Turning Club Standards into a Simple, Self-Service Awards Platform

Client: Hereford Couriers Running Club
Sector: Grassroots Sport / Running / Community Organisations

The Challenge

Hereford Couriers Running Club operates across a wide range of ages and abilities, with members competing over distances from one mile through to the marathon.

The club already had a structured awards system based on age-graded qualifying standards.

However, claiming an award relied on members:

• finding the correct standards table
• identifying the right age category
• checking the required time manually
• calculating whether their race result qualified
• emailing the club to make a claim

For volunteers, this created another administrative process involving emails, spreadsheets and manual checking.

The objective was to make the entire process easier without losing the tradition behind the awards themselves.

Our Approach

Rather than replace the club’s existing standards, we built a digital layer around them.

The result is a bespoke WordPress plugin that takes more than 400 qualifying standards and turns them into an interactive, mobile-friendly awards system.

Members can now select their age category, choose a distance, enter their race time and immediately see whether they have achieved Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum standard.

If they qualify, they can submit their claim through the same interface.

The software handles the checking and administration.

The club still gets to do the important bit: recognise the achievement in person.

Services Delivered

This project required a combination of bespoke WordPress development, structured data and user experience design to transform a manual club process into a simple self-service system.

Bespoke WordPress Plugin Development
Developing a custom awards platform directly within WordPress, allowing the club to manage standards, claims and published results from its existing website

User Experience Design
Creating a simple mobile-first journey that allows runners to find their target, check a result and submit a claim in a matter of moments

Data Structuring & Logic
Encoding 440 age-graded qualifying times across age categories, genders, race distances and award levels

Workflow Automation
Automating qualification checks, member acknowledgements and club notifications to reduce repetitive volunteer administration

440 Standards, Instantly Accessible

The platform contains 440 qualifying times.

These are structured across:

• 11 age categories
• male and female standards
• five race distances
• four award levels

Members no longer need to locate and interpret printed tables.

They simply select their category and the system displays the appropriate standards immediately.

This turns a relatively complex dataset into something simple enough to use on a phone immediately after a race.

Age-Graded by Design

One of the most important aspects of the awards system is fairness across age groups.

The standards use an age-graded approach similar to that used within parkrun.

This means older and younger athletes are measured against equivalent levels of performance rather than everyone being expected to achieve the same absolute finishing time.

The platform handles this logic automatically.

Members see only the standards relevant to them.

Finish Time or Race Pace

Runners do not always think in finish times.

Often, the more useful question is:

What pace do I need to run?

The plugin therefore allows users to toggle the entire standards table between:

• target finish time
• minutes per mile

This turns an awards table into something that can also support race planning and training.

Instant Qualification Checking

Members can enter a race distance and finishing time directly into the platform.

The system evaluates the performance instantly and tells them whether they have achieved a qualifying standard.

For example:

“Well done, that time is a Gold performance.”

This removes uncertainty and means members know immediately whether they are eligible to make a claim.

Self-Service Award Claims

Once a qualifying performance has been confirmed, members can continue directly into a short claim form.

The system captures:

• runner
• age category
• race
• race date
• finishing time
• qualifying award

Once submitted:

• the club receives a notification
• the runner receives an acknowledgement
• the claim is added to the administrative system

This replaces the previous email chain with one structured process.

One Admin View for Every Claim

Club administrators can manage all award claims from one searchable and sortable interface.

Claims can be reviewed by:

• runner
• race
• category
• award level

Rather than searching through emails and maintaining a separate spreadsheet, volunteers have one central record of activity.

This is a good example of how bespoke WordPress development can turn a website into an operational tool rather than simply a marketing platform.

Public Recognition Without Unnecessary Personal Data

Recent awards can also be displayed publicly on the club website.

The public roll of honour can show information such as:

• race
• distance
• award
• finishing time

without publishing unnecessary personal information.

This gives the club a way to celebrate member achievement while keeping the public-facing data proportionate.

Ready for the Next Season

At the beginning of a new awards period, administrators can clear the active board using a dedicated reset control.

This allows the club to begin collecting the next season’s achievements without rebuilding tables or manually clearing spreadsheets.

The system is designed around the real annual workflow of the club rather than forcing volunteers to adapt their process around the software.

How a Member Uses It

Step 1: Find the Target

The member selects their gender and age category.

The platform instantly displays the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum standards across all available distances.

Step 2: Enter the Race Result

The runner chooses the race distance and enters their finishing time.

The system immediately confirms whether the performance qualifies and, if so, which award has been achieved.

Step 3: Submit the Claim

The member adds the race name, date and required details.

The claim is sent to the club automatically, ready for review and presentation.

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In Numbers

440 qualifying times encoded

11 age categories from U20 to V70

5 race distances from one mile to marathon

4 award standards: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum

0 standards tables members need to check manually

Impact

The new system has simplified the awards process for both members and volunteers.

It provides:

• instant qualification checking
• easier access to age-graded standards
• self-service award claims
• reduced email administration
• one central administrative record
• improved mobile usability
• a public awards showcase
• simple seasonal reset functionality

Most importantly, the technology does not replace the culture of the club.

It removes the repetitive administration around the award while preserving the moment that matters: recognition from fellow club members.

What This Demonstrates

The Hereford Couriers project demonstrates The DM Lab’s ability to:

• identify repetitive manual processes
• translate complex datasets into simple user experiences
• develop bespoke WordPress functionality
• automate volunteer administration
• design technology around existing organisational workflows
• create practical digital tools for community organisations

Final Thought

The Hereford Couriers awards platform is a relatively simple idea with a very practical outcome.

Members can find out what they need to run and know immediately when they have achieved it.

Volunteers receive structured claims instead of managing an inbox and spreadsheet.

And the part that gives the award its meaning remains completely unchanged.

The software does the looking up. The club night does the rest.

This is exactly the type of project we mean when we talk about using digital technology to improve processes, reduce administration and support the people behind an organisation.