CLUB PLANNING IN A GRASSROOTS SPORTS CLUB

This is week 2 in my series where I look at 10 areas covered in my book and share some practical thoughts for grassroots sports clubs.

CLUB PLANNING

Where does your sports club want to be in the future? For example in 3-5 years time.

Now ask five people on your committee the same question.

Would you get the same answer?

Every club should be able to answer these questions:

  • Where are we now?
  • Where do we want to be?
  • What are our three to five biggest priorities?
  • What actions will we take to achieve them?
  • Who is responsible for delivering them?
  • How will we measure whether we’re making progress?

A strategic plan shouldn’t be 50 pages long.

The four key elements of strategic planning

  1. Where is your club now? This involves understanding as much about your club as possible. Find out how it operates internally and externally, what drives its income and costs? How your club compares with other sports clubs? Who are your key stakeholders? What resources do you have at your disposal? This will involve collecting data on the club, conducting interviews with your stakeholders and carrying out online surveys in order to understand where your club is at now.
  2. Where do you want to take your club? Work out your vision, mission, goals, objectives and values. Where do you see your club in three or five years? What are you looking to achieve?
  3. How will your club get there? What specific action plans do you need to develop under each objective? What changes to your club’s structure and financing are needed? What is the best way of implementing your plan?
  4. Are you getting there? This step involves meeting regularly to critically scrutinise your club’s performance against the objectives and action plans formulated in the plan.

What is a vision?

In one sentence, a vision clearly states where you want your club to be in the future.

What is a mission?

A mission is simply what you do, for whom, and what the benefits are.

Your mission statement concisely describes why your club exists, usually in one or two sentences.

What are Strategic Goals?

These are long-term targets identified from your research and must link with your club’s vision.

What are Objectives?

Objectives are your strategic goals translated into specific milestones. Objectives should be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Responsibility-assigned and Time-bound.

What are Action Plans?

Action plans involve breaking down objectives into more precise activities or tasks.

Key learnings

  1. Conduct detailed research on your club prior to starting the strategic plan.
  2. Bring together your key team and ensure they all contribute during the workshop.
  3. Organise several strategic planning workshops. Ensure you give enough time to this process.
  4. Ensure all objectives are SMART and measurable.
  5. Make sure you implement the plan!
  6. Set up a strategic review committee whose purpose is to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the strategic plan. This review committee should meet every quarter with a report provided to the board regarding the progress of the objectives completed.
  7. Launch your strategic plan to your key stakeholders and staff. Ensure everyone has bought into the vision, goals etc

For many grassroots clubs, a clear and practical roadmap is far more valuable than a complicated document nobody ever looks at.

Chapter 2 of Leading a Grassroots Sports Club focuses on Club Planning – developing a roadmap for your club.

Find out more about the book here:

https://www.routledge.com/Leading-a-Grassroots-Sports-Club-A-Practical-Guide-to-Managing-and-Developing-Your-Club/Wilson/p/book/9781041094883

If you’re a sports league or federation, send me a DM to explore how we can build a club development or knowledge-sharing programme that gives your grassroots clubs the practical tools, skills and confidence to thrive.

Next week: Why do people leave sports clubs?

#GrassrootsSport #StrategicPlanning #ClubDevelopment #SportsBusiness

About Geoff Wilson

Geoff runs his own consultancy business, with a focus primarily on sport.  Previously Head of Marketing and Communications at the Irish FA, Geoff now consults to a wide range of global sports organisations on areas such as strategic planning, marketing and communications, digital, fan engagement, public affairs, women’s football, league development, club development and knowledge sharing / capacity building programmes.  Geoff has created numerous academic models for the sports industry.  Geoff is on the Advisory Panel at the English Football League and Chair of the Sports Council Trust Company (Sport England organisation).

Geoff has written a book which focuses on ‘developing grassroots sports clubs’ to order a copy check out https://www.routledge.com/Leading-a-Grassroots-Sports-Club-A-Practical-Guide-to-Managing-and-Developing-Your-Club/Wilson/p/book/9781041094883?srsltid=AfmBOooMPgFpXYSGYwNBOLxrR6mYShU8mWeM_rbVCGlipdpjnsfqlqVD

1.  Check out Geoff’s online course in strategic planning at https://geoffwilson.teachable.com/

2.  The other sports models created or co created by Geoff can be found below:

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