The Woodland Group has walked away with a highly regarded BIFA Freight Service Award after impressing judges with the launch of a dedicated Sports Logistics division. The global logistics company won the Supply Chain Management prize at Thursday's award ceremony with a submission on its new Clubhouse product. Established by Deborah Smith, who joined the Woodland Group from Essex Cricket Club, The Clubhouse is a members-only buying consortium for sports clubs, initially focused on the cricket industry. Woodland sources merchandise material from overseas suppliers to be sold in fan shops, online and at cricket grounds in the UK. The service simplifies the supply chain for the clubs, allowing them to focus more resources on increasing sales and profitability. Sports Logistics ships the manufactured items to Woodland's UK fulfilment centre, where the team quality check and re-pack the products before distributing them nationally. Woodland staff also make factory and site visits in order to ensure the highest standards of safety and legal protection are in place for workers. With proven success in the cricket industry, The Clubhouse will now be rolled out to other sports and industries. Commenting on the win, Deborah said: "What a fantastic start to the year! It is so gratifying that BIFA's judges were won over by our Clubhouse submission. Our goal now is to extend our services globally to all sports clubs." Woodland has a track record of success at the BIFA Freight Service Awards: it won the special services award in 2010 and scooped the training and staff development prize in 2007. The Essex-based Woodland Group provides freight forwarding services by air, sea and road and offers a range of specialist services for niche sectors.