Club Development

A very important initiative being undertaken at present is club development through the Scottish FA Quality Mark Programme. The aim of this initiative is to support clubs to become more efficient through support for volunteers and have clear pathways from children’s through to adult football. There are three strands to the programme.

Standard Mark

The focus at this level is getting the basics of organising and running a Club right. These Clubs may consist of one or more teams. By establishing the basics, the Club will be in a position to grow to Development Club status. This accreditation is also aimed at those Clubs who cannot grow their Club due to geography or demographics but where quality is clearly demonstrable. An example of this being Clubs in the more remote areas of Scotland.

Development Mark

Development Clubs have demonstrated a commitment to the player pathway and to the development of players through a number of age groups including girls’ football. These Clubs will have a minimum of four teams at four different age groups.

The Development Club should also demonstrate a link to local Primary and Secondary Schools, providing School pupils an opportunity to train or play where a School team does not exist. The Development Club should also provide local School Volunteers with support in terms of training, mentoring and guidance.

Community
The key objective of the Community Club or School is to ensure that members are encouraged to stay with the Club and continue to play, train and compete at their chosen level whilst developing a sense of Community belonging. These Clubs will have a minimum of eight teams representing children, youths, adults and girls/women.

The Club should also seek to identify talent, develop it, and produce young players capable of performing at their maximum level.

Current Situation

In the Scottish Borders we are currently working with five pilot clubs. The clubs who are involved are Galashiels Football Club, Selkirk Football Club and Ancrum Football Club who all achieved the SFA Standard Quality Mark Award in 2007. Kelso Football Club and Peebles Football Club will go for the standard mark award in 2008.