Struggles of the type which have led to the Napier Sailing Club canning its New Year Regatta are familiar to most trying to run sports clubs through the social changes over the years.
Clubs have now long-emerged from the era where, in the absence of Government and agency support, sport was driven by intensive family and community involvement in fundraising, such as the bottle drive, or turnover from a clubhouse in the days when operating right outside the liquor laws was just the way it was.
Costs were saved and the club was built around the working bee, where the trades and labour of the members may have been rewarded with a yarn over a few flagons.
Roll on 2016 and sports leaders recognise there have been society changes, sparked by such things as changes in the work environment which may limit the time volunteers can give, weekend shopping, tightening of liquor licensing, drink-drive laws and smoking regulations, and the general diversity in sport. Clubs need strategies to cope with change.
Sport New Zealand's Community Sport Strategy 2015-2020 says: "People are fitting sport into increasingly busy and time-fragmented lifestyles; demand for individualised sport and physical activity is on the rise, while demand for team and organised sport is declining.