When thinking about the ‘value proposition’ of sports clubs, it’s critical to strike a balance between keeping sport accessible, given that it is such a prominent part of Australian culture, and keeping clubs sustainable.
It’s not surprising that we have seen a rise in multi-user, shared or multi-purpose facilities. Multi-use facilities provide a feasible solution when the availability of greenspace is limited, when clubs have smaller membership numbers or distinct playing times, or when resources are limited. However, we have found that there is an expectation from some clubs that the Council will provide each club with their very own exclusive clubhouse and activity space. The dissonance between expectations and feasibility can stifle development of new facilities.
Towers Jockey Club has scored $944,960 from the federal government’s Building Better Regions Fund.
When matched with Racing Queensland funding for track work, this grant will deliver a community event centre worth $1,259,960 to benefit the club, the racing industry, the community and the local economy.
Building sporting facilities on flood plains makes great sense… until it rains! And boy did it rain in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales on the weekend of 26 and 27 February 2022! The devastation caused by the floods really put a damper on what would otherwise have been another busy weekend of community sport. In the latest episode of CPR Group’s podcast, Basket Case Clubs, Michael and Steve put on their gloves and gumboots to share tips to help volunteers in their clean up and recovery efforts.
COVID hit grassroots sports clubs hard. From having to adapt to new regulations to dealing with complete shutdowns, there was a lot to learn for the hard-working volunteers who run local clubs. As Australia prepares to get back on the field for full sporting seasons in 2022, it’s time for more clubs to use the lessons that COVID taught us about change, and apply them across their operations.
Mergers and amalgamations are in the wind. They’re being whispered about in committee meeting rooms and broadcast widely as many sports become ‘one’. CPR Group’s Director of Sport and Community Development, Steve Connelly, has been helping lots of clubs with the process. He’s seen the fears, the hold-ups, and the long-term benefits that can occur with each club’s journey to one entity.
Let’s get rid of the whispers and discuss mergers and amalgamations.
What interesting times we live in. We’ve got empty stadiums, empty fields, empty clubhouses, empty canteens, empty bars, empty committee rooms, and in some cases, empty bank accounts. CPR Group has developed a three-phase process to support your club through shutdown, downtime and re-open. Find out more about the shutdown stage in the webinar presented by Chris Kenward.
