School Club Link

A school – club link is a written agreement between an individual club and a school which outlines roles and responsibilities specific to ensuring that young people are provided with the opportunity to participate in worthwhile sporting / physical activities within and beyond the school day.

A link is appropriate to the requirements of both the school and the club and both parties have a clear understanding and agreement on the role to which they play in order to be effective and successful.

What is an effective School – Club Link?

An effective link is fundamentally one that can evidence that young people have benefited from it being established. For example a club may be able to show a number of new young people joining their club from the school to which it has established a link with. It could also be that the school teacher has developed his/her skills in a certain sport due to the support or guidance of a coach from a club.

The 2006 DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport) and DFES (Department for Children, Schools and Families) guidance document School Club Links recognised the effectiveness of a link by looking at its outcomes and impact on young people. It stated that it was critical for schools and clubs to ensure that the activity and links being formed were geared towards the benefit and development of the young people involved. The document also outlined that school club links work best if they bring together a high quality school or school sports partnership with a high quality club.

Schools are advised to where possible look to create links with Accredited clubs as these have been recognised as being safe, effective and child friendly with a quality club structure. To find out more about what an accredited club is please click here.What type of link is needed?

Every school and club has a varying degree of differences in the kind of link that they require in order to be successful. Active Gloucestershire recognises these differences and has therefore developed a criteria for schools and clubs to use and adapt as required to suit these varying requirements.

• Increasing options for young people to be involved in a variety of activities
• Reinforcement of healthy lifelong participation through involvement outside of school
• Developing their learning through regular practice and introduction to new skills
• Realising ambition, developing their talent and progressing in their sport
• Increasing confidence to pursue sport in their own time
• Gaining access to high quality training (coaches and facilities)
• Progressing into accredited clubs which should ensure a safe and friendly environment
• Raising awareness of how to join and regularly participate in community clubs, as players, coaches and volunteers
• Socially – mixing with new people and gaining new experiences

• Raising the schools profile in the community
• Supporting development for ALL students beyond school in a variety of activities (including those gifted and talented) to participate
• Increasing awareness of exit routes for players, coaches and volunteers
• Identifying high quality clubs to for young people
• Encourage young people to engage in Community Sport (Life long participation through continuing in sport after they leave the educational setting).
• Sharing facilities and resources (hire charges for school facilities)
• Enabling more people (club coaches) to deliver clubs (support teachers)
• More ideas for teachers, by working with quality clubs and coaches
• Supporting extra curricular clubs and festivals through high quality coaching