Starting a sports club can be a challenging experience. There are lots of different things you will need to consider – from your facilities and sourcing equipment to your club management and governance. Running a sports club does take a lot of effort but the benefits to you and your community are huge if it’s done properly. 

The basic skills of tchoukball can be practised with as few as two people but ideally you need six players to play a ‘one-ended match’ or 10-14 players to play a full match (depending on the size of the court and the surface that you are playing on).

Sport England – Club Matters

If you are looking to set up a new tchoukball club or thinking of turning your current recreational club into something more formal, we would encourage you to visit the Sport England Club Matters website – there you can find a whole host of handy pointers for setting up a club. We have included some of the key ones below:

  1. Have you already got a group of players / potential members or will you need to recruit before setting up a club? If this is the case, what about offering a taster session.
  2. Have you checked if there’s already a similar club in your area?
  3. Do you know if there is the demand for a new sports club?
  4. Are you clear about what you want to achieve with the club?
  5. Do you have enough volunteers and coaches to help you?
  6. Do you have a set of rules for your new club?
  7. How will you look after the health and safety of your volunteers and members?
  8. Do you have the relevant health, safety and welfare documents in place?
  9. Have you thought about how your club will be structured?
  10. Do you have access to the facilities and equipment you need? Leisure centres may allow you to hold a taster session for free or at a reduced rate at their sports hall as it is in their interests too for your sport to take off and hold regular sessions using their facilities.  
  11. Do you have ideas for funding your club? Have you thought about sponsorship or applying for grants from local councils?
  12. Do you have a robust budget and plan to manage your funds?
  13. Have you thought about how you’ll promote your club?
  14. Do you know what your potential members want from your club? Do you know where else to go for help?
  15. Have you spoken with local schools, colleges or universities? They may already play tchoukball and have a pool of players available that would love to join your club but are unaware there are other like-minded people in their area.

If you can tick yes to all the questions above, it sounds like you’re ready to set-up your club! Next steps include looking at affiliating your club to a National Governing Body, in this case Tchoukball UK, forming your committee and holding your first official club meeting. It’s also worth exploring Sport England’s Clubmark section, to find out what a gold standard sports club looks like and what you can be aiming for.

Tchoukball UK will be able to help you start out, ensure you have the correct equipment and give you helpful advice. This includes getting you started with fixtures at whatever level you and your players are comfortable with.  

Looking to start a junior or university club?

If you are looking to start a Junior or University Club, or are looking to incorporate under-18s your club, please check our our additional information and guidance in our downloadable resources below (opens in a new window).

Interested in starting a club? Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!