August 01, 2014 (Ottawa, Ontario) – Club Excellence, the only multi-sport certification program for community sport clubs in Canada, has introduced a self-declaration status available to all community sport clubs in Canada.

Based on extensive feedback, the program has added an easier first step into the program: AFFILIATE status. This self-declaration AFFILIATE status becomes the first step along the Club Excellence journey, and is replacing the “Candidate” branding. The purpose of this status is to provide a clear, realistic and achievable starting point for clubs to commit to certain requirements leading to Level 1 standards.

When a club or sport association declares AFFILIATE status to the Club Excellence program, they are demonstrating to athletes, parents, officials, and their community, a commitment to proper governance principles, increased financial accountability, promotion of long-term athlete development, and ultimately to fair, safe and inclusive experiences for all. The 10 key requirements cover the areas of:

Quality Sport Experience  |  Athlete Program Descriptions  |  Athlete Safety

Affiliation  |  Coach Training and Certification  |  Annual Screening

Policies and Procedures  |  Insurance  |  Financial System  |  Club Contact Information

Affiliation is granted for 12 months from the declaration date, and must be renewed annually. The club will have the option to upgrade to Level 1 Certification at any time during the first 12 months or may maintain AFFILIATE status for years to come. AFFILIATE status brings a number of benefits:

• Use of the AFFILIATE logo (website, promotional material, etc.)
• Custom AFFILIATE certificate
• Quarterly newsletter (new resources, new affiliates, tips, etc.)
• Website recognition
• Unlock access to Level 1 certification (login information to Level 1 submission portal & resources)
• Free webinars, tools, and resources to support club development

The AFFILIATE status is a great starting point for clubs to begin the process to improve their programming and organizational strength.  Most club volunteers realize the limitations of their clubs and have limited time to improve them.  This new offering is a simple ‘paint-by-numbers’ approach for clubs to begin basic organizational improvements, said John Edwards, Chair of the Club Excellence Cooperative.

CCC Clubs get a 25% discount on the affiliate status registration fee as Cross Country Canada is an associate member of Club Excellence

For more information on the Club Excellence program and the Affiliate status, please visit www.clubexcellence.com or contact Kyle Johnston, at kjohnston@cces.ca or (613) 521-3340 x3226.

About Club Excellence

The Club Excellence Cooperative (CEC) was created in 2007 with common goals to identify a stable and supportive environment for coaches, provide clubs with the tools and resources to enable them to deliver a sport experience that is based on the True Sport values of fairness, excellence, inclusion and fun, improve implementation of Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) at the community level, and ensure quality club programming.  The program recognizes clubs and associations that invest in building capacity to meet and exceed a basic set of operating principles.

For more information, please visit www.clubexcellence.com