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Community Specialism

Updated - October, 2011 www.archerygb.org

Community Clubs We want to grow the sport and increase the number of people accessing

archery. We think the sport is fantastic and Community clubs are a way of

offering the sport to many more people.

Archery has a unique selling point being such an inclusive, social and

family oriented sport allowing the young and old to shoot and compete

together.

Sport England’s Active People Survey1 reports that only 0.12% of the

population (around 52,000 people) take part in archery once a month and

we hope to increase this figure.

A Community specialist club understands this position and seeks to

explore ways to allow the local community easy access to the sport. The

club will consistently work towards providing opportunities for as many

people as possible and is aware of the barriers that exist but seeks out

solutions to overcome them.

Community specialist clubs will be seen as places where people can enjoy

a high quality archery experience with excellent social, training and

competition opportunities.

Specialisms

Specialisms have been developed, so that we can recognise clubs that are working hard

in specific areas of the sport and so that we can help clubs to develop, if they have

aspirations to develop a specific aspect. Three areas we are focusing the programme on

are ‘Community’, Young People’ and ‘Performance’.

What are the benefits of taking part?

‘Community’, Young People’ and ‘Performance’ are considered aspects of the sport we

need to develop in order for the sport to grow. Joining the specialism phase will offer the

following benefits:

Recognition

Archery GB will seek to promote these clubs above others as examples of good practice

and we will help share their experiences with others in order to promote archery to the

wider archery family. Clubs embarking upon the Community specialism strand will be

displayed as a Community Club on the Club Finder, be able to display the Community

logo on the club website and have to access to the ontarget Club & Volunteer Awards.

1 Sport England’s Active People Survey 5: Quarter 2 results from the latest four quarters of the survey (rolling 12

months, April 2010 to April 2011

Rewards

The main reward is a better club. We also think that clubs who join the programme and

embark on a specialism will be more attractive to those outside of the sport. Community

clubs would have more members, that are more satisfied, and a thriving club atmosphere.

A tangible rewards programme will be available for clubs to access on achieving the

specialisms, including a small grants scheme to help develop activities.

Development

A Community focused club, thinking about what the next decade will bring to the sport, will

be a stronger club prepared for an increase in growth of numbers. They will be in a

position where they can exploit opportunities to grow and improve. To assist clubs they

will be able to access officer support and guidance.

Characteristics of a Community Club

Clubs will be assessed, in part, through the submission of evidence to demonstrate that

they are displaying the characteristics of a Community club. Importantly how the club

operates on a weekly and daily basis will be the primary assessment for a Community

club.

It is expected that the following characteristics would be displayed:

C1. The club openly advertises opportunities to participate in archery

C2. A consistent warm reception is provided on club nights

C3. On at least a monthly basis the club provides the opportunity for potential new

participants to shoot

C4. Membership to the club is truly open and the club seeks to attract new members

C5. The club is able to provide shooting practice times to all of its members on a

regular basis

C6. The club actively seeks to retain members by providing a varied and appropriate

shooting programme

C7. The club is able to identify barriers to the above and works to find solutions

through a plan of action.

Applying for Community specialism

To apply for the Community specialism, you are required to:

1. Display the characteristics through your club’s activities, and

2. Offer evidence on the activities that the club is currently providing in relation to each of

the seven characteristics listed above.

The following sections will be helpful when you are submitting evidence or deciding what

activities need to be undertaken to meet each characteristic used in the assessment of the

Community specialism. Each section contains the characteristic to be displayed within the

club; suggestions for activities that clubs may consider, and a case study from another

ontarget club.

Community Club Specialism – Further Information

C1. The club openly advertises opportunities to

participate in archery

To find a local archery club most people will start with the internet. A

quick search will supply most information. An easy to use website

with up-to-date information will provide a potential new member with

all the information they need to learn how they can get into archery

and join the club.

Suggested Activities The club must have an online presence which is updated regularly

and provides contact details and information on how to join the club.

Is the website up-to-date?

Are contact details and events all current?

Case Study

Oxford Archers have a simple

website letting the local community

know that they are an open and

friendly club. It is updated regularly

with news and information on how

to join the club.

The website clearly states how to

join the club, how much it is and

who to contact for enquiries.

C2. A consistent warm reception is provided on club

nights

To attract and retain archers in our clubs, it is important that we

make new people feel welcome. An early positive experience often

means people will be more likely to stay and take an active role in

the club. A Community club understands the needs to be consistent

with how new and existing members are greeted. .

Suggested Activities

Try identifying a club member as a meet and greeter - someone to

welcome members, new and old, to the club. A regular social

calendar of events for members to take part in is always a good sign

of a healthy club.

What does the club do to help all members enjoy themselves?

Case Study

CMO Bowmen is known as a friendly club, welcoming anyone

interested in archery. The club has members who shoot only

occasionally and for social purposes, and members who compete

(and sometimes win!) in external Tournaments. The clubs caters

for all shades of interest in between. They hold at least one

internal competition each month, usually a Handicap Trophy Shoot

to encourage newer members, and host and attend friendly

matches against other local clubs during the outdoor season.

C3. On at least a monthly basis the club provides the

opportunity for potential new participants to shoot.

In order to grow archery and increase the number of people taking

part, clubs need to provide regular activities for beginners. A

Community club will work to provide solutions to allow more

participants to shoot on at least a monthly basis. They will avoid

having waiting lists and potentially long periods of time before new

people can access a beginner’s course.

Suggested Activities

Provide a list of opportunities that are available for new members

when they contact you.

Case Study

Gordano Valley Archers do not have set dates for beginner

courses. Courses are run over 6 sessions on Sunday mornings at

the club between 9.30am-12.30pm, with the rest of the day being

provided for existing members to shoot. A record is kept of every

session so there is no need to book a block of 6 sessions, this

allows an individual, couple or family to start when it is convenient

to them. Discounts are also provided for additional family

members.

During 2010 the club had 76 beginners.

C4. The club has a membership that is open and

actively seeks to recruit new members.

Clubs should want to attract new members and have an

understanding of the benefits that they bring. However without being

deliberately so, clubs of all sports can be inherently exclusive2. In

order to be welcoming and genuinely open for new members there

needs to be a simple and easy route to join.

Suggested Activities

The club displays a commitment to recruit new members routinely.

How does your club ensure that you reach the widest group of

potential members possible?

How do you ensure your activities are open to all?

Case Study

Bowmen of Pendle & Samlesbury have secured funding to provide

activities that open up the club to include a wider membership

base - meaning more archers, coaches, judges and increased

revenue - whilst ensuring the involvement and support of the local

community.

2 ‘Increasing Participation in Sport Research Debrief’, Sport England commissioned report by the

Henley Centre Headlight Vision, May 2008.

C5. The club is able to provide shooting practice times

to all of its members on a regular basis.

In order to grow the sport and allow more people to access it, clubs

should be able to provide shooting times for all of its members and

be comfortable in being able to accept new members.

Suggested Activities

A schedule that enables all members to shoot regularly. A

partnership with a local school or community centre to provide

additional facilities.

How do you timetable your range times so that all members

can get access to shooting?

Have you tried new ways to ensure all members can shoot?

How does it ensure they have the ability to progress and

develop?

Case Study

Balbardie Archers had a waiting list of more than 50 people.

Following discussions with a local school the club sought to

operate from another venue allowing more members and the local

community to shoot more often and reduce the waiting list. By

adding a third venue the club was able to provide members with

the opportunity to shoot on three evenings per week in the winter

as well as on a Sunday morning outdoors.

C6. The club actively seeks to retain members by

providing a varied and appropriate shooting

programme.

Clubs should work to improve their retention rates from beginner’s

courses and provide activities beyond initially joining the club in order

to retain members.

Suggested Activities

An intermediate course can assist in the retention of new members

by providing additional coaching and interest. Many clubs provide

equipment for hire for a period of up to 3 months for new members.

What archery practice and competition activities does the club

make available for members?

Case Study

Deer Park Archers has recruited volunteers to support a growing

number of junior archers by training up parent and teachers.

These ‘coaching assistants’ have

helped create high levels of

success at competitions and

reduced drop-out rates at the

club.

C7. The club is able to identify barriers to becoming

a Community Club and works to find solutions

through a plan of action.

To take time out and think about how you can improve your club

is important. To discuss this with other club members and then

put these thoughts down in a plan is important for making

sustained improvements.

Putting action plans together to develop your club does not need

to be a complicated task. In fact - the simpler the better.

Complicated plans can be difficult to follow and therefore hard to

achieve. The plan should detail short, medium and long term

issues and relevant solutions.

Suggested Activities

A plan of action should be in place that highlights the barriers to

club growth and improvement.

The clubs in the case studies have identified barriers and

overcome them in different ways. Going through the

Community specialism process will allow the club to reflect on

what activities it is providing, whether these are relevant for its

current and potential new members.

A period of self reflection will allow the club to decide what

course of action it needs to take to develop and grow. Archery

GB will be there along the way to support clubs in whatever

direction they decide to travel.

A club works hard to be at the heart of its community…

...providing a fun and social

atmosphere…

…with opportunities for all

to develop and improve…

…and growing the archers

of the future.

How does my club get involved?

Once you and your club members you have read and considered the seven

characteristics detailed in this document, you should think if you would like to apply for

the Community specialism. You should consider which of the characteristics you

already have as a club, but also what activity you can generate to meet and also

expand on them.

You must try to display these characteristics in your club activity. This programme is

about ‘doing’ not collecting paperwork.

You need to tell us how you are displaying the seven characteristics. To do this you

must complete an online self assessment form available at

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ontargetcommunity

By completing the self assessment you will be able to reflect on your strengths and

weaknesses. Once you have supplied sufficient information on your activities to show

the Development Team what you are doing, you will then be classified as an ontarget

Community specialist club.

When the club is given that classification by the programme, it will also have a plan of

action that the development team will have supported. If a club isn’t able to supply

enough information, then the Development Team will work with the club to move

towards this in the future.

Clubs can complete the self assessment form straight away however there is no closing

date. Clubs may take up to a year in order to develop new activities and for the ethos of a

Community specialist club to be embedded within the club.

What happens next?

Once you have submitted the information on your club, regardless of the outcome you will

receive a plan of action. You will then need to discuss this within the club and think about

what you can address and in what timescales. You may want to contact other clubs, the

national development team and other partners in order to help you with achieving your

goals.

As the ‘specialism’ process is an ongoing process and not an end in itself, all clubs will

be invited to explore how to improve the activities that they provide.

The Club and Development Team will revisit the specialism at least every 2 years. On

revisiting the specialism, if a club no longer provides all the activities to be classified as a

Community specialist club it will be offered support to ensure that it continues to meet all

the necessary characteristics.

Archery GB is the trading name of the Grand National Archery Society, a company

limited by guarantee no.1342150 Registered in England.

Support

The Development Team, your County Development Co-ordinator and many other people

are available to offer you support through this process. The Development Team will

publish a series of support resources throughout the year which clubs can take advantage

of to help them develop their specialisms. This help includes a small grants scheme.

For further information visit www.archerygb.org or contact Arran Coggan, National Club

Development Coordinator, Tel: 07525233592, Email: [email protected]

Lilleshall National Sport Centre

Newport

Shropshire

TF10 9AT

Tel: 01952 677 888

www.archerygb.org