire’s only Clubmark Accredited Club teaching a range of different Martial Arts. Our accreditation was announced on the Clubmark website, http://www.clubmark.org.uk/news/shin-gi-tai-martial-arts-academy-in-basingstoke-is-celebrating-after-being-accredited-clubmark-by-sport-hampshire-iow and we are the only club in the Country to hold two different Clubmark quality Kitemarks.

To receive the accreditation, clubs must meet strict criteria set out by their sport’s national governing body and the county sports partnership.

Clubmark is endorsed by all the main sporting, youth and education agencies involved in delivery of sporting opportunity for young people as the accreditation scheme for clubs with quality assured junior sections.

Clubmark is the only national cross sports quality accreditation scheme for clubs with junior sections. It is built around a set of core criteria which ensure that accredited clubs operate to a set of consistent, accepted and adopted minimum operating standards. This helps parents and children feel confident about choosing a club to join.

Club instructor Detective Constable Jonathan Swift –Shin Gi Tai Child Protection Officer commented,

“Our commitment to quality, safety and fair play for all students has always been a cornerstone of the club’s philosophy and applies to juniors and adults alike. Sport England’s Clubmark initiative is a welcome quality kite mark to help local residents find the right club for them and to ensure that it is a quality and safe environment to practice sport within.”

Where Shin Gi Tai leads, other sports clubs follow.