Until recently the Sports Club Accreditation market offers two types of product:
- NBG led products that specify the needs for a particular sport
- Disability organisation alternative that covers the needs of a sports club for disabled people.
Whilst both products are very valuable they contain very similar content and priorities.
Canoe England offers club accreditation at three levels,
Club Mark, Top Club and Top Club Gold. All these products include an element of inclusion and making a club welcoming for all, including disabled members, however Canoe England felt that Paddlesport needed a way of identifying clubs that also wanted recognition for its accessibility.
To date, for a club wishing to be recognised for their work with disability Paddlesport, they would also have to complete the EDFS Club Mark. For a club who had already completed a Club Mark or Top Club protocol this would involve replication and extra work for club volunteers. Paddle-Ability Top Club resolves this by acting as a bolt on to the current Canoe England Products.
The aim of the Paddle-Ability Top Club bolt-on is to allow a club to gain recognition for their disability provision without having to go through the Club Mark process twice. It is important to note that although the bolt-on should be simple for clubs to complete, a Canoe England Officer to sign off, and that these elements support quality provision and do not become a box ticking exercise.
You can search online for clubs and centres here.
Paddle-Ability Top Club FAQ’s
How long will it take us to complete the Paddle-Ability Top Club Process?
That is dependent on how many of the criterion a club already has in place and how quickly a club can implement elements that they do not already have in place.
Our club is not currently aware that it has any disabled members, we do however want to complete the PaddleAbility Top Club accreditation to show that we are ready to welcome disabled paddlers, can we start now?
Yes, as long as you can show that you have been through the Paddle-Ability Top Club criterion you can start going through the process.
There are extra criterion for the Paddle-Ability Top Club element, is it going to be a lot of work?
No, most of the Paddle-Ability Top Club criteria are simply extensions from the Top Club award criterion, clubs will probably already be completing these actions without even realising it!
What do we get from becoming a Paddle-Ability Top Club or a Paddle-Ability Top Club Gold?
Your club will sit in a database of clubs that are ready to welcome disabled members; therefore people with disabilities from your area wanting to take part in paddlesport will be signposted to your club.