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All over Australia strange things are happening
at our sports clubs. The goal posts are shifting.
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Club membership is stagnating and in an effort
to attract and retain members changes must
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be made.
But what can you do?
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These days there are more entertainment choices,
more sports, and more demands on our time
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and our money.
Our population is changing and we have very
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different lifestyles, yet against this backdrop
there has been a spike in sport participation.
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Not through clubs but through things like
running with you iPod, social group cycling,
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going to the gym, or seeing a personal training.
So how do you, as a club, get a bigger slice
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of this increasingly fractured market?
To find out what influences people’s decisions
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around club based sport, the Australian Sports
Commission and GfK Blue Moon did some research
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with both adults and kids.
With adults we found most people fall into
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ten basic groups when it comes to sport; the
Loyalists; the Socially-Engaged; the Sport-Driven;
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and the Apathetic Clubbers.
Then there’s the Sidelined Sportsters; the
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Club Wary; the Ponderers; the Self-Focused;
the Sport Indifferent; and the Sport Atheists.
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40 per cent of non-club members aged 14-65
belonged to a club at some point, so there’s
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a chance to re-engaged with these people on
some level, and a quarter of Australians aged
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14-65, who aren’t members of a club, have
expressed interest in joining one.
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That’s 3.8million people who potentially
want to be part of club sport.
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So how do you tap into them?
Firstly, you need to understand the main concerns
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adults have with club sport. One is inflexible
schedules, clubs being too cliquey; leaving
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people feeling excluded. Another is the cost,
and limited opportunities for beginners.
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When it comes to kids in sport the research
identified six basics types; the Social Loyalists;
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the Sports Driven; and the Apathetic Clubbers.
And then you have the Thrifty Enthusiast;
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the Ponderers; and the Sport Resistant.
Over 50 per cent of kids who aren’t club
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members now were once part of an organised
sport and 46 per cent would think about joining
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a club if activities were better suited to
what they wanted. These non-club members make
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up 1.1million potential new recruits.
The research found while some kids love the
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competitive side of sport many others don’t.
So to attract and retain kids to your club
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here’s some stuff to keep in mind.
Create an environment based around fun, enjoyment,
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and being with friends.
Value each and every player, and give everyone
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a chance to join in regardless of ability;
and offer flexible membership options for
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kids and their parents.
So how can this research benefit you? Well
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it might help you think outside the box to
improve how your club operates.
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Be flexible; cater to different groups by
developing new ways to get people involved.
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Create alternative forms of your game that
focus on fun and enjoyment rather than competition.
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Changing the rules might be one way of doing
this.
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Let friends play together if that’s important
to them, rather than trying to separate them
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based on talent.
Schedule your sport at different times of
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day and week; more teenagers might get involved
on a weeknight than a Sunday morning.
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At your end of year presentation have a social
night to celebrate participation and your
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volunteers as much as you celebrate success.
Ask your members about any issues at your
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club. By addressing the concerns you can start
to focus on the opportunities. Small changes
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now can make a big difference to your club
later.
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Need some help with your ideas? Visit ausport.gov.au/marketsegmentation
to access research and support materials including
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presentations, fact sheets, and case studies.
The goal posts for clubs may be shifting but
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armed with knowledge, ideas, and commitment
your club can kick some serious goals well
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into the future