England Netball | Club Start of Season Support

Designed for established clubs running training activity and taking part in competition

Club Start of Season Checklist

This checklist is designed to help you feel confident in your preparations for the new season. It helps you check the essentials are in place to ensure there is a duty of care for you and your members. We’ve included a P next to the highest priority actions and the links provide further support and information if these are areas you are still working on.

Printable Club Start of Season Checklist

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	Pre-Season Check	Priority Action?	Further information or Support
CLUB PEOPLE AND MEMBERSHIP
	Have your ‘Golden committee role’ volunteers been allocated the correct committee role in Engage and have an active 2023-2024 membership? *There should be at least three different people on your committee with the club secretary and club treasurer being different people	P	Which roles are considered ‘Golden Committee Roles’? Should all committee members be members of England Netball? How do I add individuals to committee roles
	Have you provided the club postcode in Engage so your club appears on the EN club finder and your members can link to the club?	P	How to update your club’s address How can I help individuals link to our club?
	Are your coaches appropriately qualified and have you checked they have an active 2023-2024 membership?	P	What qualifications do I need to be ‘appropriately qualified’ to coach? First Aid & Safeguarding Certificates accepted for Level 2 Coaching Courses
	Are your officials appropriately qualified for the level of competition they are officiating, and have you checked they have an active 2023-2024 membership?	P	Am I covered by the programme of insurance as a trainee Technical Official or Umpire
	Do all your players have an active 2023-2024 membership?	P	How do I check my players membership status for the current membership year?
	Does your club pay individual employees £118 or more per week?		Ensure you benefit from the Employer’s Liability cover included in your membership
	Have you considered the protection and sharing of personal data?		As an organisation, we hold records electronically but do these need encrypting? As an organisation, we hold records in paper form do we need to make electronic copies? Full GDPR Tool Kit
	Have dates been shared for your committee to have regular meetings where records of decisions made and actions to take are made?		How to run effective meetings
CLUB WELFARE AND SAFEGUARDING
	Does your club safeguarding officer hold no other position within the club to avoid any conflicts of interest?	P	The Club Safeguarding Officer must not be the Head Coach or Club Chair
	Is your club safeguarding officer appropriately qualified, have a current DBS and visible to all club members? As a minimum they should be clearly identified on all communications with players and parents	P	I’m a Club Safeguarding Officer. What safeguarding training do I need to complete? Safeguarding Training for Volunteers
	Are your club coaches appropriately trained in safeguarding and first aid?	P	I’m a Coach. What safeguarding training do I need to complete? Safeguarding Training for Coaches
	Does everyone who needs a DBS have a current DBS?	P	DBS Guidance You can work out who needs a DBS using this flow chart
	Do you manage the risk of accidents or injury within your club environment? Pre-season club risk management should include risk assessing: The space Safeguarding The condition of players/officials to reduce likelihood of injuries First aid provision Have you completed a risk assessment of the space and site visit before regular netball activity commences? Do you have emergency procedures for dealing with serious injuries/accidents?		Sport England ‘Creating a Risk Assessment’ guidance Risk Assessment template Risk Assessment Checklist Safeguarding Checklist You may consider having multiple volunteers supporting the club’s risk management planning, culture and review
	Have you got a risk assessment checklist that coaches/officials can use during the season before any netball activity starts? Are appropriately qualified first aiders identified and present during the season at the club’s netball activity?		Risk Assessment Checklist Template Who should complete a Risk Assessment Checklist? When should the Risk Assessment Checklist be completed?
Facility and Equipment for delivery of netball activity
	Do you have a suitable venue/(s) to run your netball activity and do you have a copy of their venue’s risk assessment?	P	If not, have you made your Netball Development Officer aware of facility challenges? Facility Advocacy Pack
	Do you have appropriate equipment to run your netball activity? Balls, bibs, first aid kits etc		England Netball Store
Club Communications
	Is everyone clear on what is going on, when, where and the costs involved?	P
	Are your members aware of the club’s and/or competition’s Code of Conduct?	P	For reference England Netball Codes of Conduct including templates
	Do you have a plan to send out regular communication to members to keep them informed about key club updates and provide opportunities to feedback what’s working well or share ideas of what could be even better?		This could be via a group organising App such as Spond or via whatsapp or email

Thank you to you and every club volunteer who continues to invest significant time, effort and energy to ensure netball activity can continue and that netball is a sport we can all be proud to be part of.

There is lots of support available to help you with pre-season.

Here’s who can help?
	Your local netball development officer (NDO), is here to help and signpost.	Not sure who your NDO is or how to contact them- Regional Contacts
	Your county and/or regional netball association	Unsure what they offer and how to contact them your NDO can help
	Your local Sports Partnership	Your NDO can help you if you are unsure
	If you provide U18 netball activity, do you have connections with local schools?