Bradford Salem given official seal of approval (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford Salem given official seal of approval

9:00pm Friday 8th March 2013 in Sport By Sports Desk

Bradford Salem Rugby Football Club are meeting the highest standards set by the Rugby Football Union - and that’s official!

The Shay Lane club have achieved RFU Accreditation Status, which recognises the club’s commitment to the playing programme, duty of care, safeguarding and protecting of children and young people and work in the community.

The club were presented with the award by RFU rugby development officer for West Yorkshire Hamish Pratt, who said: “The accreditation process involves clubs putting the way they operate under the microscope and assessing their organisation and methods against a review process within their personal development needs.

“The process involves examining the structure of the club very carefully and, where necessary, putting in place the changes which enable it to comply with the exacting standards set by the RFU.

“It is a task that can be quite revealing given that the many different sectors of the business are carefully examined and signed off.

“Salem is a very well-run club and the accreditation award is a yardstick of that efficiency and attention to the important elements that really matter in a high-quality sporting environment.”

Salem’s rugby chairman Neil Klenk recognised the importance of the award when he said: “This is a significant milestone for the club and we will continue the hard work to ensure that we succeed in providing the right environment to bring junior players through to senior rugby and maintain the future of Bradford Salem.

“It is interesting to take stock of the entire enterprise and look carefully at how each of the many components function.

“It flags up very clearly something we are all aware of but tend not to acknowledge – that we have an awful lot of volunteers working very hard for our club.

“I’m delighted to be able to accept this award on behalf of every one of them.”

The Club Accreditation scheme is based on key drivers identified as crucial to a strong club - retaining and developing players, recruiting new players, recruiting and retaining high-quality coaches, volunteers and referees, effective and efficient facilities, effective and efficient management and governance and integration with the local community.