A proposal for a club development program

This article proposes the development and implementation of a club development program across the nation. The proposal looks at what the national body can do to promote club development and how a framework for club development can be implemented with little cost. The objective of this framework is to signpost important steps that clubs can take to develop increasing capability and be rewarded for the effort.

At the outset it is important to recognize that clubs are the main constituent part of the Australian Weightlifting system that delivers the services, equipment and facilities needed to participate in the sport. Clubs are of course highly dependent on the ability of coaches to introduce many others to the sport (in a variety of roles). Therefore in consideration that a club development program aims to provide assistance to clubs, the need to give coaches a helping hand is at the heart of it.

The services provided by clubs include the promotion of the sport, the recruitment of athletes, the provision of coaching, the organisation of training and competitions, and the recruitment and training of personnel for officiating. In some cases, clubs also provide funding to athletes and coaches.

Ultimately, without a centralised program, the Australian Weightlifting system is completely dependent on clubs to produce results.

A good club development program would result in clubs consistently working to:

Upskill their members in coaching, officiating and administration
Promote the sport in the community
Receive new members and educate them in good Weightlifting theory and practice (safety, health, technique, training methodology)
Conduct competitions or assist other clubs to conduct competitions
Develop a culture that is conducive to high performance
Promote the idea of service and contributing positively back to the Australian Weightlifting system

A good club development program would involve the AWF working to:

Provide resources and know-how to help clubs develop (e.g. promotional resources, how to run a club manual, instructional resources, etc)
Reward clubs for innovation (i.e. an awards program that recognises innovation)
Ensure clubs adopt policies that promote quality control in coaching, administration, membership administration, member protection, competition organisation
Provide incentives to clubs to develop an increasingly capable voluntary workforce in the service of Weightlifting.

A national framework for club development would be an instrumental measure to provide incentives for clubs to strive to achieve the above aims. This framework would enable the AWF to measure the effectiveness of the club development program and for club personnel to self-rate according to published criteria including:

Number of athletes registering totals
Number of athletes competing in national youth, junior, senior and masters championships
Number of qualified referees (STATE and above level)
Conducting events
Implementing athlete education programs
Implementing policies and administration structure

Compulsory Conditions

To be a part of the club development program and to be eligible for awards and assistance from the AWF, all clubs must fulfill certain mandatory conditions:

Paid AWF club affiliation fee
1 coach currently licensed with the AWF actively involved throughout theyear
Nominate a club secretary to maintain communication between AWF and club members, and to upload athlete details and competition results
Have Public Liability insurance
Implement AWF Athlete Safety Program (exists only as an idea at present)
Implement Pure Performance Program
Be accessible by anyone with an interest in Weightlifting

Tiered Club System

Clubs differ widely in their facilities, number of athletes, coaching capability, mission, ethos, and a variety of other factors. Therefore it would be a matter of fairness for a Club Development Program to recognize contributions from clubs at different levels, and enable clubs to compete for awards with clubs of a similar nature.

Three tiers are suggested (the name of each tier can be determined later):

Tier 3 Club (entry level into the Club Development Framework)
Tier 2 Club
Premier Club

A Tier 3 club

The club fulfills the compulsory conditions above and achieves all of the criteria below:

5 athletes who are capitated AWF members and have registered a total during the year in any AWF sanctioned competition
The licensed club coach has at least 5 athletes listed against their name in the AWF capitation database

A Tier 2 Club

The club fulfills the compulsory conditions above and achieves any three of the criteria below:

In addition to the club coach, the club has an appointed assistant coach who has an AWF license to coach
15 athletes who are capitated AWF members and have registered a total during the year in any AWF sanctioned competition
3 Athlete competing in any National Championships during the year
3 AWF accredited referees (equivalent to State level or above) who have each acted as a referee twice in the year
Received the AWF’s innovation award in the previous or current year
Conducted one 2-hour public workshop in the year to promote Weightlifting
Conducted a public program for junior athletes for entry into Weightlifting

Premier Club

The club fulfills the compulsory conditions above and has achieved any five of the criteria below:

A designated head coach and two assistant coaches, all of whom are currently licensed and actively involved.
30 athletes who are capitated AWF members and have registered a total during the year in any AWF sanctioned competition
6 Athlete competing in any National Championships during the year
3 AWF accredited referees (equivalent to National level or above) and who have each acted as a referee twice in the year
Has at least one club member who is recorded as acting as competition MC on at least 3 occasions
Received the AWF’s innovation award in the previous or current year
Conducted one 2-hour public workshop in the year to promote Weightlifting
Conducts a public program for junior athletes for entry into Weightlifting
Promoted, organised and conducted at least 3 sanctioned Weightlifting competitions per year.

AWF Clubs Innovation Award

The Australian Weightlifting system needs to be innovative to ensure a successful future on a national and international level. Innovation needs to be an important goal and a method is needed to recognise and reward innovation within the Australian Weightlifting community. The proposed Innovation Award is just one example of the effort needed to support the fundamental work carried out by clubs. Innovation may take many forms, for example by developing and testing:

Training programs for juniors aged 8-12
A community event to promote Weightlifting
A new competition format
Methods for monitoring and measuring the training of athletes
New instructive resources for the education of athletes, coaches, officials or administrative personnel.
A new business model for clubs
Many other possibilities for innovation

Clubs must apply for the Innovation Award in only one tier, and the application must provide a detailed description of the innovation. As part of the application process, the applying club must accept that the AWF will publish details of the innovation for the common good.

Recipients of the Innovation Award will be given press and publicity by the AWF and given a prize such as a competition barbell of IWF standard.

State Associations

It will be noticed by some that State Associations are not mentioned in this article. State Association will continue to exist in the future but this proposal recognises that even when State Associations have an employed person, it is clubs that essentially do the work and need the support.

Contact: Leo Isaac, email: leo@trainingweightlifting.com