Setting up a new club

Setting up a new club is an exciting prospect and there is much to do.

It may sound obvious but confirming your clubs very reason for being, or purpose will make it easier set clear achievable time bound objectives and go on to :-

1. Create plans and decide what products you should offer.
2. Decide upon a structure and investigate what legal status the club needs.
3. Write a constitution that confirms the above
4. Recruit strong and effective committee members.
5. Decide how to promote your club and sell your memberships products and services to the outside world.
6. Identify your fundraising objectives.

It all starts with YOUR WHY? – It may feel like wasting time you don’t have, but a good way of defining YOUR WHY is by having a brainstorming session with a few of the other committed members of your group. This should be a chance for ALL interested parties and potential members who wish to shape the future of their club to come together with a focus, not on operational issues, but instead on why the club should exist and what its vision and objectives should be.

For help on identifying YOUR WHY take a look at this presentation by Simon Sinek called The Golden Circle Presentation .

Identifying a legal status

It is important that you understand what will be the best legal structure for your club and why.  Please use the links to the resources below for advice on appropriate legal structures. These resources contain a large volume of information, but they are a valuable starting point for determining your club’s legal status.

• Harper Macleod Insights: Incorporating Your Club
• sportscotland guide for clubs on Legal Structures
• Club Development Scotland Legal Structure Advice

Voluntary Action Scotland (VAS)

VAS is the national organisation that supports the development of local third sector infrastructure. Third sector represents the part of the economy or society comprising non-governmental and non-profit making organisations or associations including charities, co-operative and voluntary and community groups. Each local authority area in Scotland has a Third Sector Interface to support, promote, develop and represent the third sector.  The new interface arrangements bring together four key, local infrastructure functions:

• Support to voluntary organisations operating in the area, both local and those national organisations that deliver services at the local level.
• Support to and promotion of volunteering.
• Support and development of social enterprise.

SCVO

Online advice to help identify the right legal structure with a range of templates available. Click here www.scvo.org.uk

Senscot Legal

Senscot Legal provides affordable support in legal matters to the social enterprise community and wider third sector in Scotland.  Areas of law include governance, company formation, employment law, contracts, dispute resolution and intellectual property issues- this list is by no means exhaustive.

http://www.se-legal.net/

Appointing a Committee

At the heart of a club, managing its day to day activities and broader strategic management, is a committee. It usually comprises an executive management group and a wider group of committee members.

It is important for any club to appoint energetic, diplomatic, and diligent persons to the executive management group in particular. These people will drive the club’s development and ultimately be responsible for its development and ultimate success or failure.

The executive group is generally made up of the key office bearers, who’s roles should be clearly defined. To create your own role descriptors please use the templates below:

• • Chairperson Role Template,
  • Secretary Role Template,
  • Treasurer Role Template,

In addition, a club must have a safeguarding or child wellbeing officer.

• • Safeguarding or Child Wellbeing Officer Role Template

Other common roles are that of event coordinator, coaching convenor etc and for each we recommend the club clearly defines their role.

Key Governance Documents & Templates

All clubs and associations that wish to affiliate to Snowsport Scotland must hold the following governance documents for which we provide templates:-

CONSTITUTION: A clubs constitution is a permanent written record of its purpose, structure, committee, products and organisation. All clubs should have a written constitution which should either be published on their website, or if they do not have a website, at least be stored in a form that can be accessed by members for reference. The constitution is usually drafted by the committee and agreed by all members at an annual general meeting. It should be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary for adoption at the next AGM.

Before you start writing your constitution you should be clear on your purpose, legal structure, committee, products and organisation.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

The GDPR governs how organisations use personal data and increase the protection of individual’s privacy. For further guidance on the implications of GDPR for your club please download and read the GDPR – club briefing paper prepared by Harper Macleod LLP, on behalf of sportscotland, to support sports clubs.

Anti-Doping and Clean Sport (For performance clubs only)

UK Anti-Doping is an active participant in the global fight against doping in sport – and is the national body responsible for creating a UK-wide environment of confidence in clean sport. Clubs must ensure that they comply with UK Anti-Doping, to access more information about what is required of Coaches, Parents and Athletes please click on the links below:

• Role of a Coach: Role of the coach in clean sport | UK Anti-Doping (ukad.org.uk)
• Role of a Parent, Carer or Guardian: Parents, Carers and Guardians | UK Anti-Doping (ukad.org.uk)
• Role of an Athlete: Athlete Support Personnel | UK Anti-Doping (ukad.org.uk)

Safeguarding

To find safeguarding club guidance please go to www.safeguardinginsport.org.uk to access the‘Child Wellbeing & Protection in Sport – Club Guidance’ resource.

Specific Snowsport Scotland Safeguarding resources can be found here: Safeguarding & Child Protection – Snowsport Scotland

Equality

The Equality Act 2010 sets out your equality responsibilities, as a private club or other association admitting members and providing benefits, facilities and services.

To understand more about the Equality Act and what responsibilities may be required of your club, please click here: Equality Standard for Sport (equalityinsport.org). 

For resources helping with ensuring that your club is open and inclusive, check out SportScotland’s Inclusive Community page.

Club Insurance

As a minimum, all snowsports clubs should ensure they are covered by insurance for:

• Public liability (protects clubs from claims for damage or injury to a third party as a result of persons participation in club activities).
• Product Liability (protects clubs from claims for damage or injury to a third party as a result of their use of club equipment)
• Officers and Directors Liability (protects club directors and/or committee members from claims for damage or injury to a third party as a direct result of that persons actions).
• Employers Liability (protects club employees from claims for damage or injury to a third party).

Without these insurances any incidents giving rise to claims or litigation brought against club members can fall firmly at the feet of members of the club committee. (Please see guidance on the protection offered through changing your club to incorporated legal status).

Clubs are at liberty to go out to the general market place to secure insurance cover, however Snowsport Scotland offers a very competitive and comprehensive club insurance package as part of its club membership affiliation.

Note: Under the Snowsport Scotland Insurance Policy, only club members are protected by the club insurance policy so it is crucial that all the committee and coaching personnel are properly signed up as members.

PUBLISHING YOUR INSURANCE DOCUMENTS: Clubs should publish their insurance schedule or policy on their website. If you are a member club of Snowsport Scotland you can obtain a certificate confirming your insurance by visiting https://www.bluefinsport.co.uk/snowsport%20scotland/

CLUBS THAT LEAD INSTRUCT OR COACH

If a club uses the services of any coaches leaders or instructors to train or lead their members it is very important that the club checks that each person has their own professional indemnity insurance. Professional indemnity cover a coach leader or instructor for any claims arising as a direct result of their coaching, leading or instructing work (whether paid or voluntary).

Note: Professional indemnity cover held by these coaches leaders or instructors is only valid if:-

1. The coach, leader or instructor is a current member of their NGB or Professional Association
2. Their license is current and up to date
3. They are operating within the remit of their award

Clubs are therefore strongly advised to check everyone they engage. If clubs use a coach leader or instructor that DO NOT MEET all three of the above criteria that individual will be uninsured and any claims will fall initially to the coach, but likely be escalated to the contracting club and its committee members.

Recruiting Coaches Leaders or Instructors

All snowsports clubs looking to offer coaching, leading or instruction to their members must ensure they only use personnel that are qualified, licensed and insured to operate in the UK.

Please note that the use of unqualified, unlicensed or uninsured persons will render the clubs liability insurances void should an incident occur that gives rise to a claim.

As a minimum, coaches leaders or instructors must be able to provide evidence that they hold professional indemnity insurance cover for the work that they are being engaged to undertake.

Professional indemnity cover protects the coach, leader or instructor against any claims arising as a direct result of their coaching, leading or instructing work (whether paid or voluntary).

Note: Professional indemnity cover held by these coaches leaders or instructors is only valid if:-

1. The coach, leader or instructor is a current member of their NGB or another internationally recognised awarding body or professional association
2. Their license is current and up to date
3. They are operating within the remit of their award

Clubs are strongly advised to check the credentials of everyone they engage EVERY year and ensure they deploy them to work at the right level, in the right environment and with the right trainees or members for their current qualification.

If clubs use a coach leader or instructor that do not meet all three of the above criteria, that individual will be uninsured and any claims that would have fallen initially to the coach will be escalated to the contracting club and its committee members.

PVG’s

Please note that any person s working within a club environment with U18’s must be a member of the PVG Scheme. It is the responsibility of the club to ensure all coaches, leaders and instructors are PVG scheme approved.

Key Partners and Ways to Connect

Strong partnerships can help clubs to better deliver opportunities for members. This may be through providing support and advice, providing additional resources and facilities, or helping to promote a club.

• Sport Development & Local Authorities – Local sport development teams can provide support and guidance to connect a club with local support. The local authority, Leisure Trust and Sports Council can also provide support. Get details of your local Outdoor Education Officer and ensure you build strong connections.
• Local Sport Council – local sport councils are set up to represent their members at the local authority levels, they can also provide grants for athletes and promote sports. To find out whether your local authority has a sport council and how to become a member, head to the Scottish Club Sport website.
• Local Schools – Active Schools Managers and Coordinators develop pathways between schools and clubs, supporting the transition from school to community sport. Linking a club to a school offers a new potential membership base, and provides further sporting opportunities for children and young people. As well as through the active schools network, there are many ways to engage directly with local schools including running schools open days or fun events and taster sessions or even a schools competition. Consider engaging with all your local school headteachers or PE staff, bringing them to the club to try experiencing snowsports. Working on schools engagement with your local facility will inevitable result in benefits to all parties.
• Local Community Sport Hubs – Your club might be able to benefit by getting involved with a local community sport hub. These hubs are set up to bring together sport clubs and community organisations that can all use a shared space. Find community sports clubs local to you here: https://sportscotland.org.uk/clubs/community-sport-hubs/.
• Connecting with young people – Involving young people in a club’s decision-making is an important part of connecting with the community. Sportscotland has resources and information available on this topic: Young People as Leaders. It is key that club membership includes people between 17 and 30. In many clubs this is the lowest membership age group, however people of this age can be hugely instrumental in shaping and developing the club.
• Other key contacts include (but are not limited to):
  • Facility operators – Snowsport centres and resorts, dryland training venues (gyms, sports halls, sport courts), public space management organisations (Forestry Commission, Park Rangers).
  • Local Snowsport retailers
  • Other local sport and community groups (scouts, guides)
  • Local media

If you and your club would like help and ideas on how to get better connected please contact us.

Promoting your Club

Is your club widely and well promoted? What is your media plan and marketing strategy?

A successful marketing strategy will give a club a strong profile. Whether trying to attract new members, sell entries to events or just improve awareness in the community, a good profile is key for success. For some sportscotland resources on marketing click here.

Sponsorship can be hard to secure but a strong media and marketing strategy can help enormously. Consider getting a marketing professional involved in your committee.

EVENTS PROMOTION: Many clubs are very experienced in running events for established athletes and club members, but for revenue purposes it can be worth considering running participation events for the wider community and engaging people in another tier of membership. This can help with revenues and profile. For club event resources go to our Competition Resources Page.

To promote any of your events through Snowsport Scotland website please submit information about the event directly to info@snowsortscotland.org.

Business Planning for Sustainability and Growth

Sustainability is key for a club to have a lasting effect on Scottish Snowsports. Sustainability does not just refer to finances and developing income streams that cover the core costs of the club. It is also about the sustainability of the club’s workforce.

A strong business plan will not guarantee sustainability, as there are often external influencing factors that are out of anyone’s control (eg. weather!), however it will help the club develop a clear set of actions to keep it focused. In addition to focus, a strong plan will assist with identifying funding needs moving forwards.

We recommend business plans are reviewed annually and re-written every 2 years following a full club review.

For guidance and support creating a business plan please contact Snowsport Scotland at info@snowsportscotland.org.