Tigers achieve club mark
- Friday 7th March 2014
Tigers will officially be presented with their club mark of approval by President of the Yorkshire RFU at the Dudley Kingwinsford home game on March 29th.
The RFU’s ‘Mark of Approval’ is similar to the ISO 9001 / Investors In People Award, but for the Rugby World, awarded to rugby clubs for running as per best practice. Only about 500 out of the 2,500 clubs in England have achieved it, putting Tigers in the top 70 clubs in England on the pitch and top 500 in terms of ‘management’ off it.
Club rugby lies at the heart of rugby in England. It is where the game is played in huge numbers and it is the environment that the RFU Development Department is committed to supporting by ‘strengthening clubs and growing the game in the communities around them’.
Part of this commitment is to introduce a new Club Accreditation scheme that will help all club sections to become stronger, more effective, more efficient and more enjoyable places in which to play rugby. Unlike other accreditation schemes, this one provides a framework for a club to show what it is doing, how it does it, and where it can improve.
The RFU hopes that clubs will be both challenged by the process and enjoy it. It will allow clubs to exhibit all that is good about rugby in their adult sections, mini and youth, women and girls and touch rugby, while demonstrating that this is all achieved in a friendly, welcoming environment.
The Club Accreditation scheme is based upon the six Key Drivers identified as crucial to a strong club:
1. Retaining & Developing Players
2. Recruiting New Players
3. Recruiting & Retaining High Quality Coaches, Volunteers & Referees
4. Effective & Efficient Facilities
5. Effective & Efficient Management and Governance
6. Integration with the Local Community
Each of these Key Drivers, together with the Core Values of the game, is represented within the Club Accreditation scheme and together they represent the component parts of a strong, sustainable club.
The scheme is straightforward and designed to both recognise and assist a club to continually improve, while demonstrating a real commitment to providing all that’s best in rugby union. The RFU’s Community Game Board, a partnership between executive staff and volunteers, sees the scheme as an exciting development in the way the RFU supports its member clubs.
Said Steve Grainger, Rugby Development Director: "In the lead up to Rugby World Cup 2015 we are all aware that our clubs are at the forefront in growing and developing the game. We want to help them to make sure they are at the very heart of their communities, welcoming new players and volunteers, while developing those they already have. To do this successfully they will all be looking to provide the kind of facilities that attract members and to a club that is well run.
Congratulations to all our members who have helped Tigers achieve this very special award.