Do you want to develop your organisation to ensure a healthy future?

Robbie Bell, RYA Regional Development Officer (RDO) for the East has put together this page to help you understand how the RYA can help your organisation.

What does the RDO do? He is responsible for helping Clubs and Training Centres to sustain and develop participation, implementing and progressing RYA programmes and initiatives including OnBoard and Adult Participation as well as delivering accessible training and development opportunities for Instructors and coaches.

Support from the RDO is available in the form of development planning, funding, market segmentation and access to the RDO's team of Regional Club Coaches and OnBoard Development Officers who specialise in particular subject areas to give you the best support available and to help your organisation plan for a sustainable future.

Given that each organisation is different Robbie and his team can tailor their support to ensure you are getting the help and advice you need. Individual club meetings or multi-club workshops can be arranged to discuss general club development or particular initiatives. Below are some of the key areas currently being delivered:

• Adult Participation: The RYA is rapidly building up a portfolio of initiatives and ideas to help you increase the number of regular sailors and windsurfers. We have compiled a list of many case studies designed to help you see what works in other organisations in addition to specific resources/projects, these include:

  • Activate Your Fleet: Aimed at fleet/class captains this resource comes complete with top tips and planning tools to help your classes to grow.

  • Knowing your Customer: A market segmentation tool that will help you identify how to connect with potential members/customers in your area. Ideal for commercial organisations and clubs.
    

  • Activate Your Laser: Specifically aimed at Laser fleets, this programme brings fleet captains together, shares ideas and informs you as to how both the RYA and Laser Performance can support you in generating more activity.

  • Go Yachting: We are working with a number of yacht clubs and marinas to develop programmes of activity with the aim of making it easier for people to sail more often.

  • Activate Your Windsurfing: Third in the series of Activate initiatives, this project is aimed at those wishing to develop adult windsurfing within clubs and centres throughout the Region.

• OnBoard: OnBoard is a well established programme that develops partnerships with clubs/commercial training centres and schools/youth groups to provide regular junior and family sailing opportunities. OnBoard Development Officers are the conduit between OnBoard clubs and potential participants. Things you need to know:

  • You need to be an RYA Dinghy Training Centre

  • You need to be located within an OnBoard partnership.

  • You need to be able to provide regular sailing opportunities for new participants

• Team 15: Team 15 clubs bring young people together to participate in regular windsurfing activities that are fun and progressive with the aim of developing their skills enabling them to progress into competition or events if desired. Team 15 clubs compete in a Regional Circuit against each other for an overall inter-club prize.

• General Club Development: We run a number of workshops throughout the autumn, winter and spring that bring club officers together to discuss how the RYA can support you and to share ideas. We can also meet with your club on an individual basis to talk about your current activity and where you may be able to grow.
  

  • Development Planning: Does your club have a development plan? If not you should consider the value this can bring to your organisation, from helping with continuity to providing a focus, a good development plan will help guide your club over the coming years and help secure funding support from external organisations

•  Funding: General funding sources are available and a list is provided for you to review. Funding for Adult Participation is available through the RDO, if you have a particular project you would like to discuss that will help sustain or develop Adult Participation please get in touch. The Sport England Small Grants Scheme is proving to be very successful for sailing clubs with over £150,000 worth of funding being distributed so far. More Information:

  • Sport England Small Grants – Apply Now – 95 per cent success rate in the East
    

    •  £300 - £10,000

    • No Match funding required

    • Priority given to clubs developing 16+years participation

    • For constituted clubs/organisations

    • Basic project delivery plan (development plan) required

    • The RDO will support your application

    • For more info and to check eligibility: www.sportengland.org/funding

If you would like to learn more about any of the above or would like to discuss your needs please do not hesitate to get in touch:

Tel : 07747 563 298 or e-mail  Robbie.bell@rya.org.uk

or follow me on Facebook.

Check out  these web sites

• Activate your fleet : http://www.rya.org.uk/go/AYF
• Knowing your customer: http://www.rya.org.uk/go/kyc
• Club development and developing activity: www.rya.org.uk/INFOADVICE/CLUBCLASS/DEVELOPMENT/Pages/default.aspx
• OnBoard : www.rya.org.uk/programmes.omboard/Pages/default.aspx
• Team 15 : www.rya.org.uk/programmes.team15/Pages/default.aspx
• Funding : www.rya.org.uk/infoadvice/clubsclass/development/Pages/default.aspx

If becoming a Volvo Champion Club looks attractive or you want to link into junior racing initiatives then contact Paul Wren, East Zone High Performance Manager: Call Paul Wren and have a chat on 07909 994642 or drop him a line by .