In the run up to the EGM on the 11th October the club committee thought it may be useful to provide some advance background to the meeting. You will likely hear about how the club is looking to obtain both CASC and ECB Clubmark status'...but what does that mean in reality for you as members?

In short, in means that the club can demonstrate that it is being run in accordance with best practice and as a result it should mean that it will be easier to provide members value for money and also obtain grant funding which will be ploughed into improving the facilities for the membership e.g. nets / improved changing facilities etc.

Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC)
To achieve CASC status a club must satisfy the following criteria: Be open to the whole community without any form of discrimination. Be organised on an amateur basis, be non-profit making and provide nothing more than 'ordinary' benefits to the members of the club.

As a registered CASC a club can benefit from 80% mandatory rate relief, Gift Aid on qualifying donations from individuals and companies as well as Gift Aid Small donations payments on small cash donations from individuals

For more information on the benefits of CASC follow this link

ECB Clubmark

ECB Clubmark is an accreditation scheme for cricket clubs which shows that a club is sustainable, well run and provides the right environment for its members

As a single, national standard, Clubmark gives sports clubs of all types structure and direction. Clubs awarded Clubmark have seen many tangible benefits, such as: Increased membership – Addressing issues like equity and child protection gives parents confidence when choosing a club for their children

As part of the annual review of it's documentation, and to also ensure it is compliant with the Clubmark standards, the club has made a number of updates to the policies to which we are all expected to adhere (be it as a player, a volunteer, a parent or a youth player). Please ensure that you take a look at these policies via this link

As I'm sure you can tell, meeting these requirements is no small task. The first step in this process is approving our updated constitution - hence the need for the EGM. If we can all pull together and achieve these standards, we will be in a great position to really move on and give everyone the playing experience that they want and deserve at Ricky CC!