Starting a Club

Starting a Club

If you find that there is no club in your area that caters for your chosen canoeing discipline, you may choose to start your own club.

Before you become a club, please make sure you have the following:

Discussed with a Canoeing Ireland staff members what you want out of the club and what Canoeing Ireland can do for the club.
Club Affiliation Form sent to CI office – support@canoe.ie
Club Constitution sent to CI office – support@canoe.ie
Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, Safety officer. Children’s Officer (for any clubs interacting with minors, either as members or providing training/events for U18’s)

5. Compliance with all Canoeing Ireland Safeguarding policies and procedures.
6. Minimum of 5 members.
7. Submit to the GDPR recommendations of Canoeing Ireland.

Discussed with a Canoeing Ireland staff members what you want out of the club and what Canoeing Ireland can do for the club.
Club Affiliation Form sent to CI office – support@canoe.ie
Club Constitution sent to CI office – support@canoe.ie
Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, Safety officer. Children’s Officer (for any clubs interacting with minors, either as members or providing training/events for U18’s)
Compliance with all Canoeing Ireland Safeguarding policies and procedures.
Minimum of 5 members.
Submit to the GDPR recommendations of Canoeing Ireland.

(Canoeing Ireland Board have the right to refuse membership.)

Considerations for Club Management

Recruiting a good committee, with a varied skill set, is imperative as it ensures that not all work is left to one person but is managed and shared, ensuring more efficient running of the club.

The role of the club management is to:

Ensure the club operates within best practice guidelines for governance and safety including:

Developing and adopting appropriate policies and practices.
Ensuring activities are safe and inclusive.
Oversee club finances.
Implement best practice in relation to child safeguarding.
Develop a health and safety statement and policy.

Recruit sufficient volunteers to ensure that the workload can be shared and delegated.
Create a development plan for the club.

Committee & Structure

It is essential to recruit a full committee for the club. An appropriate structure is paramount and should be chosen based on the size of the club. Essential personnel include:

Chairperson

Secretary

Treasurer

Safety Officer

Children’s Officer

(for any clubs interacting with minors, either as members or providing training/events for U18’s)

Club Governance Documents

Further information and templates for club governance documents is available from the links below:

Club Affiliation Form

Sample Membership Form

Sample Club Constitution

Sample Club GDPR Privacy Policy