Home / The Club Hub

An image of a tennis players shoes with racket and ball on the ground

The Club Hub

The Club Hub is a collection of information and resources for groups who offer physical activity. The Club Hub has been developed to help our local groups to grow and thrive.

Training

Developing knowledge and skills of your club’s volunteers, coaches and staff is essential for offering a great participant experience. There are a range of opportunities available from free online bitesize courses to paid in-person accredited courses.

Below are a list of training providers:

Club Matters

Club Matters is Sport England’s lottery funded programme which offers a wide range of resources including training workshop opportunities. Their training opportunities are free and cover a number of different topics, examples as follows ‘Raising Money to Sustain Your Organisation’, ‘A Club for Everyone’ and ‘Developing a Marketing Strategy’.

To find the full list of workshops available, visit the Club Matters website.

UK Coaching

UK Coaching offer a range of courses which are delivered either online or in-person. Many of their courses are free for those with a UK Coaching membership or have small fee for those who are not. Their courses cover topics including: safeguarding, creating successful environments and inclusion. Completing these courses can also earn you digital badges which can be used as evidence of continuous professional development.

To discover all the courses available, visit the UK Coaching website.

StreetGames

The StreetGames Training Academy offers opportunities to develop activators, coaches, volunteers and sports development staff to offer Doorstep Sport in underserved communities. They offer a range of courses aimed at different roles. Some of these opportunities include: community safety, multi-skills, engaging women and girls, and managing challenging behaviour.

To find out more about the StreetGames Training Academy, visit the following website.

Ann Craft Trust

The Ann Craft Trust is the leading authority in safeguarding adults and young people at risk. They offer a range of e-learning and other training opportunities relating to adult safeguarding. Alongside their more generic offer, they also provide opportunities tailored to sports organisations.

Find out more on the Ann Craft Trust website.

NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit

The NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit is funded by Sport England and was founded in response to a series of high profile cases of abuse of young athletes. The Child Protection in Sport Unit offers a range of training opportunities related to safeguarding children and young people.

To find out more, visit the NSPCC Children Protection in Sport Unit website.

Sport Structures

Sport Structures offer courses and workshops which can be booked by individuals or organised for a group of learners who want to do the same course. Their training covers a wide range of different topics such as safeguarding, first aid and other sport specific courses.

To discover what Sports Structures has to offer, follow the link to their website.

National Governing Body

Your National Governing Body (NGB) might also offer sport specific training opportunities. Visit your NGBs website or contact your local representative to find out what is on offer.

Current Think Active Training Opportunities

Think Active currently have a number of free training courses available for local coaches and volunteers in Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire.

The courses include:

UK Coaching Premium Membership (value £24/yr)
NSPCC Child Protection in Sport and Physical Activity Training (value £30)
NSPCC Safer Sports Events Training (value £25)
Ann Craft Trust An Introduction to Adult Safeguarding (value £25)
Live Longer Better Training (value from £45)
UK Coaching Breaking Down Barriers: Tackling Racism in Sport (value £10)
UK Coaching, Coaching Blind and Partially Sighted People (value £20)
UK Coaching Inclusive Activity Programme eLearning (value £15)
Mental Health Awareness in Sport and Physical Activity + (value £10)

If you are interested in any of these courses, please complete an expression of interest form. This does not guarantee you a place on a course.

Grant Funding

Funding is what makes things happen, empowering communities, activating neighbourhoods and creating the possibility of getting those living a sedentary life, moving.

To discover more about current funding opportunities, visit our funding pages.

Organisational Support

There are many different aspects to running a successful organisation, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been established for many years. There are a number of local and national organisations that can support your organisation to achieve their goals.

Club Matters

Club Matters is funded by Sport England to provide resources and training opportunities that are free for groups offering physical activity. Even if you’re not a traditional sports club, the website offers information that would be relevant to a wide range of community groups.

Club Matters offer a Health Check Tool which is a self-assessment which can identify areas for development to ensure you are providing a safe experience and meeting legal requirements. The tool is available for free online.

Club Matters online resources cover a wide range of topics including: welfare and safeguarding, planning for your future, facility development, volunteers, financial management, running your club effectively and participant experience.

Sported

Sported is an organisation which helps to support local people running grassroot clubs by providing resources, operational support and professional expertise. This service is offered free of charge. Sported’s ambition is to strengthen local workforces and build resilience to enable groups to improve people’s wellbeing, tackle inequalities and bring communities together.

Sported support groups to address challenges, with knowledge of best practice, they can offer a bespoke package of support to enable groups to deliver into the future.

To find out more about the support and becoming a member, visit the Sported website.

StreetGames

StreetGames has been working with community organisations across the UK since 2007 to transform the lives of young people through sport. Their network comprises of over 1,600 community organisations who benefit from the knowledge and insight they can provide. Some of this support includes help with sustainability and investment, tools and resources and networking opportunities.

To find out more about StreetGames and becoming a member, visit the StreetGames website.

Warwickshire & Solihull Community and Voluntary Action Group (WCAVA)

WCAVA is the Voluntary Community Sector (VCS) Infrastructure Organisaton for Warwickshire and Solihull. They provide support to a wide range of not-for-profit groups and volunteers who are working with our local communities.

They offer a range of help and advice to groups including: project and business planning, training and events, back office support service and funding advice.

To find out more, visit the WCAVA website.

Voluntary Action Coventry

Voluntary Action Coventry supports organisation in Coventry to build resilience and capacity within communities to improve the quality of life of people living in the city.

Some of the services they provide include: brokerage of volunteer opportunities, supporting volunteers, information and advice, and Healthwatch Coventry

To find out more, visit Voluntary Action Coventry’s website.

Marketing

Understanding how to promote your club and organisation is key to reaching new members or audiences.

Sport England’s Digital Marketing Hub

Sport England have worked with The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to provide a wealth of information aimed at improving the skills of clubs, groups, organisations in the area of digital marketing.

The hub offers online learning through bitesize modules and live webinar series alongside peer networking opportunities. The hub will help groups to explore how digital marketing can be used to understand their audience and engage people in their activities.

To find out more, visit the Sport England website.

Club Matters

Club Matters has a section of their website dedicated to marketing. On this website, you’ll find resources about developing marketing strategies, marketing methods and using social media. As well as online resources and templates, there are also training opportunities available.

Discover more about Club Matters marketing resources on their website.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) is an important part of the work we do at Think Active.

If you would like to learn more about ED&I, the following organisations offer resources or training:

Activity Alliance – Disability Inclusion Sport
Sport Structure – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Training
Inclusive Employers – Inclusive Sport Team
Sport England – Information
UK Coaching – Equality in Sport and Physical Activity (Online Classroom)
Sport and Recreational Alliance – Inclusivity Hub
Club Matters – Understanding the Equality Act
Stonewall – Top tips for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport
CharityComms – Ensuring Your Social Media is Accessible to All

Safeguarding

Everyone involved in sport and physical activity should be able to take part or volunteer without fear of abuse or harassment. Ensuring your organisation does everything it can to safeguard children and adults from harm is essential. Everyone involved in your organisation should know who to contact and what to do if they have any concerns.

If you believe someone is at immediate risk contact the Police on 999.

Club Matters

The Sport England Club Matters website has a range of resources available relating to safeguarding including information about policies and procedures, and embedding good practice.

Ann Craft Trust

The Ann Craft Trust is the leading authority in safeguarding adults and young people at risk. On their website you can find resources aimed to help you achieve best practice, with specific resources available for sports and activity organisations. The Ann Craft Trust also run a number of training opportunities to upskill people involved in delivering sport.

NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit

The NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) is funded by Sport England and was founded in response to a series of high profile cases of abuse of young athletes. The CPSU has a resource library which cover information about policies, best practice as well as toolkits and webinars. The CPSU also have training opportunities.

Coventry

Information about the Coventry Safeguarding Children Partnership can be found on the Coventry City Council website, this page includes information about what to do if you are worried that a young person is being harmed or neglected. Information about Adult safeguarding can also be found on the Coventry City Council website, again with information about what to do if you are worried someone is being harmed or neglected.

Solihull

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council have information on their website about what to do if you have concerns about a child, young person or adult. The Safeguarding Solihull website also has resources and information available.

Warwickshire

The Warwickshire Safeguarding website has resources and information about safeguarding as well as what to do if you have an concern.

Disclosure and Barring Service (BDS)

For up to date legislation and guidance on Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) visit the following website.

If you are unsure what level DBS checks you need to carry out on your staff, coaches and volunteers you can get in touch with your regional DBS outreach officer who will be able to offer you support and guidance. The following website details information on the DBS Outreach Officers.

Think Active Safeguarding Policy

For information on the Think Active Safeguarding Policy please visit our safeguarding page.

Your Local Authority

The local authority in your area may also be able to support your group.

Coventry City Council

Information can be found on the Coventry City Council website.

Email: covsport@coventry.gov.uk

Phone: 08085 834333

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Information can be found on the Solihull on the Move website.

Email: solihullactive@solihull.gov.uk

Phone: 0121 704 8207