Posted By Jane Blunt
Dear Jonathan

No experience of running a rugby club, but I do have experience of running a judo club for 26 years, with ages of members down to 5 years. In the event that you have to do it all from first principles:


Get yourself a committee, to contain some of the parents and coaches.

Get yourself affiliated to an official governing body that offers large amounts of insurance.

Get yourself a competent and qualified coach who also carries large amounts of insurance (my coaches qualification carries 10 million pounds of insurance). This one step goes a long way towards getting yourself 'above board', because they, if competent and qualified, will tell you what you need to do. It will also ensure that the techniques taught are appropriate for the ages of the players. Also any reasonable coaching scheme will have mandated a degree of competence in first aid, running a club, and the affiliation of the coach to their governing body should have covered investigation of any criminal record against children.

Look at the playing area and make sure that it is safe for the activity, and that the facilities offered to the players are also fit for purpose.

Ensure that you have first aid available at all times, and that there is someone always present with access to a telephone.

Create a constitution, as a committee activity, that defines who is a member and who is not, who is permitted to coach and who must be present for a session to take place, what the association's objectives are, and what your child protection policy is. Bear in mind that although the coach may have been investigated, you will probably need other 'lay' helpers and you may need to be careful with these.

Ensure that you keep records of all the children so that you have a contact name and telephone number of a responsible adult in the event of distress or injury. Make sure you ask for any details of any health condition that might have a bearing on their participation. This information will have to be kept confidential, but is nevertheless essential. On our form we undertake not to disclose any information other than to a medical practitioner who is attending their child in their absence.

Regards
Jane