Clubs

Information and Documentation for setting up and developing your Boxing Club

There are currently 136 affiliated boxing clubs in Scotland and the sport is one of the fastest growing in the country. This has led to increased membership at existing clubs, as well as the need to set up new clubs where there is a growing interest in Olympic Style Boxing.

This section provides assistance on how to set up, run and develop a club. If you need further information or advice, please refer to the documentation provided in this section or contact the Boxing Scotland office on 0845 241 7016 and we will gladly assist you.

Before beginning the process of establishing a new club, it is important to ensure that you ask the following questions:

• Are there existing clubs in your area which may be able to help you?
• Are there enough potential boxers to join the club?
• Are there enough volunteers to help with the management, running and administration of a club?

If the answer is yes to all of the above then the following information and documentation will be very useful in helping you progress through the various stages required to open and develop your Boxing Club:

To ensure that all clubs can access the Boxing Scotland Equality Surveys we have uploaded both the Adult and U18 version:

BSL Equality Monitoring form U18

BSL Equality Monitoring form Adults

FURTHER USEFUL INFORMATION

Boxing Scotland Database

Venue and Facilities

Prior to affiliation, clubs should ensure their premises meet the minimum requirements for setting up an amateur boxing gym. Before your club is able to affiliate, it will need to be inspected by a representative from your division.

Until your premises have been inspected and passed, your club cannot be affiliated and is not covered by Boxing Scotland Limited insurances.

Premises

• Premises should be of an adequate size;
• There must be separate and adequate changing, showering and toilet facilities for both male and female members;
• The premises must have sufficient fire exits, extinguishers and fully stocked first aid kits.

To ensure that the venue and equipment are safe and ‘fit for purpose’, it is a good idea to perform a risk assessment (a template can be downloaded from the above document resource list). This is a check of facilities, equipment and safety procedures to ensure that they comply with the standards expected by Boxing Scotland. Undertaking an annual risk assessment is also a good means of preventing accidents by making sure activity delivery and safety provision are checked on a regular basis by the club. If risks or hazards are identified they should be reported.

Affiliation and Constitution

Boxing Scotland is the only national governing body for the sport of Boxing in Scotland. It has responsibility for managing and developing services for the sport, organising National Championships and selecting teams to Box Internationally. We also provide support and guidance for clubs at a local level help them grow and become more sustainable.

By being affiliated to the Boxing Scotland, your club will be able to enter competitions, train and qualify coaches and officials and be part of the the international governing body AIBA.

There is a charge for affiliation, but if your club and its members are serious about boxing, affiliation will provide significant benefits in terms of support towards development and with funding applications.

Club Constitution

All clubs require a club constitution. This is document is necessary as it sets out the functions of the club and its procedures for membership, meetings and committees. It is often a prerequisite of many grant aid bodies and funding programmes, and also a requirement in order to affiliate to Boxing Scotland.

All clubs must be careful to ensure that their constitution does not exclude anyone on discriminatory grounds. A model club constitution template can be downloaded from the section above called Information on setting up and developing your Boxing Club

Effective Club Management & Administration

Well managed clubs tend to be the most successful. They have healthy finances, and both members and volunteers are kept informed through good communication from the committee. The day-to-day running of the club is dealt with effectively and the club will have established links with external partners such as local authorities, Community Sport Hubs, Schools, Community initiatives and have achieved Boxing Scotland Minimum Operating Requirements (MORs) accreditation. MORs is split into three levels Bronze, Silver and Gold. Gold being the highest standard.

The Club Committee

A club committee is elected to run the club, with different people identified to take on different roles. It exists to serve the club and ensure the best possible service is given to its members. If and when a club grows, consideration should be given to creating bespoke sub-committees which can deal with matters such as, social, fund raising, securing sponsorship, equipment etc.

The club committee should have at least three elected officers:
• The Chairperson – Takes responsibility for managing the executive committee, the affairs of the club, overseeing and guiding all decisions taken by the executive committee and sub committees;
• Secretary – Acts as the first point of contact for all club enquiries, represents the club at regular Club/District/BSL meetings and to take and distribute minutes from meetings;
• Treasurer – Takes full responsibility for the club’s financial affairs.

Other positions can be outlined in the constitution, according to requirements. It is recommended the committee meets once a month or every other month to review the operation of the club.

Volunteers

Recruiting and training volunteers is a difficult task, but is vital for the day to day running and future sustainability of most clubs. People who emerge as volunteers are the lifeblood of a boxing club, yet often are taken for granted. As people’s time becomes more valuable it is important that clubs consider their volunteers; how they can recruit, support, recognise and reward the work they do.

To find volunteers you need to have a clear understanding of why you want them. If you identify clearly when, where and why you want help and then seek it in an organised way, people are more likely to step forward and offer assistance.

Ideally one of the club’s members should take charge of new volunteers. This role is commonly referred to as the ‘Volunteer Co-ordinator’ and will be required to spend time training mentoring and managing each volunteer to ensure that they are deployed effectively within the club and are enjoying their role.

The role of volunteer co-ordinator could focus on:
• Getting to know the club membership
• Identifying the volunteer needs of the club
• Recruiting new volunteers
• Providing feedback and support
• Maintaining volunteers’ motivation

Club Child Protection, Welfare Officer

It is the responsibility of everyone involved in the day to day running of any boxing club to ensure the welfare, health and safety of the boxer is or paramount importance.

Each club must have a designated Child Protection officer whose responsibilities are as follows;

1) Ensure that club child protection procedures are understood and adhered to by all;

2) Establish and maintain the club’s complaint procedure(s) as per BSL Child Protection guidelines;

3) Attend the two required Safeguarding in Sport workshops 1. ‘Safeguarding & Protecting Children’ and 2. ‘In Safe Hands’ along with any other relevant child protection training;

4) Be familiar with current child protection legislation and The Children Act 1989;

5) Understand the Boxing Scotland child protection procedures, rules and regulations and seek clarification on any areas of uncertainty;

6) In the event of a complaint being made ensure that the complaints procedures are met in accordance with the BSL child protection guidelines and see the procedures through to the final decision;

7) To be actively involved in the vetting and recruitment processes of new staff and/or volunteers at the club;

8) Sole responsibility for the safe and responsible filing and storage of confidential details and documents;

Finance and funding

Why keep accounts and financial records?

All sports organisations should keep accurate financial records and one member of the club committee, the treasurer, takes on this special responsibility. The reasons for keeping accounts and financial records are:
• To store financial information;
• To be seen as open and honest;
• To appear well run and organised;
• To be able to identify sources of income;
• To be able to track how the money is spent;
• To know how much money the club has;
• To know how much money the club owes;
• To know who owes the club money;
• To be able to know whether a particular activity is making a profit or loss;
• To know whether funding a new project is feasible; Often funding organisations will require to see that a Club has a strong financial record, before applications will be accepted.
• To be able to inform people (members, potential sponsors/funders) of your financial position

What does this involve?

In many boxing clubs, the role of the Treasurer and subsequent financial management tasks are often inherited by volunteers who do not specialise in financial administration.

It is important that the treasurer, as a volunteer, feels supported in this vital work. If required, he/she should contact the club chairperson or secretary about financial difficulties as it might be necessary to get paid help to sort out problems immediately, rather than lose control of finances which may lead to the demise of the club.

Promotion and PR

Clubs use many different ideas in promoting themselves to grow their membership within their community. Successful ideas may differ depending on your club facilities and the location of your club, but there are ideas that clubs of any size can use to raise awareness of the club and to attract new members. Please click on the link below to view some ideas on how to successfully promote your club.

Boxing Scotland Guide successfully promoting your club