There is comprehensive support available to community clubs from each of the home nation’s Sport Councils, to help club’s meet their legal requirements and provide opportunities for development. This includes free training for the people involved in the management of a club, guidance on a range of club issues and a library of useful template documents.

Sport England Club Matters 

Club Matters is a Sport England Lottery funded programme that provides free resources, support, guidance and workshops to clubs, groups and community organisations, and the workforce that supports them. 

Go to: www.sportenglandclubmatters.com/  

Where to start 

The Club Matters Health Check Tool is a self-assessment tool designed to support anyone that runs community sports clubs, groups, and organisations.? 

Using a series of multiple-choice questions, the tool is designed to help you understand your club’s strengths and identify any areas for development to ensure you are providing a safe environment, whilst meeting your legal requirements. At the end the survey, the tool provides you with recommendations and points you to resources that will help your club develop. 

What resources are available? 

Club Matters specialise in providing resources about: 

1. Governance 
2. Volunteer development 
3. Welfare and safeguarding 
4. Financial management 
5. Participant development 
6. Facility development 
7. Planning for your future 

What training is available? 

Club Matters workshops are short, free training sessions that will develop your skills, improve your knowledge, and ultimately help you develop your club. The workshops are available online and in-person. 

Workshops available: 

• Dealing with Increasing Costs 
• Planning for Your Future 
• A Club For Everyone 
• Legal Structures and Governance 
• Leadership Teams 
• Developing a Marketing Strategy 
• Participant Experience 
• Engaging Your Community 
• Volunteer Experience 
• Finance 
• Time to Network 
• Maximising Great Culture and Values 

Scottish ClubSport & Actify 

Scottish ClubSport is a National partner of sportscotland and is the umbrella organisation for Local Sports Councils and ClubSport networks across Scotland. 

With a membership across Scotland, Scottish ClubSport represents a membership of over 2,500 sports clubs with over 300,000 individual members collectively, across 60+ different sports. 

Actify is a free digital tool that enables sport and physical activity organisations to create and host digital content, learn from one another, and support their audiences. 

Go to: www.scottishclubsport.co.uk and www.actify.org.uk  

What resources are available? 

Scottish ClubSport aims to support members to be the strongest organisations they can be, raising their profile at a local and national level.  The five key themes identified by members include: 

1. Funding 
2. Volunteers 
3. Governance 
4. Communication  
5. Advocacy 

Toolkits and guidelines are available to ClubSport members on the Actify Hub. 

What training is available? 

• All members have access to the free Hub on Actify where learning tools, guidelines, toolkits, case studies are published. 
• All members are included in the circulation of relevant information, templates, toolkits, case studies and sharing of best practice.  
• When conferences and workshops are organised all members are given priority access when booking places (virtual & physical events). 
• Opportunity to complete annual Membership Survey 

Sport Wales Club Support 

Sport Wales supports sport in the community with investment through grants, resources to helps coaches and volunteers, and working with lots of partners in every corner of the country. 

Go to: www.sport.wales/grants-and-funding/club-support 

What resources are available? 

Sport Wales’ kitbag of guidance for sports clubs and organisations has everything from how to sort out your finances, how to recruit volunteers, how to promote your club, setting up a constitution and subcommittees, and more.  

Support is provided to clubs about: 

1. Managing your Sports Club 
2. People in Your Club 
3. Club Facilities 
4. Club Finances 
5. Promoting Your Club 
6. Useful Documents 

With planning tools, template document downloads, example volunteer job descriptions, it is designed as a one stop shop for guidance. 

Sport NI Club Leaders 

Club Leaders provides training for volunteers involved in the day-to-day running of community sports clubs to advance their skills and ability to operate on a more business like level. 

It is hoped that Club Leaders will help create a robust, economically sustainable and enterprising club network within Northern Ireland. 

Go to: www.sportni.net  

What resources are available? 

Individuals within clubs are provided with resources about: 

1. Business planning 
2. Governance 
3. Club promotion 

What training is available? 

Training is available on topics such as: 

• Business Planning 
• Effective Organisational Structures 
• Good Club Governance 
• Generating Club Income 
• Growing your Club 

Further details on dates for upcoming seminars can be found at in Sport Northern Ireland’s calendar of events at: www.mysportni.net/calendar