Since ISCA started the initiative in 2014, MOVE Transfer has become a practical example of how best practice can be transferred from one country to another. The most recent MOVE Transfer, supported by Erasmus+ Small collaborative Partnerships, has involved the Sports Union of Slovenia transferring the best practice “Healthy Clubs” to Bulgaria and Malta, as well as the standards required for a club to be considered as a Healthy Club and be awarded a “Quality Mark”. SportMalta took on the challenge of testing the Healthy Clubs model in Malta and implementing the ideas that were successfully deployed in Slovenia.

For SportMalta the objectives for doing this were threefold: to promote the concept of a Healthy Club Quality Mark according to the criteria established in ISCA’s MOVE Quality project, to give support and assist the local sports clubs in Malta to develop further, and to be of better service to the community by providing more physical activity opportunities.

The project was divided into four phases. The first phase was to promote the project with clubs, increasing its visibility and to get organisations engaged. Part of this was evaluating the clubs’ feedback and establishing how to best adapt the criteria set out in Slovenia to the Maltese context. Over the course of this stage, SportMalta received 14 applications from a range of organisations which met the criteria and progressed to the second phase, where they were given advice on how to best re-structure their programmes and promote specific activities as part of the project.

The second phase was to confirm which clubs were actively interested in the project and then to start working on particular programmes and administrative logistics for the clubs in question. In practice this meant that Mojca Markovic, the project leader from Slovenia, visited the clubs that were committed to seeing the project through to its conclusion. Representatives from the clubs gave an overview of their organisational structure, gave a tour of their facilities, and gave information about their physical activity programmes targeting different age groups. During this meeting they also raised any queries they had about the project.

The next stage of the project was the implementation stage, and at this stage SportMalta asked all the clubs to re-confirm their interest in the project and to submit a schedule of events. Eleven clubs re-confirmed their position and submitted the requested information. Also during this phase, cross-national partners discussed and shared best practice, developments in the project, and their experiences so far.

At this point SportMalta monitored the activities of the clubs under the banner of MOVE Transfer to ensure that: qualified physical trainers were conducting each session, that health and safety regulations were observed, and that the performance of the clubs overall was improving. Constructive feedback was given to the clubs in each session, which was crucial for the clubs to keep-up with the required standards. Ultimately, the monitoring of these sessions helped SportMalta to determine which clubs would be recommended for the Quality Mark.

The last phase of the project was the selection process, which determined who would be given the Quality Mark. During the last round of visits held by SportMalta, all clubs had to present an objective overview of the development of the club from the time they showed interest in the project until the present day. SportMalta based its selection process for the Healthy Club Award on the following criteria, which were: Structured, well designed sport and physical activity programmes, Unified organisational structure, Qualified trainers and coaches, Continuous quality control, Duration and frequency of the sport and physical activity programmes, and Adequate sport infrastructure and equipment.

SportMalta representatives then assessed the clubs based on the criteria, and seven clubs were awarded the “Quality Mark” as a result. The clubs who fell short were encouraged to continue working towards the required standard, and assured that it was achievable for them in the future.

The seven clubs chosen were :

• B'Bugia Sailing Club (https://birzebbugasailingclub.wordpress.com)
• Birkirkara St Jospeh Sports Club (www.bkarastjoseph.com)
• Dar Kenn għal Saħħtek (www.dks.org.mt)
• Għajnsielem Redcoats (www.ghajnsielemredcoats.com)
• Assoċjazzjoni Sportiva Hibernians (www.hiberniansbasketball.com)
• Marsaxlokk FCYN (https://www.facebook.com/Marsaxlokkfcnursery/)
• Sirens ASC (www.sirensasc.com)

A presentation ceremony was then held at Marsaxlokk Football Ground on the 11th of July, where clubs and associations were invited. The Hon Parliamentary Secretary Dr Clifton Grima the Chairman of SportMalta, Dr Luciana Busuttil, and the CEO of SportMalta, Mr Mark Cutajr, presented certificates to the representatives of the clubs. Congratulations to the clubs who achieved the Quality Mark!