The Heinke Trophy isn’t just about recognition – it’s about inspiration. Some of our previous Trophy winners share their secrets for Heinke success.
Aberdeen Sub Aqua Club – 2023 winners
We felt that we had something to say about how we turned around Aberdeen SAC from being on the brink of collapsing to a thriving BSAC club. We thought other clubs might benefit from hearing what we had achieved.
Our top tip is to think about everything you have achieved, then ask how it aligns to BSAC’s Heinke ideals and how it promotes great club diving. Start early, form a core team to write and review but get everyone involved. Make a plan and stick to it. Last minute doesn’t work.
We have felt a real impact since winning the trophy. The cash fund was great and contributed to the purchase of a new club RIB. We’ve also gained local kudos, with press coverage and local sports club governing body interest. It’s a great thing to put on our website and has definitely helped with new member recruitment.
Clidive – 2020 winners
Winning the Heinke Trophy was very special as our 2020 entry recorded our 50th year as a club. 2019 had been a fantastic year but 2020 was of course a very hard time for the country and our entry had been finalised during covid lockdowns. It gave us a real boost when we heard we had won.
Entering the Heinke is a great opportunity for any club. Have a small team to organise the entry but involve as many people as possible in both your activities and in the provision of content. The voices of all the club should be heard but just a few voices are best to organise it.
A strong central idea is key. Ours was ‘Sharing the Adventure’ and celebrating the club’s success in doing this over 50 years. There was a lot of mandatory content requested by BSAC in the entry but at all points we kept to our theme so we could tell our story.
Ras Al Hamra Sub Aqua Club (RAHSAC) – 2022 winners
2022 marked our 40th anniversary, making it the perfect year to aim for the Heinke Trophy. Winning energised members and gave our club a real sense of pride. We have attracted new members from different diving organisations, hosted a combined instructor event and launched new initiatives in our training programme.
Winning an award like the Heinke Trophy really builds credibility. It’s that external recognition that shows others we’re serious about safety, quality, and community. It’s a way of saying, ‘Look what we’ve built together, and it’s being noticed.’ It’s also been a real boost to everyone’s motivation and pride.
The Heinke Trophy has been a launchpad for new opportunities. Since winning, we’ve gained more support and momentum, especially for things like instructor training and community links with The Environmental Society of Oman (ESO).
Bradford SAC – 2014 winners
Every member contributed towards our Heinke success. It gave us focus as a club and promoted teamwork. We agreed on goals and we achieved them together. Being a ‘successful’ club is everyone being engaged, inspired to achieve, working as ‘one’ team, and being inclusive. Individuals personally gained leadership skills, contributing to activities and felt valued for their contribution.
Winning was not just a club trip to the Diving Conference to collect the trophy. It raised our profile; we gained lots of press coverage and were invited to a breakfast meeting with the Lord Mayor of Bradford.
It is now over 10 years since we won and it is still our proudest achievement. The prestige of the Heinke Trophy isn’t just for a year; it’s for the lifetime of your club. It recently helped us obtain one-to-one support to bid for some grant funding, as the first thing we were asked was‘ has your club won any awards?
