Starting a New Club

Your Scottish Gymnastics Development Team will be able to assist and guide you in setting up your new club. The Development Team is committed to providing the best support to clubs in all areas of club development. In addition to helping you get your new venture up and running, the team can offer assistance in creating links to:

• Educate and train coaches, gymnasts, volunteers, teachers and judges
• Raise awareness and provide information about products and services that gymnastics can offer
• Improve and / or find additional facilities for gymnastics to take place
• Raise awareness of Health and Safety issues, SGA safe recruitment policy and procedures, child protection legislation
• to raise the standards of gymnastics opportunities
• to provide guidance on how to set up the administration of your club to ensure relevant legal compliance
• Assist with sports development planning, so that clubs know where to start, where to go next and where to look for support
• Coordinate relevant partnership schemes, including school and local authority initiatives
• Possible avenues of funding

If you are considering setting up a club you will need to ensure you have copies of the BG Health, Safety and Welfare Policy and the SGA Safe Recruitment Policy, the SGA Code of Practice for Coaches and Officials, and the SGA Child Protection Policy which can be down loaded from the “Ethics and Welfare” section of this website.

Things to consider when setting up a club:

• You will need a coach who:

-  is qualified to a minimum of BG UKCC Level 2 in the discipline being offered

-  has attended the Scottish Gymnastics Safe Gym For All course

• Is the venue you intend to use a recognised environment for insurance purposes?

Scottish Gymnastics has it's own comprehensive insurance policy. This will only cover coaches if they are coaching gymnastics/trampolining in an environment which is stipulated by the current SG insurers. Recognised environments would include:

o Local Education Authority - School / College / University
o Health Authority - Hospital / Rehabilitation Centre / Primary Care Trust
o Leisure Centre run by a Local Authority
o Local Authority (County Council / District Council / City Council) controlled establishments such as Community Centres and Village Halls

Your club training venue will become a recognised environment once you register as an SGA member club
• Do you have a Child Protection Co-ordinator and have they been trained?
• What sort of equipment will you need?
• What management / administration structure will you put in place for your club?

The sportscotland “Help For Clubs” website www.helpforclubs.org.uk is another invaluable source of information to help you get established.

Development Contacts:

East, Clackmananshire & Falkirk - Samantha Langstaff 07825 828867

Tayside & Fife & Stirling-  Steven Maloney  07825 828864

West - Sarah Logan - 07825 828868

Other queries – 01786 466232 Extn 105