COMMUNITY
CLUB DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
INVESTMENT
STRATGEY
Club Charter - Developing the future of squash in
1. Introduction
1.1. England Squash is delighted to be included in the
Community Club Development Programme (CCDP) and is totally supportive of the
basis of the programme to increase participation in sport through the
development of community based sports clubs. England Squash are in full support
of this type of funding programme as it allows the governing body to
strategically identify and support those clubs in greatest need for facility
and development support.
1.2. The format of the portfolio has followed the
guidelines issued by Sport England to all those National Governing Bodies of
sport invited to be part of this unique capital funding programme.
1.3. The aim of the England Squash submission is one that
reflects the outcomes of the facilities strategy, 2000 -2005, and the
development aims of the organisation deliverable to member clubs through the
Club Charter initiative.
1.4. Using the Club Charter as the vehicle, Club
Development is central to the overall development strategy of England Squash
and is proud that its club network underpins much of the outcomes considered to
be essential for the successful delivery of the four year business plan.
1.5. The England Squash Investment Strategy for the CCDP
builds on this focus and is seen as an extension to The Club Charter, its
national programme for club development, which relates directly to the aims and
objectives of the CCDP and Clubmark.
1.6. The strong commitment to supporting the club
infrastructure can be further demonstrated by the growth in the staffing of its
Development Department over the last 2 years, where significant investment has
been directed towards our member clubs:
Rational for Selection
2.
2.1. In 2000, England Squash published it’s facilities
strategy which identified a focus on specific areas required to support the
long term development
2.2. The production of the facility strategy enabled
England Squash to identify and focus on priorities for facility development
2.3. The Strategy sets out the key facility needs for squash
and clearly links these needs to the World Class Programme and developmental
objectives of the organisation.
2.4. The strategy gives support and guidance to England Squash
and its Areas in planning for future demand. By delivering properly integrated
facility and sports development strategies, new and realistic partnerships have
been encouraged and forged.
2.5. Those clubs selected for inclusion within this
Community Club Development Programme (CCDP) submission have been identified and
prioritised against the facility strategy.
3.
3.1. The Whole Sport Plan process was a catalyst for
England Squash to review its operation, and led to the publication of it’s
Corporate Business Plan
3.2. The process of gathering information for the Plan
included an extensive audit and consultation exercise resulting in the club
sector being one of the key priorities for investment.
3.3. The Plan provides a co-ordinated framework for
development for the next four years and, through The Club Charter, allows for
targets to be cascaded down to Area, County and Club development plans. It will
ensure that all of the membership is working in one direction towards the same
objectives and goals.
4. The Club Charter
4.1. Launched in 2000, the Club Charter is one of the
sports most exciting initiatives, providing opportunities to develop clubs,
coaches, volunteers and players.
4.2. Through the Club Charter, England Squash are putting
clubs at the top of the agenda in terms of support and activity. The long term
success of squash in this country is very much dependant on a strong, vibrant
network of forward thinking clubs that are accessible and welcoming, have good
facilities and provide a range of coaching and competitive opportunities.
4.3. The Club Charter is about making a difference to
clubs regardless of their size. It is about recognising that clubs have the
most important role in squash in this country and how we can work together to
get more people into the game and offer a quality experience for players of all
ages and abilities.
4.4. The Club Charter, a progressive club development
programme, has a simple vision to:
4.4.1. Increase the number of adults and juniors playing
squash through sound playing and competitive club programmes
4.4.2. Increase the recruitment, education and development
of coaches and volunteers
4.4.3. Improve the infrastructure of our club network
4.5. The mechanics of the Club Charter have been developed
in such a way as to include clubs in its broadest sense; members clubs,
commercial clubs, clubs operating from schools, after school clubs, leisure
centres and universities – anywhere where organised activity takes place. In
addition the Club Charter is structured in a way that allows any club,
regardless of its size, to aspire to and achieve the highest possible levels of
development.
5. Club Selection and Capital Programme
5.1. Three main principles were used for the initial
selection of clubs for the programme. Firstly, the need to consider whether
clubs selected would be able to deliver the sports development principles
identified within the England Squash Business Plan. Secondly, the strategic
identification of the club within the England Squash Facilities Strategy.
Third, Clubs selected will need to demonstrate their ability to comply with the
principles of the England Squash Equity & Ethics Plans.
5.2. It is also England Squash’s responsibility to
consider how our selection of Clubs meets the two key recommendations in the
Government’s ‘Game Plan’ report, namely increasing grass roots participation
and improving organisational delivery. All clubs selected through their
development plans meet or will meet these recommendations.
5.3. The intention of the CCDP is to create a sustainable
and financially viable sports club infrastructure in
5.4. A minimum of 50%
of the portfolio will be in or predominantly impact upon wards in the top
20%. The individual project summaries in Section 7 state the IMD of each
project and how the wards are targeted
5.5. The
Investment Strategy will contribute towards increasing club membership levels
among young people and low participant groups, in particular women and girls, D
and E social class groups, black and other minority groups and disabled people.
The individual project summaries in Section 7 provide details of how this will
be achieved.
5.6. Taking in to account 5.1 to 5.3 the following also
has been used to assist with England Squash’s selection of eligible clubs;
5.6.1. Does the club have a track record of sports
development / community outreach work?
5.6.2. Does England Squash consider that the provision of
the proposed facility will contribute towards increasing club
membership levels among young people and low participant groups?
5.6.3.
Is the club within the top 20% of the IMD?
5.6.4. Is the club of sound financial footing and can it
manage a significant capital investment?
5.6.5. Is the club a member of the England Squash Club
Charter programme? All clubs selected will have to work towards obtaining the
Silver level or be committed to achieving the Silver level within 6 months of a
project receiving approval.
5.6.6. Does the club have or is working towards the
development of a Club Development Plan?
5.6.7. Does the Club adhere to the England Squash Child
Protection policy and procedures? This will be met through the awarding of Club
Charter status.
5.6.8. Does the Club adhere to the England Squash Equity
policy? This will be met through the awarding of Club Charter status.
5.6.9. Does the club have partnerships with local schools?
5.6.10. Does the club have a track record in partnership
working – County Sports Partnerships, Local Authorities, Local Community
Groups?
5.6.11. Does the club have £1:£1 Partnership
Funding in place to support the project?
5.6.12. An
indication in the project descriptions as to whether or not any revenue funding
is being secured or if projects are linking into initiatives such as the
Community Sports Coach Scheme.
5.7. The identification of clubs will be via a two way
consultation exercise conducted as part of our ongoing invitation to clubs to
be awarded Charter status
5.8. From the list of identified strategic facility
developments many will be seeking financial support from other funding
programmes, e.g. Sport Lottery Fund Capital Programme, New Opportunities
Funding, and
5.9. Applying the criteria of the Community Club
Development Programme, set out in 5.1 – 5.4, the following have been identified
to form the portfolio submission;
Table 1: Identified Clubs
This table
will outline the selected clubs
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6. Club Infrastructure
6.1. The following section details the infrastructure and
project proposal for each of the identified clubs and the corresponding
financial period to draw on the CCDP funding. Table 2 summarises this
breakdown.
6.2. All of the clubs are aware of, and have plans for,
secondary income generation to provide increased revenue.
6.3. In all cases where clubs do not own the freehold of
the site, each club has a minimum 21 year lease, and in most cases a
significantly greater period than this.
Table
2: Project Years to Club
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2006 / 2007 |
2007 / 2008 |
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7.
Project Summaries (to be added once projects have been
identified)
7.1. E.g. X Squash Club – typical summary info to include:
7.1.1. The club’s geographical location and highlights the
surrounding wards and their respective Indices of Deprivation
7.1.2. Reference to the Club Development Plan – need to
highlight how growth in membership among young people and low
participant groups, in particular women and girls, D and E social class groups,
black and other minority groups and/or disabled people will be achieved.
7.1.3. Brief club background – commitment to outreach work,
number of partnerships with local school, strength of junior and senior
sections, number of coaches and active volunteers etc
7.1.4. Summary of existing club facilities
7.1.5. Summary of proposed facility
7.1.6. Position of lease – freehold or length of tenure
7.1.7. Funding partners – just club, local development
agencies etc
7.1.8. Highlight any track record in partnership working –
County Sports Partnerships, Local Authorities, Local Community Groups?
7.1.9.
An indication as to whether or
not any revenue funding has been secured
7.1.10. Is
the projects linked to initiatives such as the Community Sports Coach Scheme or
PESSCL
8. Project Prioritisation and Costings
8.1. England Squash has been requested to identify the
projects proposed in descending order of priority. The CCDP has provided a
unique opportunity for the sport and its member clubs and a number of key
factors have been considered when prioritising the proposed projects put
forward in this submission.
8.2. To provide a descending order to the insert number of clubs an
assessment of their present and future development position has been scored
against the criteria detailed in section 5 of this submission. Table 4 provides
a matrix detailing each clubs position to the infrastructure criteria.
8.3. The individual financial bids for each of the
proposed projects are detailed in Table 3 with their respective financial year when
a request will be made to draw down project funding. For some of the projects
the bid figure is not the definitive cost but a good budget figure supplied by
contractors.
Table
3: Project Costings and Financial Year
|
2006 / 2007 |
Estimated Capital Expenditure |
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£ |
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£ |
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£ |
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£ |
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Total No. of Projects and
Financial Year Total Expenditure |
X Projects
totalling £ |
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2007 / 2008 |
Estimated Capital Expenditure |
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£ |
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£ |
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£ |
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£ |
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Total No. of Projects and
Financial Year Total Expenditure |
X Projects
totalling £ |