he Club of the Year competition is designed to encourage clubs to be dynamic and active, rewarding their achievements and contributions at both a local and national level. Clubs are assessed on the planning and execution of their development strategy, involvement in the club’s local community and the level of club member’s participation. The 2024 Club of the Year competition will be judged on the timeframe of 1st August 2023 to 31st July 2024.
Overall & Munster Club of the Year 2024: Freemount Macra
Leinster Club of the Year 2024: Callan Macra
North West Club of the Year 2024: Three Parishes Macra
Best Emerging Club 2024: Broomfield Macra
2024 Competition Sponsors: National Broadband Ireland
Key Dates for 2024 Club of the Year
- Competition Launch and Applications open 20th May 2024 Application Closing date - 31st July 2024
- Club books must be submitted by 14th August 2024
- Regional Round Interviews Online – August 2024
- Correspondence to clubs on progression to the final – by 6th September 2024
- National Final – Sunday 27th October 2024 at the Rally in Kildare
Application
The 2024 Club of the Year Competition will be open to all Macra clubs. The application process will open on 20th May 2024 and will consist of a JotForm application to be submitted online by 31st July 2024.
Club books must be submitted by 14th August and clubs will be reminded of this during the first week of August. This will consist of a maximum of two social media handles, a copy of three club meeting minutes, three meeting agendas, three attendance records for three club meetings and an income/expenditure record for three months including at least one event held throughout the year.
Regional Round
All clubs will be invited to an online interview with at least two judges in August and will be given at least two weeks’ notice. A minimum of two members and a maximum of four members can attend this interview. The marking scheme for the application form, online regional interviews and club books is as follows:
|
|
Marks Available |
Category |
Details |
| 1. |
20 marks |
Monthly Meetings |
Attendance, planning, active members, activity at the meeting |
| 2. |
20 marks |
Activity |
Variety of activities (young farmer, rural youth, competitions) recruitment, retention of members |
| 3. |
20 marks |
PR |
Consistent social media. Other avenues of PR. |
| 4. |
20 marks |
Community |
Club image in the community, fund raisers, community projects |
| 5. |
20 marks |
Records |
Club books – minutes, agenda, attendance, social media handles, income, and expenditure. |
|
Total |
100 Marks |
|
|
12 clubs will be chosen from the regional rounds to go to the final stage of the competition. These will include the top three clubs from each region and the top three emerging clubs overall.
Clubs must have been established/re-established between 1st March 2022 and 28th February 2024 to be considered for the Best Emerging Category.
A re-established club must have had an inactive period of 12 months or more and re-established between 1st March 2022 and 28th February 2023 to be considered for this category.
Marks awarded at the regional round of the competition are not carried forward to the final stage of the competition.
Club of the Year Final Stage
The final stage of the competition will consist of a club promotional video and a club display and interview at the Rally on Sunday 27th October 2024.
By 13thSeptember 2024, all 12 finalists will receive correspondence on the requirements for both the promotional video and the club displays at the Rally. Each club will be required to make their own club promotional video of a maximum of 90 seconds and submit it two weeks prior to the Rally.
The promotional videos will be shared on Macra’s social media in the two weeks prior to the rally. At the Rally 2024, the 12 clubs will be required to set up a display and will be given a ten-minute interview slot with the judges.
The judges’ questions will not be given to clubs in advance of the competition. A minimum of two and a maximum of four members must be present for the interview which will take place at the club display. On the evening of the final of Club of the Year, the club promotional videos will be shown on stage before the announcement of winners.
Final Marking Scheme
1 - Promotional Video (30 Marks)
|
|
Marks Available |
Category |
Details |
|
1. |
8 marks |
Club Promotion |
Likeliness to join the club after watching the video |
|
2. |
6 marks |
Inclusion/Diversity |
Does it meet the needs of people from all walks of life |
|
3. |
8 marks |
Variety of activity |
Is there a variety of activity expressed in the video |
|
4. |
8 marks |
Club Creativity |
Does the video express club creativity |
2 - Club Display (30 marks)
|
|
Marks Available |
Category |
Details |
|
1. |
10 marks |
Originality |
How original is the display |
|
2. |
10 marks |
Variety at display |
Is there a variety at the club display |
|
3. |
10 marks |
Vibrant Display |
Is the display vibrant/would you be encouraged to join the club |
3 - Display Interview (40 marks)
|
|
Marks Available |
Category |
Details |
|
1. |
8 marks |
Community Involvement |
Examples of community involvement |
|
2. |
8 marks |
Member Engagement |
Examples of engaging current members and new members |
|
3. |
8 marks |
Planning |
Club development plan and execution |
|
4. |
8 marks |
Activity |
Examples of club activities |
|
5. |
8 marks |
Uniqueness |
Something that stands out to judges |
Club of the Year Awards and Prizes
Winning clubs will be awarded at the final of Club of the Year at the Rally. There will be a winner from each region, a best emerging winner, and an overall Club of the Year winner.
The prizes are as follows:
- Regional Winner: €500 and trophy
- Best Emerging Winner: €500 and trophy
- Overall Winner: €500, trophy and perpetual cup
Communications
For all communication regarding Club of the Year 2024 please contact Macra’s Events Co-ordinator by email cmurray@macra.ie. Club of the Year is not the responsibility of the Rally committee.