Club Matters Update – Dec 2015
Club Matters is Sport England’s one stop shop for sports clubs. Club Matters provides free, convenient and practical resources to help you develop and run a sustainable club. Since Club Matters launched in February, over 18,000 clubs are now registered to have full access to the resources and tools on offer. Click here to register for Club Matters so you too can benefit from the free resources available.
Here is an update on some of the ways your club can benefit from Club Matters…
The Club Matters mentoring process is changing
The process to apply for a Club Matters mentor is changing – applications will be open from 4th January to 1st February. If you think your club could benefit from a sports loving, business minded individual to help you work through your club’s challenges, then click here to find out more.
Check out how clubs have benefited from Club Matters workshops
Club Matters were proud to reach their 100th workshop recently, and took part in the celebrations! They have put together a short film of the occasion, including some interviews with clubs about how they found the experience. Check it out and get involved!
Playing field safeguards working
- Latest figures show 92 per cent of playing fields protected from development
- New support to help sports clubs take over facilities for good
Playing fields across the country are being protected against development, new data published today (December 4) has shown.
The latest figures, compiled by Sport England which works to safeguard playing fields for community use, show that 92 per cent of all resolved planning applications involving a playing field in 2013/14 resulted in improved or secured facilities.
The figures are in line with the previous year, in which 94 per cent of planning applications affecting playing fields (1161 out of 1236) resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision. This mean that in the latest figures, there were 15 more positive outcomes for community sport.
Sport England must be consulted by councils whenever anyone wants to develop on a playing field, and will always object if it believes that sports provision in the area will be negatively impacted as a result. Often, Sport England will negotiate a new facility being built or existing pitches being upgraded, resulting in improved spaces for people to play sport locally.
The figures show that in 2013/14:
- 92 per cent (1176 out of 1272) of concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision;
- In half (51 per cent) of the cases where Sport England originally objected to an application, our intervention and further negotiation led to an overall improvement in sports provision;
- The rest (49 per cent) were either withdrawn, refused by the local authority, are yet to be determined, or were approved despite Sport England objections (just 7.5 per cent).
