Most sports clubs are run by a volunteer committee that came for the sport, not to manage a building with a bar, a kitchen, showers and a car park. But a club with a clubhouse has the same duties as any other venue the public uses, plus a few of its own. This guide sets out what the committee has to keep on top of, and the jobs that need to happen on a regular cycle so nothing quietly lapses between seasons.
What the committee is responsible for
How the club is set up decides who carries the responsibility. Most small clubs are unincorporated associations, which means the committee members are personally responsible for what the club does. A club that is a company or a charitable incorporated organisation has its own legal identity, which limits that personal exposure. Many clubs also register as a community amateur sports club for the tax reliefs. Whatever the structure, keep the constitution up to date, hold the annual general meeting, and minute decisions.
If the club owns or leases its ground, the committee controls the premises. That brings the duties in the rest of this guide. If the club only hires a pitch or a hall, most building duties sit with the owner, but safeguarding, insurance and first aid are still the club's.
The jobs, and how often
| How often | What |
|---|---|
| Before every session | A look over the pitch or playing area. Goalposts and other equipment checked before use. |
| Weekly | Fire alarm test, if there is an alarm. A look at the defibrillator. Little-used showers and taps run through. |
| Monthly | Emergency lighting flick test. First aid kits restocked. Carbon monoxide alarms. |
| Every year | Fire risk assessment review. Fire extinguisher, alarm and emergency lighting service. Gas service. Insurance review. Safeguarding policy review and a check of who holds which clearance. Bar licence fee. Governing body affiliation. |
| Every five years | Electrical installation inspection, including floodlights. |
Safeguarding
Any club with junior members, or adults at risk, needs a safeguarding policy, a named welfare officer, and safer recruitment for coaches and volunteers. Those in regulated activity with children need the right criminal record check, and your sport's governing body will set out which roles need one, what training goes with it, and how often both are renewed.
The usual gap is not the policy but the list. Keep one record of every coach and volunteer, what check and training each holds, and when it runs out, and look at it before each season starts.
The clubhouse
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to a clubhouse in England and Wales. The committee is the responsible person and must have a written fire risk assessment, reviewed every year and whenever something changes. Kitchens, a bar cellar, a function room hired out on Saturday nights, and a building that stands empty midweek all belong in it. Test frequencies are in how often to test fire alarms, emergency lights and extinguishers.
Have the fixed wiring inspected every five years, and include the floodlights. Gas appliances need an annual service by a Gas Safe engineer. If the building dates from before 2000, there is a duty to manage any asbestos in it.
Showers deserve a mention of their own. Water that sits in pipes for weeks, as it does in changing rooms out of season, is where legionella grows. A clubhouse with showers needs a legionella risk assessment, and the usual control is simple: run little-used outlets every week, and keep a note that it was done.
The bar, music and food
A members' club that supplies alcohol to its members and their guests usually does so under a club premises certificate. It is cheaper and lighter than a premises licence and does not need a designated premises supervisor, but it only covers members and guests. If the club sells to the public, or hires the function room to non-members with the bar open, it needs a premises licence or a temporary event notice for each occasion. The council's licensing team will tell you which you hold and what it allows.
Playing music in the clubhouse or showing television sport usually needs a music licence and, for some broadcasts, a commercial subscription. A club that prepares food regularly should register as a food business with the council and keep basic food safety records.
Insurance
Review the cover every year. The ones a club normally needs:
- Public liability: for injury to visitors, spectators and the public. Often arranged through the governing body on affiliation, so check what that policy does and does not include
- Employers' liability: a legal requirement if the club employs anyone, including bar staff and a groundsman, and wise where volunteers work under the club's direction
- Buildings and contents: at the cost of rebuilding, with equipment and machinery listed
- Personal accident: for players, where the governing body's scheme does not provide it
First aid and accidents
Keep stocked first aid kits where they are used, people trained to use them at sessions, and a record of every accident. If the club has a defibrillator, someone should look at it every week: that it is there, that it shows ready, and that the pads and battery are in date. A defibrillator that has not been checked for years is common, and it is the one piece of equipment that has to work first time. Registering it on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network, lets ambulance services direct people to it.
Grounds and equipment
Check the playing area before every session, and equipment before every use. Goalposts need particular care: they should be anchored or weighted as the manufacturer says, never home-made or altered, and stored safely when not in use. Governing bodies publish goalpost safety guidance that is worth giving to every coach.
Keep machinery such as mowers and rollers maintained and locked away, with fuel stored safely. Trees near pitches, paths and car parks should be inspected regularly. If there is a play area, it needs a routine look, and an annual inspection by a competent person.
Martyn's Law
Martyn's Law applies where 200 or more people can reasonably be expected to be at the premises at once. For a club, the clubhouse usually decides it, and open grounds are treated differently from buildings. The detail is in Martyn's Law for sports clubs and grounds.
Keeping it all in one place
Clubs change committee every year or two, and the knowledge goes with the people. The gas certificate is in the old treasurer's email, the welfare officer's list is on a laptop, and nobody is sure when the wiring was last looked at. Keep every record where the whole committee can reach it, with a named person against each job, and hand the list over at the annual meeting.
The Venue Record does this job for clubs: each check with its due date and a reminder before it, certificates read and filed, and a record you can show an insurer or the governing body. See what it does.
Common questions
What is a sports club committee legally responsible for?
It depends on how the club is set up. In an unincorporated association, which most small clubs are, the committee members are personally responsible for what the club does. In every case the committee is responsible for safeguarding, insurance, and, where the club owns or leases its ground, the safety of the premises: fire safety, electrics, gas, water and the condition of the grounds and equipment.
Does a sports club need a licence to run a bar?
Yes. A members' club supplying alcohol to members and their guests usually holds a club premises certificate. Selling to the public, or running the bar at a function for non-members, needs a premises licence or a temporary event notice.
Does a sports clubhouse need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to clubhouses in England and Wales. The committee must have a written fire risk assessment and keep it under review, at least once a year and whenever something changes.
Do sports club showers need legionella checks?
A clubhouse with showers needs a legionella risk assessment. Changing rooms are a known risk because water sits in the pipes out of season. The usual control is to run little-used showers and taps every week and keep a record that it was done.
How often should a defibrillator be checked?
Look at it every week: that it is in place, that its status indicator shows ready, and that the pads and battery are in date. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for anything more.