ECB Clubmark - Four Themes Overview

Below, you will find an overview of the type of issues covered in each of the four themes of ECB Clubmark:

Duty of Care and Safeguarding Children

The ECB is committed to ensuring that all children who play cricket have a safe, positive and fun experience, whatever their level of involvement.

The ECB recognises the importance of safeguarding children within the game and is committed to developing and implementing policies and procedures which ensure that everyone knows and accepts their responsibility in relation to a duty of care for children.

It is important for every club to understand that safeguarding should not be viewed as a stand alone process which sits in isolation from all other activities within cricket. Instead, safeguarding is about creating a culture which helps direct the game and the provision of services that are offered to participants.

Safeguarding in cricket is based upon providing a welcoming and enjoyable cricket environment that is meets the needs and requirements of children.

A welcoming environment where children are asked for and are able to offer their views and opinions (for example, about the game, training sessions, or arrangements generally) is also a safer environment, where children feel more able to share concerns, and everyone feels more able to challenge poor practice or behaviour.

A club has a duty of care to ensure the safety and welfare of any child involved in related activities, to safeguard them and protect them from reasonably foreseeable forms of harm. Safeguarding is about all of us acknowledging that this duty of care exists, and it is about us putting practical measures in place, in our own locations, to minimise the likelihood of foreseeable harm arising.

This section of ECB Clubmark assists clubs in discharging that duty. Some of the Child Safeguarding requirements are driven by national legislation. The Disclosure and Barring Service provides a service allowing organisations to vet every eligible individual who works with, or seeks to work with children or vulnerable adults.

The Cricket Programme

The Cricket Programme (the combination of coaching, training and competition) should assist young players to realise their potential. It takes account of the Long-term Athlete Development model (LTAD), as the
development of talented young players is a complicated process that is influenced by many factors.

Developing a competition programme is vital for young people as it is one significant reason why many join a club in the first place. Clubs are required to provide suitable intra and/or inter club competition.

Guidance is provided on supervising young players and minimum player:coach ratios. Coaching staff have a key role in establishing an appropriate coaching environment and creating a successful playing programme.

Clubs have to demonstrate that coaches are trained to appropriate levels and that the activity undertaken in the club reflects best practice in the development of young people, e.g. coaches are required to ensure that young people do not train excessively or in conditions that may cause injury or discomfort.

Knowing Your Club and its Community - One Game

One Game is the project aimed at widening the appeal of cricket to ensure as many people as possible are welcomed into the game at all levels regardless of age, race, ability, gender, ethnic origin, nationality, colour, parental or marital status, religious belief, class or social background, sexual preference or political belief.

As the guardians of cricket, it is up to each and every one of us to hand our game on in better shape than when we found it.

The One Game philosophy applies to everyone, at every level from the playground through to our international teams, from players to volunteers and fans.

The basic premise for this section of ECB Clubmark is to ensure that all clubs are aware of their immediate community. That way, a club can ensure it is meeting the needs of its local community when planning opportunities for people to participate in cricket.

There are many ways in which clubs can fulfil their part of the One Game Pledge requirement, regardless of whether they are a smaller club based in a rural area, or a larger club in an inner city. It is about selecting the methods that best suit each club situation. This section is aimed at increasing involvement in cricket amongst all sectors of society, including, but not limited to, ethnic minority groups.

Various One Game Pledge examples can be found on the ECB website here.

Club Management

Clubs that are well managed tend to be successful. They have well ordered finances, and keep volunteers and members well-informed with good communication.

If the day to day running of the club is dealt with efficiently, strong links can be formed with external partners, such as sports development agencies and local schools, and relationships developed with the ECB to ensure that good practice is maintained. A well managed club plans for the future as well as being prepared in the event of an emergency.