CIYMS CC and Waringstown CC have become the latest clubs in the Northern Cricket Union (NCU) to become accredited on the Cricket Ireland/Clubmark NI Club Accreditation Scheme.

Club accreditation status means the club have demonstrated the capacity to reach minimum operating standards in the areas of effective management, qualify coaching and competition and safety. These two clubs bring the total to seven clubs within the NCU clubs who are accredited on the Scheme joining North Down CC, Derriaghy CC, Templepatrick CC, Carrickfergus CC and Saintfield CC.

Picture right: CIYMS Club President Colin Ewing receives the Cricket Ireland / Clubmark NI certificate from Tim Simmonite, National Development Manager for Cricket Ireland. They are alongside (from left) Michael Hingston and Chris Dougherty from CIYMS CC, Nigel Jones, Cricket Ireland Regional Development Officer Northern Cricket Union, Declan Steele, Performance Consultant for Sport NI, and Stephen Hughes and Colin Hunter from CIYMS CC.

Following the award Alan McMillan, CIYMS CC Club Secretary, said: "We as a club are delighted to have received this prestigious accreditation. It follows a lot of hard work by Michael Hingston working closely with our committee and shows our commitment to the development of our club and in particular the youth section of the club which has taken major strides in recent seasons. We would like to thank Cricket Ireland and Sport NI for their assistance in achieving this.”

Ivan Anderson, Waringstown CC said: “Waringstown CC has always attached great importance to the safety and development of all its members but particularly in relation to its youth members.  Our involvement in the Accreditation process has afforded the club with the opportunity to review and improve all its administrative procedures but particularly those applied to Child Protection and Safeguarding Trust Policies.”

The NCU aims to have all Premier and Section One clubs accredited by the end of the 2015 season and Nigel Jones will work closely with those clubs not yet accredited to help clubs achieve this where possible.

Picture right: Waringstown CC Chairman Roy Harrison receives the Cricket Ireland / Clubmark NI certificate from Tim Simmonite, National Development Manager for Cricket Ireland. They are alongside Nigel Jones, Cricket Ireland Regional Development Officer Northern Cricket Union, Declan Steele, Performance Consultant for Sport NI and Ivan Anderson from Waringstown CC.

Talking about the benefits of taking part in the Club Accreditation Scheme Michael Hingston, CIYMS CC said: “We started on this process towards gaining Clubmark Accreditation about two years ago and in that time, CIYMS Cricket Club has seen marked positive steps in how our club operates and the way in which we strive towards our goals. Being an accredited club gives parents confidence that their children are being offered the best opportunities to take part in sport in a fun, engaging and safe environment, as these young players are the lifeblood of any club.

The accreditation has also allowed us to put into place support structures for our committee, our members, our coaches, the parents of children who play at the club and both senior and junior players too, which helps make the club run more smoothly and gives clear guidelines for what to do in most situations. We look forward to consolidating our accreditation over the next 12 months, after our yearly health-check and we hope to put together plans to move onto the next level of accreditation - 'Approved Club', within the next 2/3 years."

The Scheme continues to increase in popularity and is now being worked on in nearly 20 clubs across the Northern and North West Cricket Unions. Any clubs wishing to gain more information about the Scheme should contact Nigel Jones on 075 8540 0121 or email: nigel.jones@cricketireland.ie