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Club Administration

Starting a new sports club can be an exciting, inspiring and daunting experience. For many people, setting up a club is a legacy that they can leave their community for generations to come. This guide will help support you through the process. 

New Clubs Only

A venue ideally with equipment would need to be sourced first. However, they say that a church is about the people and not the building.

So if there is no equipment at present please get in touch and we may be able to help you out. We run a number of schemes that provide starter packs to new clubs. We can also open up doors with your local sports partnership.


Before you start it’s worth checking out that there aren’t any other Volleyball clubs in the area. If there are, maybe you can help them out.


Advertise within the community and on social media to see if there is enough interest to get a club up and running. We can help design posters for you.


Decide on a day and time to play and begin with some open sessions so people can try out the sport. If you are looking to set up a Junior club then let us know and we can put you in touch with a local school.

We are happy to help you setup a school-club link. We run a Schools Project in partnership with the CEV (European Federation) where we provide equipment and teacher training.


Once commitment has been established and there is a core group begin to 1. Seek volunteers 2. Develop club structure.

New and Existing Clubs

Constitution
A club Constitution is a simple document that outlines the functions of the club, procedures for membership, meetings and committees. Click HERE for a template. The below headings are information required to build a club and the constitution. Once you and the group have.
 
Club Officials
A club will need a number of officials to run the club on a formal basis. A Secretary, Chairperson, Treasurer and Children’s Officer (if there are juniors in the club) are the minimum required. These posts will need to be elected. Before the meeting it is advisable that there are willing people to take up these roles. The club needs at least three elected members onto the committee.  Many clubs will have other roles that people in the club volunteer to carry out outside the formal club positions, such as new members coordinator, PRO, social secretary etc. Click HERE for a sample job descriptions.
 
Committee Meetings and Annual AGM
A club Committee is a group of people who are formally responsible for the running of the club. A Club’s success will be greatly down to the work of the Committee. Establishing a Committee with clearly identified roles helps to identify who does what in the club, helps to spread the workload and ensures that the club is not entirely dependent on one or two people. It might be useful to establish basic role descriptions so that everyone knows what is expected of them and others.
 
The Committee should meet at least quarterly, some meet monthly. An Annual General Meeting (AGM) is required, so that all members have a say in the running of the club. It is at the AGM that the Committee is elected. Click HERE for a template Agenda.

Finance
It is important that new and existing clubs raise funds to run the club, initially these will more than likely come from membership subscriptions. It is also advisable to set out a list of costs to run the club throughout the year which will help you create a budget of income and expenditure for the next 12 months. A club will have to set up a Bank/Building Society Account in the name of the Club. The Bank will usually require two signatories for the cashing of cheques or withdrawals. The Treasurer of the club should handle the financial affairs of the club and keep detailed accounts. Click HERE for a sample budget.
 
Membership/Recruitment
Club Membership should be open to persons of all levels, abilities and ages. All members should complete membership forms. When recruiting new members advertise in local community halls, schools and through Volleyball Ireland and your Local Sports Partnership. Hold ‘Come Try Days’, ‘Introduce someone New to Volleyball’. We run workshops for club coaches to develop Social Volley programs. Social Volley is a great way to build up your membership. Email me to find out more on this.

Code of Conduct
All members including juniors and adults, parents, volunteers and coaches/referees should all sign a Code of Conduct specific to their role. This is to ensure they understand what is expected of them and how to behave during club time and with others. Click HERE for sample Code of Conduct.

Junior Members
If there are junior members the club is required to have a Children’s Officer and Designated Liaison Person. To be legally compliant, the club must complete a Risk Assessment and Child Safety Statement [V1] and display the statement in the view of the public in the hall. Coaches, Referees and other club personnel conducting relevant work must be Garda Vetted [V2] through Volleyball Ireland. Click HERE to see further information on Safeguarding.

Insurance
Clubs pay an insurance fee to receive cover for the halls they play in. Club members pay a registration fee which provides personal injury cover. It is the clubs responsibility to ensure they have insurance and to make their members aware of insurance.

Affiliation
If your club is availing of the insurance. It is mandatory for members of your club to be members of Volleyball Ireland. Affiliation can be done on the Volleyball Ireland Website. Anyone who wish to compete in the Volleyball Ireland league or competitions must be affiliated.

Training Courses
Volleyball Ireland Commissions run Coach and Referee training courses during the year. Teams wishing to compete in the National League must have qualified and registered referees and coaches. Click the relevant to see up and coming courses. Coach Education and Referee Education.

Leagues/Competitions
The club can decide to enter teams into the National League and other competitions/recreational tournaments. Keep an eye on the Calendar for Competitions and on the website for information on the National League.

Development Plan
To ensure the longevity of the club, the club should create a 3-5 year development plan. The Development Plan maps out, ‘Where the club is now’, ‘Where the club wants to be in a set time’ and ‘How the club will get there.’ This is ideal when planning coach/referee development and for turn over of committee members as well as establishing new sections within the club. Click HERE for a Development Plan Template. Volleyball Ireland Development staff will support you through this and help you identify some realistic targets.