There are over seventy clubs registered with the LGF.
All of those clubs must also be affiliated to British Gymnastics -- and these two affiliations are the KITE MARK which should be looked for by anybody seeking a Gymnastic or Trampoline Club for any age group.
An additional kite-mark which many clubs are now in the process of achieving is GYMMARK - this proves that the club is a safe, efficient and child-friendly organisation. In order to pass GymMark the club has to have an annual assessment in all areas of coaching, training, programmes, health & safety, first aid, child protection, etc. etc.
Gymnastics being a generic term, no club covers all aspects of our sport. Most specialise in one or two disciplines, with all clubs having General Gymnastics as their introductory area. For the under-5's clubs must have coaches with the specialist Pre-School Gymnastics Coaching Award.
The BGA gives out a REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE each year that shows that a club fulfills their requirements of being a registered BG member. The LGF presents each Member Club with a Wooden Wall Plaque, and this is updated with a YEAR DATE.
During 2004 - 2006 a new Kite-mark is underway - this is GYMMARK, which will be awarded to those gymnastic clubs able to prove a whole range of appropriate actions, including, Enhanced CRB checks on all coaches, appropriate on-going coach and official education, Good Health & Safety Policy implementation, Child Protection Awareness and Implementation policies, Equity policies, Forward planning and appropriate 'good employer' arrangements for all staff whether paid or voluntary. GYMMARK is the BGA version of the wider UK Sport ClubMark, and is much wider and more difficult to achieve than ClubMark.
Choosing an appropriate club can be difficult, clubs have their own ethos and mission statements, and many of them do not claim to be, nor wish to be, High Performance clubs, training elite gymnasts. They may wish to run excellent community based programmes, involving many gymnasts and taking part in lower level events and competitions. Few clubs are really High Performance, and only very few gymnasts can reach these heights, whereas tens of thousands of gymnasts enjoy competitive gymnastics and recreational gymnastics.
Most clubs in London do have large waiting lists.
Gymnastics can start very young. Our FUN4BABY classes are for babies (with their Mums) aged 8 weeks (after discharge by Health Visitors).
At this age, many babies are 'on the move' and they can go on to the more appropriate 'Parent & Toddler' classes, These will be run by a qualified BGA Pre-School Coach
Approximately at 3 years old, most young children are ready to go into the more structured Pre-School gymnastics classes, again run by qualified BGA Pre-school coaches, these introduce the children to the concepts of physical literacy, aNd enjoyable movement as well as the gymnastic apparatus through exploration, music and fun.
Rising 5 year olds are usually ready to make the final jump into the over-5 recreational classes.
DO NOTE: pre-school coaching qualifications are specialist ones - not all clubs are able to offer these under-5 classes. Do ensure that anywhere your under-5 attends does have appropriately qualified coaches.
To find the most suitable and appropriate club for your requirements, please contact:
LGF Regional Office
7 Nightingale Close
Highams Park
London
E4 6ND
United Kingdom
Tel/Fax: +44 (0)20 8529 1142
ensuring that you have full information on the age and gender of the applicant and in which borough you live.