History has been created by Selwyn United FC after the Christchurch-based club became the first in the country to be awarded Quality Club Mark (QCM) 2-star status by New Zealand Football.

The recognition underlines the rate of progress made in a short space of time by Selwyn, who were formed just five years ago by a merger between the Rolleston and Ellesmere clubs.

The club’s board, led by now Football Operations Manager Gerard de Rooy, has identified QCM 2-star status as a priority and worked tirelessly with a dedicated group of volunteers to ensure that goal became a reality.

De Rooy is delighted to have seen the hard work of all those involved come to fruition before recently handing over the reins to the club’s new President, Darren Sudlow.

“We’re fortunate to have a small but very focused group of people at the club,” he says.

“Their understanding of the game and drive to provide the best possible environment and pathways for all involved in football in Selwyn, combined with huge support from the Selwyn District Council, has put us in a great position in a very short space of time,” he adds.

“We’ve grown so quickly to become the second largest club in the area, and quite possibly the South Island, that we needed to identify very early on how we were going to achieve our goals. The QCM 1-star helped with that but we thought we would go for the 2-star to make sure we meet the highest standard possible. It’s been a very useful exercise for us to look at how we do things and what we can potentially do better.”

The New Zealand Football QCM club accreditation programme is designed to identify, support and highlight football clubs in New Zealand who are well run, community-focused organisations aligned to the governing body’s Whole of Football Plan.

The QCM is a national partnership across the seven federations and is supported by a range of sporting, community and non-governmental organisation (NGO) partners.

As part of the QCM process, a number of factors are assessed across the following criteria: Club Administration and Leadership, Planning and Finance, Compliance, Volunteers, Referee Development, Player Development, Fit4Football and Coach Development, Community Engagement and Football For All.

The QCM scheme was introduced in 2011 and around 50 clubs in the country have successfully gone through the 1-star process with many others looking to follow in the ground-breaking steps of Selwyn United by achieving 2-star status.

New Zealand Football Community Development Manager Jamie Milne says Selwyn have provided a benchmark for all other clubs in the country to aspire to.

“It’s a watershed moment, not just for the club but also for Mainland Football and the wider football community across New Zealand,” he says.

“The standards they have needed to reach are very challenging and quite all-encompassing but they’ve absolutely flown through those requirements of the 2-star. They’ve set such a high standard that I would be very comfortable saying they would be one of the most robust sports clubs I’ve come across.”

Milne says the importance of the QCM initiative cannot be overstated.

“It’s extremely important because it helps clubs run as effectively and viably as possible. We know that, generally speaking, clubs with QCM status are better run clubs with a greater focus on their membership and involvement within the wider community.”