Club Leaders Conference

Tuesday 1st November 2016

The National Club Leaders Conference was staged for the third successive year in Glasgow on Saturday – prior to the Annual Awards Dinner.

We were delighted to welcome around 100 delegates from 40 different athletics clubs in Scotland for key sessions which are geared to grow knowledge, share practice and leave club leaders inspired and enthused.

Judging by social media reaction and indeed immediate feedback received by scottishathletics over the weekend, that was definitely the case.

The Club Leaders Conference featured keynote presentations by sportscotland’s Michael Cavanagh, who looked at a case study from Commonwealth Games Scotland exploring how ‘Small Organisations Can Make a Big Impact’.

GB Sport’s Mike Lynch delivered two sessions focusing on ‘Governance, Legal Status and Management Structure – the Recipe for Success’ and ‘Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers Effectively’.

What was really pleasing was the fact that eight Scottish clubs gave presentations this year – giving ‘true stories’ on what’s happening and helping spark ideas for others.

We’d like to thank the club leaders who shared their experience from the following clubs: Aberdeen AAC, Springburn Harriers, Garscube Harriers, Edinburgh AC, Dundee Hawkhill Harriers, Shetland AAC, Orkney AC and Pitreavie AAC.

In due course, we will look to make those presentations available online and will flag that up for others to study.

Here’s just a taste of the reaction on Twitter to the Club Leaders Conference:

Leigh Hodgson: ‘Thanks all for putting on a great Club Leaders Conference #inspirational #energised #teamwork

Chirnside Chasers: ‘Thanks to everyone who presented and to @scotathletics and @SALMarkMunro for the club leaders conference it was an informative and enjoyable day

Garscube Harriers: ‘Great day sharing practice and learning from other clubs at today’s Club Leaders Conference #innovative #celebratesuccess

*Meanwhile, Shetland AAC emerged from our short-list to take the Impact Club of the Year title to the delight of the island club.

The award, presented at the Awards Dinner in Glasgow on Saturday evening, celebrates the club’s successes in developing the sport in Shetland over the last two years. The category was strongly contested by four other Scottish clubs.

Shetland AAC has seen a 145 per cent growth in membership since 2014 and has developed and supported a pool of over 60 coaches and volunteers.

The club redefined its coaching structure and made the recruitment of volunteers a priority in order to deliver an expansive programme of training and local and off-island competition. It also introduced new member inductions and a detailed programme of strength and conditioning for athletes.

In partnership with Shetland Islands Council and Shetland Recreational Trust, ‘Run, Jump and Throw’ sessions have also been introduced around the isles to provide a taste of the sport for children aged 11 and under.

Paul Woods, Club Together officer at Shetland AAC received the award, presented by Rio Olympian Derek Hawkins. Julie Mollison, National Club Manager with scottishathletics, is also photographed.

‘On behalf of the club, I am absolutely delighted to receive this award which is testament to the hard work of everyone involved in Shetland athletics,’ said Paul Woods.

‘We’ve all worked hard to support and encourage new and existing athletes and it’s satisfying to see our efforts recognised by scottishathletics, our national governing body.’

The other four nominees in the impact club of the year category were Aberdeen AAC, Chirnside Chasers, Cumbernauld AAC and Springburn Harriers.

Awards Dinner programme – with key info on all short-listed Clubs, Coaches, Athletes

Tags: Club Leaders Conference, Derek Hawkins, Hilton Hotel Glasgow, Shetland AAc