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Arresting the Decline and Fall of our Sport. |
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iGRF
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6496 |
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Topic: Arresting the Decline and Fall of our Sport. Posted: 08 Nov 19 at 10:01pm |
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 |
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Rupert
Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 08 Nov 19 at 10:13pm |
RS Tera up from 39 to 134 in 10 years.
Not saying that dinghy racing isn't in decline, but cherry picking figures didn't help a case. In 2000, Oppie figures were much lower than now. So something has gone right over the last 20 years. How about looking at what that was and seeing if it can be applied to sailing as a whole? Doomed, we are all doomed... |
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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iGRF
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6496 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 08 Nov 19 at 11:16pm |
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 |
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eric_c
Far too distracted from work Joined: 21 Jan 18 Online Status: Offline Posts: 382 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Nov 19 at 5:40am |
How about looking beyond the UK? I don't want to start a Brexit debate (at least not here), but it amazes me how people in the UK can be so disconnected from the rest of Europe. Looking back there's endless threads on here knocking the RYA and banging on about UK participation, criticising UK retailers, clubs and builders etc. Barely a word about what's happening in the rest of the EU, let alone beyond that.
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423zero
Really should get out more Joined: 08 Jan 15 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3406 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Nov 19 at 10:49am |
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. |
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Robert
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Oinks
Far too distracted from work Joined: 24 Oct 14 Location: Bandol Online Status: Offline Posts: 267 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Nov 19 at 11:00am |
There is a decline in sports participation generally, with one or two exceptions. In the past 12 months or so I have heard spokespeople for rugby, football, and cricket bemoaning a decline in grassroots participation. We are also (allegedly) emerging from a long period of "austerity" and it isn't hard to see the impact that has probably had on sports like sailing where there is a strong perception that it is very expensive.
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JimC
Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6648 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Nov 19 at 11:23am |
Golf clubs closing up and down the country too...
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turnturtle
Really should get out more Joined: 05 Dec 14 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2538 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Nov 19 at 11:45am |
Time heavy sports will take a hit.... family life is distributed these days, and for the blokes reading, we need to pony-up our time to take our share of the responsibilities.
The flip is that when the nest empties, the collective nouns of SWMBO will be more than happy getting the grumpy old gits out of their armchairs and down to some pond somewhere.... either to murder fish or race bathtubs, she really won't give a toss. |
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tink
Really should get out more Joined: 23 Jan 16 Location: North Hants Online Status: Offline Posts: 788 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Nov 19 at 1:55pm |
Seeing as iGRF is being environmentally conscious I will follow his lead
Small boat sailing and Small boat racing are both, long and short term, on the increases https://www.rya.org.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/sportsdevelopment/2018-watersports-study-exec-summary-final.pdf Having the attended the last two Optimist nationals attendance will be a lot to do with venue and where people are willing to travel, including from over seas, there are also limits on the number entrants also which may be new. If you drew a trend line the decline would be much less. The Topper drop of is purely the growth of the Tera, the total Topper and Tera trend line is pretty stable and again venue has a lot to do with it. |
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Tink
https://tinkboats.com http://proasail.blogspot.com |
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tink
Really should get out more Joined: 23 Jan 16 Location: North Hants Online Status: Offline Posts: 788 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Nov 19 at 2:04pm |
Agree with the one person, and RYA helped my old club new boats etc. Events like push the boat out are massive successes. It so easy to see the negatives and forget all the positives, which are many.
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Tink
https://tinkboats.com http://proasail.blogspot.com |
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