Why there are big changes at your local sports club. By Helen Laurent
AAHH! The humble community sports club. Whether it was rugby, cricket, league or netball, it was where the community gathered. There were sausages to be sizzled, raffles to be won, friends to meet, a pint to drink and sport to be watched. Well, maybe 30 years ago - but not today. Early into the new millennium, Auckland's sports clubs face a tough decision: change with these modern times or be left behind to face gradual extinction. Welcome to the Auckland sports club of 2008.
BAT, BALL OR BOTH? The single code sports club is changing. While some clubs continue to field teams for one sport, many others are embracing a wide variety of recreational past-times. Premier rugby club College Rifles introduced new codes five years ago. It now has netball, junior soccer, touch rugby and even lacrosse teams, as well as running badminton, a privately owned on-site gym and a squash court. General manager Derek Rope says the Remuera-headquartered club also tried, but rejected, American football and Aussie rules. 'We have grown tremendously since going multisport and the smaller sports give a good sense of belonging,' he explains. Mangere East Hawks Rugby League Club now includes 18 netball teams, a move which spokesman Laurie Wharton says came down to a need to diversify and open the club up during the week. 'You have to diversify these days to keep people interested,' he says. Out west, it's the same. 'There is definitely a move towards multisport clubs,' says Sport Waitakere's club development adviser Christine Shepard. 'With only one sport, membership is only coming in during one season, so clubs are looking at going all year. The difficult part is finding a compatible code.'
JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE - I MEAN CLUB Aucklanders' lives are busier, traffic commutes are worsen and there's more entertainment on offer. Finding volunteers to run a sports club is a lot harder today than it was 30 years ago. The solution for many clubs is to operate more like a business, with paid employees. 'Cricket is relying more on paid people, rather than volunteers,' says Ross Hicks of Suburbs New Lynn Cricket Club. His club recently moved into a new, year-round, clubhouse and new indoor training facilities, all with the help of its new partner, Lynn Avon United Football. Penny Ball, of Counties Manukau Sport, says there are always people willing to help, but more people work full-time these days. 'In general, if you ask clubs what their issues are, some would say a shortage of volunteers, but not all.' The Hillary Commission's (now Sport and Recreation NZ) February 2000 report said some volunteers withdraw contribution when they learn of paid staff at a club. The report warned that volunteers need a sense of satisfaction and achievement, which doesn't always occur.
KEEPING IT CASUAL Aucklanders' ability to commit to club sport is also under threat. While club membership is not decreasing rapidly, (Sport and Recreation NZ's most recent figures show 36 per cent of adults are active members of a club), the way people participate in sport is changing. Social sports teams, 'pay-to-play' set-ups and shorter games are increasing in popularity. Cliff Freeman, development manager at Auckland Badminton Association, says public courts, hired by casual players, are great earners. 'There is a huge public demand to play sport on a casual basis,' he says. 'Sports have been lumped in with a lot more entertainment. There are so many other things to do on the weekend. 'Casual play, the social aspect, shorter and sharper competitions are now the need.' There are examples of casual play all over Auckland - 20/20, business house and Sunday league cricket are now available. Summer league soccer remains popular, indoor cricket, netball and soccer provide shorter games during the week and even many bowls clubs now have pay-to play schemes. 'There are definitely more people willing to play sport without having to train or play all day Saturday. People treat it like a session at the gym. It's just moving with the times,' says Penny Ball. Toni-Maree Carnie of Harbour Sport agrees. 'Social sport and pay-to-play are the way of the future. That is a good thing. People who are short on time can play shorter games.'
SO WHO PAYS? Funding continues to be a major issue for almost all clubs across Auckland. Working bees and meat pack raffles just aren't going to cut it any longer. Derek Rope says money's tighter than ever. 'The traditional club - be it soccer, rugby or league - is struggling. The only way for them to survive is to go to a multisport system and run like a business rather than relying on things like working bees,' he says. 'Bars don't make as much money, things like raffles don't happen anymore and even gaming machines have taken a downturn.' Smokefree legislation and new liquor licensing laws have also hit clubs hard. Many clubs rely more on corporate sponsorship and charity grants, while others hire out their facilities, run skills' workshops for children and seek out patronage. 'Clubs have to be smart and prioritise their projects,' says Carnie, 'but it's tight, no doubt about that'.
THE FUTURE North Shore United Soccer Club is the oldest soccer club in the country, forming in 1886. It is also one of the largest, with 700 junior and 200 adult players. The club is run almost entirely with volunteers. Most teams are competitive rather than social. Volunteers are not plentiful, but are still available. Raising money continues to be an issue. In many ways, North Shore United is the perfect example of a sports club at the crossroads: retaining many of its old ways, but also looking to the future. Club manager Alan Richards has been with the club for 75 years. 'It's a strong club, it always has been,' he says. 'The future? I don't know. We are hoping to keep it on the right track, but finance is a problem and it is difficult to retain players. Otherwise, everything is all rosy and everyone is still enthusiastic about the club.' Hundreds of other Auckland clubs are at that same crossroads. 'I, personally, believe that sports clubs can play a bigger role in the community,' says Ball. 'The old-fashioned idea where the sports club was the hub of the community is gone. But we want to do all we can to change that.'
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