Menu
Club Administration is the back bone of sports clubs. Without good administrative practices clubs become dysfunctional and poorly organised. Club administration is the behind the scenes day- to-day running of the club.
All club administrators are volunteers and very vital in our sport. There are many areas that are covered by Club Administration; this is not an exhaustive list, but a good step towards understanding how a Club operates.
It is essential to have a strong committee with delegated roles so that your Coach does not end up becoming burdened with the day-to-day running of the club. Often Coaches will get burnt out if this happens.
Committee members must understand the importance of completing assigned tasks!
Club committee meetings should be held regularly to ensure the effective running of the club. Usually monthly or 6-weekly is sufficient. The secretary should take minutes of these meetings and provide action points from the meetings. It’s a good idea to ensure names are assigned to action points so as committee members are accountable for action. Action points should be followed up at each meeting.
An Annual General Meeting MUST be held every year in order to sign off annual accounts, make major decisions for the club, get membership support etc.
Prior to the AGM the Committee should send out a Notice of AGM to all members with adequate notice to attend (per the club constitution) which should include a proposed Agenda.
The Club Representative is the administrative link between the Club and Canoe Racing NZ Inc.
The Club Rep is appointed by the club and it is their responsibility to monitor and maintain communications with Canoe Racing NZ. There can be more than one Club Rep in each Club. The Club Rep is often the Club Secretary but can be other members from the committee. The important thing is for one person to be responsible for answering emails or ensuring information gets to the right people within the club.
The Club Secretary manages the club’s administrative procedure. They are the main link between the committee and the club’s members. Usually the Secretary is the first point of contact an outsider has with the club.
The role of the Secretary includes:
The Club Chair (may also hold the role of President) generally provides the leadership for the club and chairs committee meetings. However they are not able to make decisions for the club any more than any other member of the committee. Decisions should be made by a majority decision of the committee. Sometimes the Chair may need to act as a “tie breaker” in voting situations. Your constitution will dictate what kind of majority needs to occur to make a club decision, particularly involving spending money.
Other roles may be set up for major areas of responsibility such as:
Some of these may require sub-committees. Some committee members may hold multiple roles, but be careful not to overload one person.
An important component of maintaining a quality club culture is to set standards of acceptable behaviour. An important tool for defining and communicating acceptable standards of behaviour is a documented Club Code of Conduct.
A Code of Conduct is only worthwhile if it is not only read but understood by everyone within the Club; and they support and act within the Code.
This is a useful document for new members to a Club. This is a good way for the club to gather information about the paddlers such as medical details, date of birth etc.
In the event of an emergency, especially with children, emergency contact details must be readily available.
The contact details of your club and committee members should be kept up to date. Email admin@canoeracing.org.nz if details of your club change.
All clubs are listed on the Canoe Racing NZ Website. This is the easiest way for prospective club members to find a club in their area.
A club email account is a good idea, this way all club correspondence will go to one place. This account does need to be checked regularly by the Club Rep or Secretary.
The committee is responsible for:
