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Late starter View Drop Down
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Posts: 481 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Late starter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Olympic Funding article
    Posted: 14 Aug 18 at 11:18am
We've gone down the multi sports bit at my club (scouts/sea cadet canoeing, open water swimming, fishing, diving etc) and as far as I can tell we've had zero cross over. The relatively small subs increase doesn't really cover the additional wear and tear/increased use of utilities/cleaning etc that the extra footfall generates so I'm not sure it's been that successful.

I guess we went down the multi sports route because we thought is was the "right" thing to do, as it was on the radar for grant bodies/local councils and other potential local influences for one thing and we felt a certain amount of obligation having been awarded a fair amount of public money for new facilities over the years. And yet with hindsight I would be very wary about doing it again. Lack of cross over is one thing, but the main thing for me is how culturally different other sports can be. My club comes from the volunteer tradition, ie our older members physically built the club, we still have no paid staff, and there remains a strong volunteer ethos. Some of the other sports we work with are more akin to pay and play, they rock up, pay, go for a swim or whatever, and afterwards get changed and go home leaving someone else to clear up their mess. 

Perhaps it depends on the sports and the clubs you align with, our scouts and sea cadets appear to be well led and leave the place better than they found it so they are always welcome. They also turn up and help on open days and work parties. So I guess I'm saying in a long winded way that multi sports can go well or for ill, but needs some thought. 
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iGRF View Drop Down
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Posts: 6499 		Post Options Post Options   Quote iGRF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 18 at 2:20pm
Good post LS, exactly the same issue with us. The SUP element are pay and play there are also a couple of them running vegan nights for which they charge, and so our volunteer galley staff have now all quit, why after all should they work for nothing yet the SUP team make money from their club nights and of course left a mess for our girls to clean up and there were inevitable food supplies gone from the fridge.
So our Thursday night has gone from a warm friendly affair with the bar open and meal supplied to nothing post race.
Yes the club membership looks good on paper, but for the sailors, it aint what it was.
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turnturtle View Drop Down
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Posts: 2538 		Post Options Post Options   Quote turnturtle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 18 at 5:57pm
Originally posted by Late starter

My club comes from the volunteer tradition, ie our older members physically built the club, we still have no paid staff, and there remains a strong volunteer ethos.

And long may that continue if it works for the active members, however I do think that there is a sustainability issue there for a number of organisations that run on that basis.

Bottom line from a SUP owner, I can SUP for free (OK a BCU licence ought to apply) on any number of inland water ways and coastal beaches.... so the question that needs asking is, what does a SUP owner get for their membership fees at the local sailing club?   

The answer is infrastructure - if you can make it an attractive enough proposition.... the comraderie of people to paddle / sail with is easily sourced on Facebook, so “club spirit’ is a little out-moded.  And as for ‘the opportunity’ to work for free in the galley, clean the gents bogs after the Phantom Open and/or pull silly flags up poles to countdown timers in a fly-infested shed, really isn’t going to do it for them.
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Rupert View Drop Down
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Posts: 8956 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 18 at 7:01pm
But tidying up after themselves, and not thinking of the sailing members as staff isn't asking too much.

Edited by Rupert - 14 Aug 18 at 7:02pm
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elzorillo View Drop Down
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Posts: 58 		Post Options Post Options   Quote elzorillo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 18 at 7:52pm
A very difficult problem to solve.


Edited by elzorillo - 09 Sep 18 at 7:03pm
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turnturtle View Drop Down
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Posts: 2538 		Post Options Post Options   Quote turnturtle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 18 at 10:08pm
Originally posted by Rupert

But tidying up after themselves, and not thinking of the sailing members as staff isn't asking too much.

I agree 100% ... that’s just common courtesy.  
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Posts: 305 		Post Options Post Options   Quote DiscoBall Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 18 at 3:40am
Originally posted by Late starter

...the main thing for me is how culturally different other sports can be.

And no doubt all sports think their culture is the definitive one and nobody would ever be willing to consider changing or compromising! I suspect that in some ways it's sailing's culture that could do with changing.

The volunteering is always presented here as a generational thing, but that doesn't bear out with canoeing, I don't think our canoe club is unique in having the a full range of ages represented both on the committee and the other volunteering positions, including the coaches. 

The coaching as a volunteering gig is far more onerous in terms of time and money, but it's key to the culture of the sport. We hold 3 x 6 week beginners courses each summer, retention after the 1st year might be 1/3rd, but nobody gets their knickers in a twist about 'churn' or suggests we stop offering the courses. Culturally coaching is seen as an end in itself and the effort as necessary to keep the club growing. It also has the side effect of the coach and the other course members providing a ready made peer group that starts the process of binding people into the club socially, so those who decide they enjoy it do stay.

What's the average sailing club offer for a beginner? Maybe you might get a level 1 & 2 out of the club. After that you're on your own in the yawning, multi year gulf between L2 and competent club racer. Sailing is probably the most complex sport going and yet we don't really offer anything to guide people along the huge learning curve or link them very well socially (not helped by the relatively narrow demographics). A shift in the culture to see improving people's skills as a goal, rather than just the same few names on a tin pot might be a start... 







Edited by DiscoBall - 15 Aug 18 at 3:42am
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Late starter View Drop Down
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Posts: 481 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Late starter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 18 at 3:13pm
Some interesting themes coming out in this thread. Multi sports feedback seems to be somewhere between neutral and negative. Personally I will look very hard at any future requests from non dinghy sailing groups at my club. Elzorillos point about public funding coming with strings is true in my experience, as an ex club trustee I can recall signing paperwork that committed the club to certain obligations for a period of time in return for grant money. Perhaps these obligations such as for multi use expire after time, which would put the membership back in control if they wished to revert back to sole use at some future point.

The other interesting point is how a club can end up being ran by a majority of retired ex sailors, I recognise that from my own club though we have perhaps half non sailors rather than 90% on our committee. The problem is i don't think the club can run if only active sailing members are involved, unless these guys are prepared to do a crazy amount of duties. Not sure that there's an easy fix to this one, so like a few folk have said on here before I am not positive about the UK club scene as we know it continuing in yhe long term when the old farts generation (which includes me) hang up our wetsuits.
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423zero View Drop Down
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Posts: 3420 		Post Options Post Options   Quote 423zero Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 18 at 5:10pm
The old farts have a power base, that's how they stay in charge.
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JimC View Drop Down
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 18 at 5:44pm
In most clubs the old farts would dearly love to hand the whole lot over, but can't find anyone to hand over to.
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