Benefits of Officials Accreditation

Using Australian Sailing accredited officials is a positive step which can help your club meet its racing sailor’s needs. Accredited officials help provide racing that’s consistently well run, fair and safe - directly impacting your club fleets and volunteer’s weekly enthusiasm. 

All too often it’s anticipated that things won’t go wrong in racing because they never have before. As a club it’s imperative to create the right perception - show your members that you take their needs and concerns seriously. Show the public that sailing is a safe and well managed sport. Show your members that you are progressive – don’t rely on training carried out 20 years ago.

Using accredited officials strongly contributes towards ensuring that the club has minimised the on-water risks, will make credible decisions (as a race or protest committee), and deliver consistency in racing. It addresses the concern from competitors regarding the race environment, the right calls, and instils confidence that they’ll enjoy a positive experience.

By using race educated and trained volunteers, clubs often:

• Build an enhanced reputation for hosting quality events.
• Create positive experiences for all participants (club staff, volunteers & competitors).
• Increase participation resulting from positive word-of-mouth.
• Encourage a positive club safety record.

Why should clubs use accredited officials? 

The positive benefits for volunteers and a Club or Class Association that offers training and values accreditation include:

• Meet new people - officiating provides an opportunity for people to participate in sport without being a competitor – in turn helping build your club community.
• Increasing your Officials racing knowledge and skill through training which empowers volunteers and assists with volunteer satisfaction and retention.
• Establishing an effective working relationship between key volunteers and the club (Contributes towards accountability and reporting).
• Provides a coordinated program for recognising and training officials and club volunteers (Continuous education).
• Allows clubs to comply with external racing requirements (Compliance).
• Providing safe and fair sailing for participants and volunteers (This helps tackle issues with race consistency, ethics and risk management).
• Accreditation supports advocacy (Model behavior) and leadership within your Club or Class Association and volunteer group.