Improving Member Experience
Your Pre-Season Playbook for Club Success
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The countdown to winter sports season is on, and across Australia, community sports club leaders are juggling registration systems, uniform orders and competition schedules. Amidst this pre-season frenzy lies a critical opportunity – the chance to transform how your Club engages with both returning and new members.
Recent Australian Sports Foundation data reveals almost one in four small Clubs considered closing their doors in 2023. Rising costs and declining revenues have hit community sports hard. But walk into any successful Club on a Saturday morning and you'll see it's not about fancy facilities or big budgets – it’s about creating a place where people want to be.
The Membership Documentation Nightmare
When Laura took over as President of her local netball Club last year, she inherited what she calls "the membership documentation nightmare" - a mix of spreadsheets, WhatsApp messages and hand-written notes about who was registered, who had paid and who was thinking about coming back next season.
"I knew we had to do better," she says. "Our members deserve better than this, and honestly, our volunteers were drowning in administrative chaos."
Laura's experience mirrors what's happening in Clubs across the country. The old ways of managing members - the paper forms, the cash payments, the informal communication chains - just aren't cutting it anymore. Modern families expect modern systems.
Starting with Current Members
The most successful Clubs understand a fundamental truth about membership: it's far easier (and cheaper) to keep current members than find new ones. But with cost-of-living pressures cited by 52% of Clubs as the main barrier to participation, keeping members requires more than just sending out renewal notices.
"We completely rethought our approach to registration," says James, treasurer at a suburban cricket Club. "Instead of just announcing fees were due, we created different payment options, family discounts and early-bird rates. The response was incredible - we had 70% of our members signed up two months before the season started."
Payment plans through platforms like RevolutioniseSPORT have transformed how Clubs handle fees.
"We've seen such positive feedback from families who appreciate being able to spread the cost across the season," says James. "It's made a real difference to our retention rates and helped reduce the stress on both members and our volunteer treasurer."
But it's not just about fees. Modern members expect modern experiences. They want easy registration processes, clear communication and to feel part of something bigger than just weekly games or training.
New Members: Making First Impressions Count
While retention is crucial, growth requires new members. Remember, potential members are doing their research long before they contact you. They're checking your website, social media and asking around about your Club's reputation.
Sarah, who recently moved to a new area and was looking for a football Club for her daughter, explains:
"I looked up five different Clubs online. Three had outdated websites with no clear information about registration. One had great information, but no one responded to my email. The Club we chose? They had clear information, responded quickly and made us feel welcome from the first contact."
Technology: Friend Not Foe
This shift towards digital-first engagement isn't just about having a website or Facebook page. Michael, a basketball Club committee member, discovered this when his Club started losing teenage members.
"We realised that people don't just come for the sport," he explains. "They come for the community. Once we understood that, we started planning our whole season differently."
His club now uses TeamApp for team communications, Square for canteen payments and Mailchimp for newsletters. But the technology itself isn't the game-changer - it's how they use it to strengthen connections between members. They share player milestones on Instagram, celebrate volunteer contributions in their newsletter and use their WhatsApp groups for more than just game time updates.
Even fundraising has evolved. Through the Australian Sports Foundation's platform, clubs can now receive tax-deductible donations online. A regional hockey Club recently used this to raise $85,000 for facility upgrades – something that would have seemed impossible through traditional fundraising methods.
The most successful Clubs take a strategic approach to their technology choices. Rather than adopting every new platform that comes along, they focus on tools that solve specific problems or enhance particular aspects of the member experience. It’s about finding the right mix of digital solutions that work for your volunteers and members while keeping things simple enough to manage consistently.
The Member Experience Planner
The tools to create great member experiences are more accessible than ever. The real challenge isn't finding them – it’s knowing where to start. That's why we've created a Member Experience Planner to help you map out your approach.
This practical tool breaks down member engagement into manageable chunks – from pre-season planning to ongoing communication. Because while technology and systems matter, what really counts is having a clear plan and executing it consistently.
Download the template and start with one area that needs attention at your Club. You might be surprised how small changes in how you engage with members can create big shifts in their experience and your club's success.
