Templepatrick and Carrickfergus Cricket Clubs have become the latest clubs to be accredited on the Cricket Ireland / Clubmark NI Club Accreditation Scheme.

As part of the Scheme’s ever-expanding programme, the two Northern Cricket Union clubs have joined North Down and Derriaghy as the only cricket clubs in Northern Ireland to reach accreditation status.

The status means that the club have demonstrated they have the capacity to reach minimum operating standards in the areas of effective management, quality coaching and competition and safety.

Templepatrick’s Andy McCrea, a key driver in the club’s work towards accreditation, is very happy with the situation. “We took on board the Club Accreditation Scheme realising that whatever lay ahead was for the good of our club and were prepared to take on board, tackle and improve any identified areas, as well as hopefully having endorsed the areas that we felt we were already implementing successfully. We found Cricket Ireland extremely helpful and understanding in the process and wish all other clubs a successful Club Accreditation period.”

Carrickfergus Vice President and Northern Cricket Union Chairman Roger Bell said, “Undertaking the Club Accreditation Scheme has been a very worthwhile exercise for our club. It has helped us get better organised, and will assist in making sure that our club is run properly for years to come. It was also gratifying for our club to find out that we were already doing so many of the right things, and this has formalised some things that were previously being carried out on an ad hoc basis. It has been a worthwhile exercise that I would thoroughly recommend to all progressive clubs and we now fully intend to progress through the next stages of the process.”

Sport Northern Ireland are key stakeholders in the Scheme, and Director of Performance Dr Shaun Ogle praised the initiative, saying “Clubs impact upon sport by providing opportunities for participants to enjoy positive sporting experiences and environments where young athletes can be supported to realise their full potential in sport.  The involvement of the dedicated club volunteers who perform a range of coaching, management and administration roles and more, is vital not only for the sustainability and development of their own clubs but also makes a huge contribution to future sporting performance by providing a high quality sporting foundation for our young participants.”

Other clubs who are part of the Scheme’s pilot programme are also nearing a time when they will be assessed against the criteria, and Cricket Ireland recently began the next phased roll-out of the Scheme to eight further clubs.

Clubs interested in finding out more about the Scheme can contact Cricket Ireland’s Tim Simmonite on 028 9076 5619 or tim.simmonite@cricketireland.ie.