What the SCA offers to clubs
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- Created on Thursday, 16 February 2012 09:43
- Last Updated on Saturday, 01 November 2014 18:11
What can the Scottish Croquet Association do for clubs?
Suppose you are a group of people who already enjoy playing the game, in one form or another, or perhaps you are thinking of setting up a new croquet club.
Why would you want to affiliate with the SCA?
Here are a dozen good reasons.
1. Public Liability Insurance
Croquet mallets and balls are heavy objects which have the potential to cause serious injury or damage. In an increasingly litigious world, croquet clubs should obtain public liability insurance, to protect themselves from claims made against them, either from Club members, or, perhaps more importantly, visitors. The SCA organises liability insurance on behalf of its affiliated clubs, thereby obtaining a substantially cheaper rate than if every club organised their own insurance, as well as easing the administrative burden. This cost forms the bulk of the SCA Club affiliation fee
2. Equipment
The SCA facilitates and encourages equipment loans between clubs, especially between the larger and smaller or newly formed Clubs.
3. Coaching
Coaching for the players at your club will improve their standard of play and their understanding of the game, and therefore the satisfaction and enjoyment that they obtain. It also helps keen players move onto the tournament circuit, if they are so inclined.
The SCA can provide coaching to Clubs from experienced and accredited coaches.
As well as practical and tactical coaching for players of any level from beginners upwards, we can also provide coaching for coaches, and for referees or others who want a better understanding of the laws of the game and their application in practice.
4. Website
These days people who want to locate a croquet club, whether they are local or are moving to or visiting your area, will often use the Internet as their first point of call. Each SCA member club has its own page on our website, for contact details, a picture and other useful information and of course a link to the club's own website, if you have one.
5. Tournaments, Competitions and Matches
The SCA regularly organises tournaments around Scotland, for which Clubs receive lawn fees. Tournaments can bring some additional funds to Clubs, as well as bringing new people to see and participate in the Club, and the benefits that come with that.
Individuals can benefit from joining the SCA in that they get information about Croquet events around Scotland, and also obtain reduced entry fees to tournaments compared to non-SCA members in Scotland, and thanks to our reciprocal arrangements, around the croquet-playing world.
As well as tournaments, the SCA also runs through-the-season competitions for individual members, pairs and clubs.
We can also help arrange matches between clubs within Scotland and outside.
6. Yearbook and Membership Lists
You will receive the SCA yearbook and fixture list, with access to full email and membership lists, enabling you to contact, meet and arrange games with other like minded croquet players.
7. Events Worldwide
The SCA liaises with other Croquet Associations around the world, and with the World Croquet Federation, which in turn means that individual SCA members are eligible for playing in World Championship tournaments, as well as benefiting from reduced rates when playing in tournaments organised by other Croquet Associations.
Because the SCA is a member association of the WCF, it is possible for SCA members to participate in World & European Golf & Association, full, women's, under 21 and over 50 Croquet Championships. SCA members have recently taken part in such tournaments in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
Scottish SCA members are eligible for representing Scotland in international matches at all levels. Additionally the SCA plays matches within the British Isles and in countries such as Italy, Canada and Switzerland.
Because croquet is the unique and fascinating game that it is, and because the number of players is not huge, this makes the delights of international sport a realistic possibility for people with the desire and ambition to play for Scotland, but who have not been blessed with the speed or strength or agility or great natural talent which other sports demand.
Such player representation publicises your club and spreads knowledge of it round the croquet world.
8. Policies & Paperwork
The SCA provides clubs with information and advice we receive from various Sports bodies in Scotland, and where possible, support regarding the running of Clubs, including legal issues such as, for example, equity, child protection and vulnerable adult policies. We can also provide a copy of the constitution of an existing club, if you are looking for a model for yours.
9. Support
If requested the SCA will provide support for clubs in their dealing with public or other bodies, for example when applying for funding or for other purposes.
10. Tournament Management
If you want help running a tournament, we can provide an experienced tournament manager to run it in person, or else spreadsheets or paper templates to help you run it yourself.
11. Advice
We can provide advice, or put you in touch with knowledgeable and experienced members from existing clubs, or help you find external advice on the issues relevant to croquet clubs, including handicaps, or lawn maintenance, or recruitment and retention of members, or event management. We can also provide advice and information the SCA receives from a number of Scottish sports agencies, such as sportscotland and the Scottish Sports Association.
12. Publicity
The SCA can help with the production of leaflets and other publicity items as well as interviews with print and broadcast media.
Croquet is a minority sport, but by affiliating your club to the SCA you are choosing to be part of something bigger. The more of us there are the more we can help each other.
Croquet is an amateur sport; a croquet lover's commitment to the game is not primarily financial. However the SCA liaises with sportscotland, a national agency for sport, which is dedicated to helping increase participation and improvement in performances in Scottish Sport. Each year, the SCA receives a grant from sportscotland which is used directly to improve the quality and quantity of croquet played in Scotland or by Scots. The size of the sportscotland grant is related to the number of participants in Croquet throughout Scotland. Therefore, the more Clubs signed up with the SCA, the better chance we have of obtaining a larger grant, and therefore the larger the benefit to each individual clubs as a result.
What is the Scottish Croquet Association?
The Scottish Croquet Association (SCA) is the national governing body for the sport of Croquet in Scotland. The SCA is entirely voluntarily run, is completely non-for-profit, and exists to achieve the following objectives by working with Clubs and individuals:
a) To encourage, promote and develop the sport of croquet in Scotland.
b) To promote and manage croquet competitions.
c) To encourage the training of referees, handicappers and tournament managers.
d) To keep a register of Affiliated Clubs and individual Members.
Through these objectives, the SCA aims to support individuals, new, developing, and existing clubs.
We are always interested in increasing participation in croquet throughout Scotland.