Top award honour gives Cube big lift
CUBE Weightlifting Academy has been given a huge lift - by being awarded Club Mark status.
The North Shields-based club is one of just four weightlifting clubs across England to have achieved the prestigious accreditation.
The club standard scheme is run by Sport England and clubs are required to demonstrate the highest standards in club management, safeguarding and progression in their chosen sport.
The scheme is also designed to also be a indicator to parents and prospective participants as to a club’s standards.
Assistant coach at Cube Tina Shaw, who launched the Club Mark application several months ago, said: “It was a very long process but we already have strong club policies and management in place.
“It was just a case of spending the time demonstrating this.
“We wanted to achieve the accreditation because we wanted to stand out as a club who care about providing the best possible standards”.
The club have gone through many changes - a rebrand to Cube Weightlifting Academy from Cube Fit, new team uniforms and new premises at the Tyne Tunnel Estate.
Head coach Josh Mosavi, who set up the non-profit club almost three years ago, wanted the club to be recognised as the specialists in weightlifting in the North East.
Having reigning British champions, who have also competed internationally, the club are well on their way to being the centre for weightlifting in the North East.
Mosavi said: “We are going from strength to strength.
“This accreditation is not easy to achieve and the standard required to achieve it is very high.
“I am very proud of our club for being the first in the region to set the bar for club management for our sport.”
Shaw added: “I have heard of other clubs in different sports who have managed to secure funding and employed a third party to apply for the accreditation because there is so much work involved.
“We were lucky to receive lots of support from our assessor Andreas Michaelas from British Weightlifting.”
Michaelas said: “Cube Weightlifting Academy has worked so hard to reach the high standards of excellence Sport England’s ClubMark requires - so this it is well deserved.”
Cube Weightlifting Academy is a club where the coaches volunteer their services and all income is reinvested back into the club.
They coach lifters aged seven to over 60, providing inclusive access to anyone wanting to learn how to lift weights.
Like other clubs, Cube are always looking for ways to increase their income and access funding.
It is hoped the ClubMark accreditation will make this easier in the future.
Cube Weightlifting offer a free initial session for anyone interested in taking up the sport.
Contact Tina Shaw on 07814 014442 or e-mail tinashawhudds@hotmail.co.uk.