Starting a new club

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Transcript

A Department of Sport and Recreation audio guide for sport and recreation clubs and associations in Western Australia.

It may seem a bit daunting if you want to set out and start a new club. But there are some pretty simple things you can do to get the ball rolling.

While you may just want to get warmed up and get going, if you can take a bit of time to look at what you can do to build a formal structure, get the finances right and keep effective records, your club can really go the distance.

This is a good place to start. I’m going to take you through the process of starting a new club step-by-step, so stick with me and we’ll help you meet some of your goals.

Remember, the Department of Sport and Recreation has a locker room of resources to help you with starting your club, and all other aspects of running your organisation.

Stay listening, and head to the department website http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au

Let’s start with the formal stuff.

That was Rick Curtis Senior Coach with the Fire and Rescue Football Club. Their constitution helped their club to be more businesslike and how it also made the path to becoming incorporated a whole lot easier.

While you don’t have to incorporate, it’s just a way of protecting your club members. It also means that the club itself can do all the legal things, like signing contracts, leasing buildings or grounds and opening bank accounts.

Remember, your club is what’s really important, not the founding members.

How do you write a constitution or become incorporated?

The Department of Sport and Recreation has a guide to exactly this, just head to the website or give the department a call.

Here are some key points to consider.

• Keep your constitution simple and short.
• Make it flexible. By-laws are great for this and can be created to deal with a particular issue when its required.
• State your objectives clearly.
• Have a wind-up clause. If things don’t go to plan you need to able to distribute the assets and pull up stumps.

All the forms for incorporating your club and more info on a constitution are available from the Department of Commerce.

Next I want to take you through what it takes to set-up a good  club committee and what officer bearers your club is going to need.

What about officer bearers?

These are the people who are going to have specific responsibilities for running your club.

Like an inspirational captain, you’re going to need a club president, chairperson, or someone in charge.

A club secretary can deal with the paperwork and make sure your club is in order. It’s important to keep records from the outset - they can be a valuable source of historical data.

If you’re going to have to handle fees and pay bills a club treasurer is a good idea as well. A good tip is that with small clubs the secretary and treasurer can often be the one person.

A deputy chair, like a vice-captain, can take over to chair meetings if your chair isn’t able to be there.

Your club’s officer bearers also have a role to play in forming a club committee, but the committee doesn’t have to be big to deal with all the paper work.

Keep it as small as possible and work out what the main areas of responsibility are and build your committee from there.

The social aspect is part of what a good club great. Maintain a social aspect to your club and involve families.

It’s not all fun and games. Regular meetings are important for a new club or group, but keep them interesting: that’s when good decisions are made.

Do you need an accountant to be the treasurer so the finances are kept in order?

Not at all. The accounts for a small club don’t need to be complicated but it’s important to put an effective system in place from the beginning.

If you ask someone who knows, you can set up a simple system that can be followed in the future. Write down the system so a new treasurer can pick up where the last one left off.

Planning for your club is important and financial planning is no exception. Make budgets for the year ahead. Your treasurer plays a big part in that.

Spreading the workload is also important. Just like it’s best not to play team members out of position on the sporting field, try to play to your members' strengths and make sure their talents are used. If you do this well it will reduce stress on the elected representatives.

Just like building up to start of a season, let’s look at finance and adminitration to get some simple tips for setting your club.

Register your members

Many clubs use a spreadsheet or database to keep a track of their members and to sign up people as they join the club.

Register members’ and volunteers’ names, addresses, ages, occupations, other relevant info and e-mail addresses.

A big tip is to remember to back up this information. Keep digital and paper copies so information isn't lost.

Always keep your club members informed. A club newsletter or e-mail can keep everyone, including your club’s publics, informed and involved.

The Mt Lawley Tennis club has always made communicating with its members a priority, as Wayne Fearns explains.

Sponsors

You may not necessarily need sponsors, so keep in mind that if a sponsor provides some money or goods it’s going to take your time and effort to make it worth their while.

In the end it may be better to get your organisation running efficiently and find sponsors for specifics projects, as and when you need them.

Financial assistance

There are grants available for some purposes. Contact your local government authority and Healthway for up-to-date info.

Mail and correspondence

You don’t have to have a Post Office Box to receive your mail, but it may be worth the money. It means that when your office bearers change or change address, the mail always arrives at the same place.

Local government and State Associations

You need to make contact with your local council and establish a communication link. Lots of local authorities may be able to help you with information and resources.

In some cases your club may be required to make contact with the State Authority and in any case, it’s always helps to do so.    

The Department of Sport and Recreation may be able to provide some personal advice to help you before anything kicks or tips off. The Department has regional advisers and officers with all the inside info on various aspects of running clubs or groups, junior sport, seniors, indigenous sport, coaching, officiating and volunteers.       

Coaching

If your organisation is a sports club or group, think about catering for lots of different people. You can introduce junior, men’s, women’s, mixed and veteran teams and of course they’re all going to need coaches.

Develop a coaching committee and make use of the Department of Sport and Recreation’s coaching courses.

Step-by-step to starting your club

Step 1

Weigh up whether there’s an ongoing need for the club. Think of the future and look at the aims of your organisation.

Step 2

Make sure you have a base for your activities.

Step 3

Draft a constitution and remember that there’s help availalbe in Chapter Two.

Step 4

Decide whether to become incorporated.

Step 5

Design an effective registration system and when you’re up and running, use it.

Step 6

Frame a budget.

Step 7

Make copies of your constitution and budget.

Step 8

Call your prospective members together and make sure you’re all on the same team:

•     examine the constitution and budget;
•     get agreement on your objectives.

Step 9

Ask members whether they’d be willing to be office bearers.

Step 10

You might have to have a second get-together. That’s when you can:

•     agree on the constitution and costs;
•     enrol members, after they pay a nominal fee;
•     elect office bearers.

So it looks like you’re all warmed up and ready to go.

If it’s the done thing, develop a club uniform, or organisation insignia.

And remember, starting a new club can be incredibly rewarding, if you remember to plan in detail with your members.

This podcast is part of the Club Development Scheme, which provides assistance to Western Australian sport and recreation clubs and organisations to become better managed, more sustainable and to provide good quality services to their members and participants.

You can find more information about starting your club and other topics to help you with running your sporting club or association at the Department of Sport and Recreation web site.