Arresting the Decline and Fall of our Sport.

Well if it were my market place, I have to say I'd be really concerned. What was that quote? "The surest way to go broke is to chase market share in a declining market."

I had a look at the stats from 2008 to now to make a point at the tail end of that PY thread which is going nowhere really, and what I came up with plugging those numbers into a spreadsheet, as you do, if you run numbers as part of your business to guage projections, and hell.

Optimists down 100, Toppers down 124 Laser Radial down 102, Laser down 50 from 80, all in all 1457 less boats racing at class championships than there were in 2008, why that year? That was the year I began to first notice things were off anyway and now it's much worse.

So, if I were in this business I'd be ringing around about now wondering wether we should get together to do something to stimulate the business at entry level, because whatever planet the jolly old RYA is on, the sky aint the same colour as our is, I'd say ours is turning red and that's what's going to happen to lots of balance sheets of companys, clubs, classes, mags, everything unless some waking up and smelling the coffee grinds doesn't happen and happen soon imv.

Tell me I'm wrong, could do with some better news than this.

Edited by iGRF - 25 Nov 19 at 10:20am

Well there was a bit of a financial bublle/boom that came to an end in 2007/8 and the ramifications are still being felt, that and a cultural shift away from participation in activities that could be viewed as remotely 'dangerous' or competitive on an individual level.

That said, easy access pursuits, I'm thinking paddle boarding, when it comes to watersport still actively engage interest, but again, not really competitively. There are 'race' events but they're pretty mindless braun over brains affairs, so nothing you could really compare with sail racing. Our issue is and has always been lack of active marketing of the cranial aspect of the sport, and half the folk doing it don't always fully understand the depth of what we've got to sell. Boat builders flog their boats, clubs sell their water and facilities, Schools sell their 'how to do half of it' courses. So unless you're someones kids, forced through the ringer, you don't actually get the fun other bits sold to you and by the time the kids have come through, its a bit like innoculation against doing the sport for actual fun for some time, until maybe they return, once they find out how crap life can end up being and actually, getting out on the water and having to think about what the wind, water and the other idiots are doing is actually an excellent panacea for lifes other stresses.

Edited by iGRF - 08 Nov 19 at 11:22pm

Endless threads by probably one person, RYA always helped my club.
European sailing scene nothing like UK scene, Apple's and Pears, UK always been insular, probably due to having been at war with most of Europe at one time or another.

Golf clubs closing up and down the country too...

Seeing as iGRF is being environmentally conscious I will follow his lead