We know that it is not easy managing a sports club. There are many variables that can affect things, and you always have to be aware of everything. If you’re an owner or manager of a sports club, it’s no wonder that it completely absorbs your workday and even a little bit of your personal life.
So, what’s the point of creating a sports club?
Despite the enormous effort involved, we know that when you learn how to manage a sports club in an efficient and productive way, it becomes something very nice and satisfying, because more than a business it becomes a kind of big family.
We like to call it family because all the people who pass through the club over the years leave their grain of sand to create something special and improve the functioning. A community is created where positive synergies are generated between teams, players, partners, sponsors, institutions and all the personnel responsible for managing the club.
With this, it is possible to inject in the members a sense of belonging to a group with whom they share hobbies, tastes, and a community project. They feel proud to be part of a collective that is above the individual, and they are loyal to it, they defend it. Each new member is welcome, as a new member of the family.
Key aspects of managing a sports club
- A sports club is not a company – but it needs structure
It is important to bear in mind that although it is not normally a company as such, it is very important to have a structure that does have that form, that hierarchy, and certain responsibilities for the personnel in charge of managing the day to day activities of the club.
In this sense, we advise:
- Establish an organisational chart and appoint a management team. This should be in charge of convening periodic assemblies, establishing the frequency of the assemblies, writing the minutes, etc.
- Establish the frequency of assemblies and keep the members informed. It is fundamental to transmit transparency in all aspects and for this, the clients must be up to date with everything that is decided.
- Establish a series of general operating guidelines and a Strategic and Operational Management Plan that marks the way forward to reach the place where you want to be.
- Management Plan. It is very important, as for everything in life, to set long-term goals and design the path to reach them, otherwise, you’ll be stuck. In this sense, we differentiate between general objectives (3 to 4 years), the strategic objectives (1 or 2 years) and the specific operational objectives for the short term, and for specific and dynamic projects.
- Establish a comprehensive membership database to help you manage members, club activities, payments, etc. We’ll explain how easy and powerful this is later.
- Always plan to move forward
Transmitting to the partners that you never stand still, and that the club always moves forward, always leads to improving things. For this, it is very useful to listen to the proposals, complaints, and ideas of the clients, not necessarily in meetings or assemblies, but in the club bar or the restaurant or in the locker rooms.
If you show members that you listen to them, they will keep on using your club. Otherwise, you run the risk that they will slowly stop coming. There might come a time when they are attracted to another option; another club that offers more services.
You need to listen to not only the clients but listen to your staff, and your own ideas, as well. What is your club missing? We can teach you how to manage your club more effectively, but no one knows what you need better than you and your staff. Organise brainstorming sessions and make decisions that improve the quality of services your club offers.
- Monitor your competition
Keep your eyes open for what your competitors do. Without becoming paranoid, you must pay close attention to what they do, so that they never get ahead of you. And if they do, let it be for only a short time.
It is very interesting, from time to time, to check your competition and even sports clubs in other cities, to get ideas and review the new trends. All the information you collect, include it in a SWOT analysis and according to your possibilities, study what changes and improvements you can incorporate and which ones you can’t, depending also on the profitability they can provide.
- Sports area
Make sure that monitors, teachers, and coaches are always informed and prepared based on the latest news and trends in their respective fields. And if they are not, invest in them. Do not be afraid that they will go once you have trained them. If you treat them well and take care of them, they will stay, guaranteed!
Advantages and benefits
Your partners/members will thank you and, of course, you will appreciate it, as you will differentiate yourself from the rest by knowing how to implement good management of your sports club, totally oriented to the benefit of the members.
However, there is still more. Currently, there are many sports club management software tools that can help you manage your club more efficiently and that give you a lot of quality information. If you’re not already using such a program or app – you should be!
The best sports management software programs that currently exist in the market help you manage all aspects of your club in a professional and controlled way. For example, create member profiles, member databases, asset usage schedules, coaching timetables, etc. all from a central dashboard that all staff can easily access and update – so everyone always knows what’s going on. So, go ahead and try using sports club management software. You won’t look back!
