Given the age demographic of members of your affiliated clubs it is essential that club administrators focus on growth to ensure our sport is sustainable into the future. Our competitions and our club sessions need a continual influx of new blood to keep the sport alive and thriving!
Regional marketing plans need to focus on the best way to achieve growth. From a National perspective, it is exciting to see the great initiatives and support being provided for teachers (a critical aspect of obtaining new members) and, as a result of the recent ABF Marketing Special Grants applications process, many clubs and Regions are currently trialling new ways of attracting and retaining members. Learnings from these initiatives will be shared over the coming year as initiatives are rolled out across the country.
Membership growth is the lifeblood of our sport!
I will forward a table of growth figures for the period 2010-13 under separate cover. The figures have been extracted from the masterpoints centre at the same time for each year to ensure we are comparing 'apples with apples'. Pleasingly, all States/Territories are registering growth for the period.
Essentially, growth rates for each Region in 2013 were:
- South Australia - 9.4%
- Victoria - 7.3%
- New South Wales - 3.8%
- Tasmania - 3.2%
- Queensland - 2.8%
- Northern Territory - 1.6%
- Western Australia - 1.6%
- Australian Capital Territory - 1.09%.
The National growth rate for 2013 was 4% (1411 people).