Club Compás

What is the Club Compás?

The Club Compás Programme gives Clubs a digital self-assessment tool to review their performance and get direction on how to address any operational shortcomings. Each Club receives a bespoke self-assessment report that scores their performance against best practice.  This report also gives them advice on ‘what to do next’ and learning resources available to assist.

Once the self-assessment aspect of the programme is fully operational, Clubs will have an option to submit applications to become accredited Clubs and receive rewards in recognition of their commitment to good governance.

Why has it been developed?

The Club Compás has been developed to:

  • Encourage Club Planning by providing Clubs with insights into their current performance and resources to guide action planning conversations among the Club Executive and Sub-committees.
  • Improve Club Governance Standards by increasing awareness and adoption of the key rules, policies and tasks relevant to all Clubs.
  • Simplify Volunteer Workload by streamlining the information and documentation Clubs are routinely asked to provide to Counties, Provinces, Central Council, and the GAA’s sister organisations.
  • Support Evidence-Based Decisions by gathering data on Club performance to inform planning and resourcing decisions and helping Clubs to benchmark their performance against other Clubs.
  • Reward Clubs by giving them valuable rewards in recognition of their commitment to good governance.

What Club Officers who piloted the assessment tool have said?

IT GETS YOU THINKING ABOUT WHAT TO DO

"Very quick and simple to do.  Gets you thinking about what to tackle, next steps etc.  Always on Foireann so easy to reference back to check.  Also, will be there for next Executive to use."

IT SHOWS WHAT MATTERS MOST

"I could easily see what was mandatory and a priority. I discovered things I was not aware of. I am able to get more benefit from Foireann.  It made me think about some of the areas we need to improve upon; it made me aware of areas I wasn't familiar with previously; it highlighted all the good that the Club has done to date."

IT HIGHLIGHTS BEST PRACTICE

"I learned a few things from the process that are best practice/mandatory that we are not doing that should be adopted."

IT SHOWS YOU WHERE TO FIND RESOURCES

"It highlights to Clubs what they have to improve on. The available resources for each item not achieved is a great asset to have. I think everyone knows they are available but don't know where to find them."

IT ALLOWS US TO CREATE A PLAN TO ADDRESS SHORTCOMINGS

"The direction to available resources from the report at the end is very useful. It's also great to be able to identify shortcomings in Club governance and create a plan to rectify."

What does it involve?

Part A. Self-Assessment (Available Now)

Step 1. Club Discussion

  • The Club Executive discusses the Club Compás Criteria during one or more Committee meetings.  This task can also be delegated to Sub-committees.

Step 2. Self-Assessment

  • A designated Club Administrator completes the self-assessment via Foireann.  The data entry only takes 10 minutes if the Club’s responses are agreed beforehand.

Step 3. Club Report

  • A Club Compás Report is generated automatically for the Club to download and print.  This report can be used to inform action planning within the Club.

Part B. Club Accreditation (Due in Q4 2023)

Step 1. Evidence Upload

  • If desired, the Club uploads evidence of compliance with the ‘Must Do’ criteria to apply for accreditation.

Step 2. Official Assessment

  • An official Assessor reviews the Club’s application and awards accreditation.

Step 3. Accreditation

  • The Club receives rewards from the Gaelic Games Associations.

Club Compás Criteria

The Club Compás criteria contains over 100 criteria that have been debated and approved by all relevant units of the Gaelic Games Associations.

These criteria are grouped into one of three Priority Ratings:

  1. Must Do – these are mandatory tasks set out in the Official Guide or Central Council policies
  2. Should Do – these are good practice tasks that are important to do, but are not mandatory
  3. Could Do – these are nice-to-do tasks that will only have a minimal impact on the Club’s performance if they are not done

Official rules and policies are automatically given higher priority ratings.

They will be displayed in order of priority, and divided into six categories:

  1. Games
  2. People
  3. Clubs and Communities
  4. Communication
  5. Governance
  6. Resources

The criteria are updated regularly by the National Programme Coordinator to reflect rule or policy changes.

Club Type

The self-assessment tool recognises criteria that is specific to the following Club types:

  1. One Clubs
  2. LGFA-only Clubs
  3. Camogie-only Clubs
  4. GAA & LGFA Clubs
  5. GAA & Camogie Clubs
  6. LGFA & Camogie Clubs

The type of criteria each Club will see in their self-assessment will depend on their Club type in Foireann.

Assessment Process

Self-Assessment

Each Club will be encouraged to review the Club Compás Criteria at a specially convened Club Executive meeting and agree on responses.  The Club should then assign one Club member with responsibility for completing the self-assessment via Foireann and sharing the Club’s Compás Report with the Executive for review at subsequent meetings.

It is envisaged that Clubs can repeat the self-assessment as often as they wish; however, at least once per year.  The Accreditation process - once established - should be completed every three years.

Club Report

The Club Compás Report scores a Club’s performance against best practice and generates a Club-specific report.

The content in each Report is dictated by the answers given by each Club to the multiple-choice questions in their self-assessments.  Each Report will contain the following features:

  • Disclaimer – A notice that the Report is intended as guidance only for the Club and should not be relied on for any legal or financial considerations, and that where a conflict arises, the text of the Official Guide or most relevant Association policy shall prevail
  • Welcome Note – A cover message explaining how the Report is structured and can be interpreted
  • Summary Report – A graphical illustration of the Club’s Total Score and Club Score per Category. The Club’s scores relative to average Club scores will also be shown.
  • Action Plan Items – An overview of ‘Advice’ and ‘Resources’ to help Clubs address deficiencies.  
  • All Responses – A copy of all answers given that may inform further action planning discussions with the Club Executive.

Scoring

Upon completion of the self-assessment, each Club gets a Total Club Score to indicate how well they are performing relative to the maximum score of 100% that is possible from the assessment.  Each Club also gets a score per each category of Club administration.

As more assessments are completed, a statistically significant average score can be calculated, so that Clubs know if they are above or below average when compared to Clubs on a range of benchmarks.  For example, All Clubs; Club Type; Club Location; Club Membership Numbers, etc.

Action Items

Each Club will receive suggested advice and resources for every criteria that they are not compliant with.

Sample Club Compás Report

Action Plan

After considering the Club Compás Report, a Club Executive might decide to take some corrective actions independently.  If they wish, however, it is envisaged that they will be able to request the services of a trained facilitator to meet with the Executive to develop an action plan to address issues they have prioritised.  This is currently being explored with a view to piloting it later towards the end of 2023.

In the interim, Clubs are encouraged to use the Microsoft Planner tool to assign tasks to people and agree on due dates for these to be completed. For more information, visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ie/microsoft-365/business/task-management-software

Alternatively, use this action plan template:

Club Compás Action Plan Template

Club Accreditation Roadmap

The Club Compás Programme will consist of two phases: 1) Self-Assessment, 2) Accreditation.

The focus for now is on self-assessment. Clubs do not have to upload any evidence to generate a Club Compás Report.  Accreditation, however, will require Clubs to upload evidence for the mandatory criteria that is then assessed and verified before being approved. The evidence will be assessed by teams of Assessors and signed-off by the relevant units of the Association before accreditation is awarded.

Since 2008, the Ulster Council has provided a Club accreditation programme called Club Maith.  Further to discussions in 2022, the Ulster Council’s Management Committee gave formal permission for the Association to adopt Club Maith as a national Club accreditation programme in due course.

From the autumn of 2023 onwards, Clubs will have the option to upload evidence for assessment.  As standards can be verified through this process, the Association can provide accredited Clubs with recognition and rewards. 

Getting Started

To get started, download the editable version of the self-assessment criteria from the Learning Portal and discuss with your Club Executive Committee.

Club Compás Criteria - Word Document

To access the self-assessment tool, please login to Foireann - https://returntoplay.gaa.ie/

All Club Administrators, Secretaries, Development Officers and Club Compás Coordinators can access the self-assessment by default. Each Club is required to complete an annual Club Committee update on Foireann.  Once Club members have been assigned to the stated roles, they can access the self-assessment.

For support, e-mail [email protected]

All feedback on the Club Compás is welcome and can be give via this form:

Club Compás Feedback Form

FAQs

Who can access the self-assessment tool?

Only those given access by the Club. 

Who can see my Club's scores?

Each Club’s scores are primarily for the benefit of each respective Club.  The scores of individual Clubs will only be shared with a small number of people at County, Provincial and Central level who have responsibility for Club planning and Officer training, e.g., County Planning and Training Officers. 

Average scores for groups of Clubs will generally be used to inform planning across the Association, e.g., if it is known that only 60% of Clubs in a particular County have Coaching Officers, then the Gaelic Games Associations can devise a plan to raise awareness levels in that County.

Clubs will not be penalised if they are non-compliant with the criteria in the self-assessment.

How often can we repeat the self-assessment?

A Club can complete the self-assessment as often as required, but it should be done annually at a minimum.

Is the criteria the same for all Clubs or does it vary by Club type?

The criteria vary depending on your Club type, i.e., the criteria will be the same for all Clubs operating under the One Club model; however, there will be different criteria for LGFA-only Clubs. 

Acknowledgements

The development of the Club Compás Programme has been led by a Club Compás Workgroup comprised of:

  • Ruairí Harvey | GAA Planning and Training
  • Jack McCarney | GAA Planning and Training
  • Adrian Hassett | Connacht GAA Operations
  • Colm Clear | Former Leinster GAA – replaced by John Haughney in September 2022
  • Dr. Peter Horgan | GAA Insights and Innovation
  • Fionntán O’Dowd | Ulster GAA Club and Community Development
  • John Brennan | Munster GAA Operations
  • Michelle McAleer | GAA Internal Audit
  • Niall Mulrine | LGFA National Development Office
  • Seamus Kenny | GAA Games Development
  • Stephen Lohan | GAA Club & Infrastructure Finance
  • Tomás Meehan | GAA IT
  • Tracy McDonald | Camogie Association Learning & Development

Ciarán McLaughlin (Chairperson, Club and County Planning Committee 18-21) and Cathal Cregg (Games Development Manager, Connacht) also played important roles in leading groups to develop earlier versions of the initiative.