Conference Unites Community Sports Clubs to Promote Growth and Safeguarding

Over 140 representatives of Hertfordshire’s community sports clubs recently gathered at the University of Hertfordshire’s Fielder Centre for the Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership’s (HSP) Annual Clubs Conference. 

The event brings together community sports clubs and other organisations to acknowledge the huge contribution they make to community life; to share good practice; and to learn about the various support structures that can assist in their work. 

Keynote speakers at the event included Sport England’s Executive Director for Partnerships, Phil Smith and the NSPCC’s first ever Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPS) Director, Steve Boocock who joined other workshop presenters, covering subject areas as diverse as funding, disability sport and school-club links. 

Steve Boocock – currently the CEO at Wiltshire & Swindon Sport (WASP) – outlined developments around children protection, safeguarding and sport welfare over the past two decades and gave a personal reflection of some of the successes – and failures – within the sports system, including those referred to in the recent Whyte Review on the failings within the British Gymnastics. 

The welfare in sport theme cut across the conference, and in his workshop, Joe Gamble - HSP’s Sport Welfare Officer - outlined his plan to work with clubs, National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) and other organisations, to ensure that Hertfordshire’s community sports system is a place where all children and young people can feel welcome and safe, and have access to an environment in which to thrive. 

In echoing Boocock’s sentiments Phil Smith stressed the importance of creating and maintaining places and spaces – including a fit for purpose workforce - to achieve Gamble’s goals. He also reflected on Sport England’s journey over recent time to where it is now - using sport and physical activity to help address disadvantage and inequality as the primary focus. 

He also outlined Sport England’s various funding support streams and encouraged those preset to consider how they may access these programmes, the application process for which had been streamlined and simplified. 

Delegates enjoyed a networking lunch and an opportunity to visit a range of sector related stands and staff representing NGBs, and other Sport England partners including Sported - a charity that works with sports clubs to improve their governance and sustainability - and Grassboots, a project aimed to help people who are struggling financially to have access to grassroots sport and outdoor activities. 

Feedback from the day has been overwhelmingly positive and event organiser and HSP’s lead for clubs, coaches and volunteers, Charlie Mann said: 

“We were delighted to see so many of Hertfordshire’s community sports clubs represented at the recent conference. These volunteers are the lifeblood of our sporting system and do so much to make our communities safer and better places to live and work. The contribution that they make to society – in terms of wellbeing, crime prevention, social inclusion, community cohesion, and educational attainment - is immeasurable, and Hertfordshire is very fortunate to have such a vibrant community sports sector.” 

In reinforcing Mann’s comments Dave Bartlett from the Comets Junior Badminton Club said: 

“The recent clubs conference was another excellent event organised by HSP and was a valuable opportunity to meet with like-minded people to hear about new funding streams, support structures and the change in priorities in some of the key agencies. Moreover, it was invaluable to have time to network and meet with others facing similar challenges in how we make our clubs and programmes safe, welcoming and fun.” 

Presentations from the event can be found here.

To continue the discussions on promoting positive sport, please reach out to the Partnership’s Sport Welfare Officer, Joe Gamble, j.gamble2@herts.ac.uk or Charlie Mann, c.mann3@herts.ac.uk