See below for a bank of useful resources to in relation to Club Management. GAA Handball's Club Accreditation Scheme, Club Iontach, may also be of interest to any Club aiming to improve their structures and effectiveness.
Club Management:
 Club AGM |  Club Pre AGM Course |  Effective Club Meeting |
 Fundraising Tool Kit |  Volunteer Recruitment |  Social Media Guidelines |
 Property Ownership |  Insurance & GAA Injury Benefit Fund |  Communication in the Club |
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Effective Committees
Get your team in place
A club’s success is largely down to the work of its committee, the group of people who manage the club's affairs. An effective club committee exists to serve the club and to ensure that its members receive the best possible service and experiences.
To help your committee to be as successful as possible, make sure it follows a structure that works and is made up of a diverse mix of people with the right skills and experience.
Get the structure right
At minimum, a committee will normally comprise:
- Chair - The person in charge
- Secretary - Deals with administration
- Treasurer - Handles the money
- PRO - Promotes the Club
- Children`s Officer - Implementation of Code of Behaviour (Underage)
Beyond that your committee structure depends upon your club and it is important to find a structure that will work best for you.
- Make a list - Look at all the tasks and responsibilities your club needs to do to undertake your sport and run the club. There will be a lot! Group these and consider committee roles for the key areas.
- Divide and conquer - Keep your committee manageable and if you need lots of roles, create sub-committees focusing on particular areas. For example you may have a finance sub-committee or a fund raising sub-committee.
Roles and responsibilities
Once you have a better ideas of how your committee will be structured and the key roles you need, make sure these are clearly outlined with the areas each role will be responsible for.
- Be open about what the role is, what is expected, and where possible the time commitment expected.
- Note what skills or experience would be suitable for each role to help identify the right people. Sometimes all you need are enthusiastic and committed people!
- The role outlines included in our Club People section are a great starting point which you can use and adapt to suit your club.
Skills, experience and diversity
When appointing new committee members, it's important to take their skills and experience into account for the role they're going to take on. You may find that you need to recruit externally, rather than relying on your current volunteer base. You should aim for a diverse committee, as having a variety of viewpoints will push your committee to challenge each other and reach the best decisions for the club as a whole.
- Use a skills matrix
Listing your members’ skills and experience will help you identify your club's strengths fill any gaps when appointing new committee members. Ask people when they join what their skills are and what they enjoy doing or survey your existing members to find this out. Skills Matrix.docx - Development
Consider what training or support volunteers will need to improve or maintain their skills and experience or boost confidence. Use GAA Handball workshops, webinar and this website to help out. If your club is looking certain training or support contact development.handball@gaa.ie for further assistance. - Diversity
If all your committee members share the same demographic profile (for example, are all the same age, gender and so forth) they are more likely to have common viewpoints and not be reflective of your club in its entirety. It may discourage members in the club who don't fit that profile from feeling like the club is inclusive or that their opinions are being considered at a committee level. Having a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints pushes the committee and creates a more sustainable club for the future.
Keep it fresh
Your club should be regularly electing new committee members, or at least asking existing members to stand for re-election, as an opportunity to develop or bring in new skills, experiences and perspectives.
New committee members are typically elected at your club's Annual General Meeting (AGM). Remember to refer to our constitution as there are rules in place around the recruitment of officers.
You might also look for new committee members if:
- Some of your committee members have left or are intending to leave
- Your committee needs further skills and experience, eg. in areas such as governance, finance or marketing
- You generally feel that your committee needs reinvigorating
When appointing new committee members, you should make sure that you take skills and diversity into consideration.
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Club Development Plan
A good Development Plan is an excellent tool which can give a real strategic focus to your club. This will help you to successfully work towards your club's short and longer term goals.
Steps to create a Development Plan
- Think about who should be involved
- Consider where your club is at now
- Where do you want your club to be in the future?
- What are you aims and objectives?
- What content needs to be in your plan?
- Use and review your plan regularly
See links below for further guidance: