Risk Management is a process that a rugby club would normally carry out on a regular basis.
It can be broken down into 3 simple steps:
- Identifying the risk (what can go wrong)
- Analysing the risk (how dangerous and/or likely are these risks)
- Treating the risk (what should our club do about them)
Your club should implement a system to ensure risk management procedures are followed.
An example of risk management in action is as follows:
Ground assessment
Closely inspecting the playing surface and surrounds to look for potholes, pools of water, rocks, bottles, syringes etc. Anything that could increase the chance of injury to players or supporters.
If something is found that may cause a problem, it needs to be assessed how serious is the problem. A syringe or broken bottle can obviously cause a major problem. A very small pothole near the boundary on the far side of the ground may be viewed as a minor issue.
Doing something about the problem is crucial. Removing rocks, bottles etc. is an obvious one. If major problems can't be addressed immediately, consideration needs to be given of whether to play / train when people are at an increased risk of injury. Such a decision could result in the club being considered negligent (not acting responsibly).
This strategy and process relates to off-field activities as well. Handling money, recruiting committee members, dealing with children without adult supervision, dealing with the broken steps from the change room, serving alcohol etc. all form part of the overall duties and responsibilities of a club. Thinking about what could go wrong and what actions the club should take is crucial to the successful operation of the club.
The more the club can do to minimise risk the better - whether to prevent injuries or to lessen the chance that something could go wrong. Sometimes the responsible body to fix something will be another group (e.g. the local council), but this shouldn't stop the rugby club from trying to stop people from being injured due to the risk. If the club cannot fix the issue, in this example, the club should at least work closely with the council to have the matter resolved and try to stop people from being injured as a result of the issue.
Risk Management should be treated on the same level as rugby operations, finance, fundraising, bar and kitchen operations etc. In order to achieve this, your club should first commit to the process of appointing a club representative who is responsible for risk management. The position should be viewed in the same way as your treasurer, secretary, bar manager etc. and the representative should be responsible to the club committee.
