Club Leadership Programme 2025
The Club Leadership Programme is open to all England Athletics affiliated clubs with two free places on the programme on an application basis.
Following on from the success of the Club Leadership programme in previous years, this innovative and interactive online personal development initiative for club leadership is back for 2025.
Created by England Athletics’ Club Support Team, whose goal once again is to help enable affiliated clubs to be safe, sustainable and welcoming, to be the best they can be and to create vibrant environments for their athletes; the Club Leadership Programme is for club committee members who want to enhance their leadership skills. The programme is an opportunity to formulate and implement effective leadership strategies to further their commitment to putting members at the heart of the club and to deliver future succession planning.
The programme will be delivered by Annie's Training Company, experts in learning and development and consists of online webinars, networking opportunities and access to resources.
View the detailed programme scheduleThe benefits of the programme
To the individual:
- More confidence in leading and finding new ways of influencing developments within the club.
- Better able to identify and improve your club's leadership style.
- The ability to formulate and implement effective leadership strategies.
To the club:
- Stronger leadership to help build club committee unity.
- More effective decision-making, and tools to help you put members at the heart of these decisions.
- Better able to forward think and create plans for the future including succession planning.
Joining the programme
The Club Leadership Programme is open to all England Athletics affiliated clubs with two free places on the programme on an application basis.
England Athletics is asking for a whole club commitment. This means supporting your nominated volunteers to implement change and drive the development of your club, ultimately enhancing the experience for athletes and runners.
Clubs wishing to apply should have met all seven of the England Athletics Club Standards or can evidence that they are actively working towards meeting all seven standards. Those clubs will be given priority over cohort allocation.
Who is the programme suitable for?
- The programme content is designed for volunteers who have limited leadership training and/or experience in a workplace setting.
- Volunteers who want to create change, innovate and drive change within their club.
- Clubs can nominate up to two volunteers who are free to take part in all of the webinar and networking sessions.
- One of these volunteers should hold a current club leadership position of Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Welfare Officer, Trustee, Director or President.
- The second volunteer may be a committee member, or an individual lined up for a leadership role in the coming years.
"It has helped me challenge my thinking about how we operate as a club and gave some great tips on how to be more effective in my role”
2023/2024 cohort member
Applications are particularly welcomed from volunteers belonging to underrepresented groups, including but not limited to those from diverse ethnic backgrounds, individuals with disabilities, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
This is a fantastic personal development opportunity for those willing to become involved and participants must be able to attend all dates for their preferred cohort (outlined below) including the networking sessions.
"It’s been such a valuable programme for the content and networking opportunities."
The programme is always popular so we encourage clubs to book early to avoid disappointment. We have planned for two cohorts so that we can meet demand.
Closing date: Monday 9 December 2024
Questions? email: eaclubleadership@englandathletics.org
View the detailed programme schedule Complete the 2025 application form2025 Club Leadership Programme sessions
Each session takes place 7.30pm to 8.30pm (apart from the Launch Event which is 7pm to 8.30pm)
Club Leadership Programme 2025 details
Launch event
This session will provide an overview of the programme as well as the opportunity for club networking and sharing of best practice. Guest speaker and athlete panel.
Both cohorts: Friday 10 January
1. Club leadership
This session will cover the difference between Leadership and Management. We will start to look at what makes a great leader and leadership within a voluntary club setting and discuss practical actions that will enable you to develop individual and collective leadership within your club. This session will include a case study from an England Athletics Club representative about how to develop and implement a club vision and values.
Cohort 1: Monday 13 January | Cohort 2: Wednesday 15 January
2. Networking: club leadership
This session will allow participants the opportunity to network with other participants using a facilitated approach. In small groups, participants will have the opportunity share a live challenge or issue that they would like some peer support on.
Cohort 1: Monday 20 January | Cohort 2: Wednesday 29 January
3. Inclusive clubs
We will start to look at what makes an inclusive club and the steps you can take to ensure your club provides a welcoming experience for all your members. We will explore promoting collaboration and by stander interventions.
Cohort 1: Monday 27 January | Cohort 2: Wednesday 12 February
4. Networking: inclusive clubs
This session will allow participants the opportunity to network with other participants using a facilitated approach. Individuals will be approached to share their experience in relation to different club scenarios.
Cohort 1: Monday 3 February | Cohort 2: Wednesday 26 February
5. Effective commitees
This session will outline the components for an effective committee. We will share a range of tools for how you can lead an effective club committee including structuring meetings, highlight how to ensure inclusivity and maintain engagement levels throughout, and identify strategies for dealing with conflict. This session will include a case study from an England Athletics club representative about how they have recruited new committee members.
Cohort 1: Monday 10 February | Cohort 2: Wednesday 12 March
6. Networking: effective committees
This session is designed to share and practice one of the techniques we will highlight on the Effective Committees session.
Cohort 1: Monday 24 February | Cohort 2: Wednesday 26 March
7. Managing change
This session will introduce participants to the typical range of emotions they might experience during change at their club. The webinar will focus on sharing a range of strategies for getting buy-in and support from volunteers to help manage and create change to further develop your club. We will explore how to manage your level of influence during change, how best to support existing volunteers & those who may show reluctance to change as well as how we can adapt communication styles to get the best out of each other. This session will include a case study from an England Athletics club representative about how they have positively challenged “that won’t work” mindsets.
Cohort 1: Monday 3 March | Cohort 2: Wednesday 30 April
8. Networking: managing change
This session will allow participants the opportunity to network with other participants using a facilitated approach. Participants will be introduced to new methodologies and be able to suggest and vote on topics to cover.
Cohort 1: Monday 10 March | Cohort 2: Wednesday 14 May
9. Future planning
This session will begin with a summary from an England Athletics representative about the importance of effective leadership in clubs and groups. This will conclude the Club Leaders programme and provide an opportunity for sharing progress, challenges and highlights. We will also use this meeting to discuss future support and ongoing opportunities available.
Both Cohorts: Wednesday 21 May
Summary of 2025 dates
Each session takes place 7.30pm to 8.30pm (apart from the launch event which is 7pm to 8.30pm)
| Event | Cohort 1 | Cohort 2 |
| Launch event | 10 January | 10 January |
| 1. Club leadership | 13 January | 15 January |
| 2. Networking: club leadership | 20 January | 29 January |
| 3. Inclusive clubs | 27 January | 12 February |
| 4. Networking: user experience | 3 February | 26 February |
| 5. Effective committees | 10 February | 12 March |
| 6. Networking: effective committees | 24 February | 26 March |
| 7. Managing change | 3 March | 30 April |
| 8. Networking: managing change | 10 March | 14 May |
| 9. Future planning | 21 May | 21 May |