The three pillars of leadership are culture, structure and strategy. Clubs require a solid structure and strong leadership from the group who make decisions - often their management committees or boards. Having quality leadership allows your club to have a good sense of direction, increased transparency and accountability, limits risk and provides sustainability so your club can continue to meet the needs of its community - both now and into the future.
Discover what it means to be 'chief of your club'. Find out more
This will ensure your club meets the legal requirements and receives the associated benefits.
This will ensure your leaders are worth following and the work your club does is worth doing. Find out more
This will ensure your club has a mix of different talents from a range of backgrounds to oversee the different areas of club operation. Download a skills matrix for your committee. Click here
This helps you identify and communicate your club's purpose and motivates your people.
Download a sample organisational layout chart and adapt for your club. Click here
Use job descriptions for each role so people know what they are doing, such as:
Sport New Zealand have a free online course for all directors that outlines their role and ways to govern more effectively. Find out more
This helps your leadership group spend less time talking and more time doing. Find out more
A structured plan of attack lets you know what changes your club wants to see, how you think you can achieve those changes and provides a way of checking that your agreed ideas turn into a reality. From club leadership and management perspectives, you can plan your expenditure and prioritise your actions based on the growth you can expect to see within your club. It also helps you monitor and evaluate progress and take each task step-by-step.
This will allow you to identify who currently plays, who used to play and who doesn't play so you can provide better offerings these different groups. Click here
This will allow you to understand your existing and lapsed members:
This will allow you to deliver to your existing and potential members. Use Sport New Zealand's free Insights Tool that contains demographic information, trends from Statistics New Zealand and school census information. Find out more
Giving your club targets motivates and inspires its’ members and gives them a sense of what is possible. Find out more
Setting smaller goals on the way to your long-term plan provides you with a useful measuring stick for progress. Download a scorecard template. Click here
Work out what it will cost to make it happen so you can prioritise and document your plan. Download a budget workbook. Click here
Having a range of options allows you to cater to people's different lifestyles and budgets. Download a membership structure guide. Click here
This will ensure your members receive value for money:
Without an implementation plan your strategy will mean nothing. Download an strategy execution plan. Click here
A well managed club leads to increased member retention, participation growth, a better experience and a healthier future. Paying someone to manage your club's operations is a strategic hire but having a great manager with passion, experience and drive to build enthusiam and success at your club can make things easier and help your club achieve results. Continually reviewing and documenting progress also enables your club to keep improving.
iSquash is a free, web-based tool that makes all aspects of squash administration easier. Click here
This helps your club engage with your members and guests so they want to come back.
This will ensure your administrators keep up with the play. Use New Zealand training providers, such as:
Techsoup provide discounted items for charitable organisations.
Below are some other popular software tools that will save your club administrators and volunteers time, plus make providing a succession plan seamless:
This will help your club choose the best model. For more information:
This will ensure your club keep up to date with changes to small business laws. Find out more
Maintaining financial viability of your squash club is all about ensuring the amount of money coming in is equal to, or greater than, the amount going out. If your club doesn’t make a profit there is no money available to invest into building your club. This means no provision for equipment repair or replacement, no provision to make better facilities and no provision to provide more services for your members. By having more money coming in than going out, you can invest this (on a non-profit basis) into the development of your club and provide better services for your members.
1. Know your community grant funders
There are many different organisations in the community who exist to give funding. Find out more
Other sources of funding include:
2. Use proven template resources
This documentation covers essential requirements for grant funding applications, such as:
3. Look for long-term commercial partnerships
This will enable your club to develop relationships within the community to produce beneficial results. Find out more
4. Sell sponsorship opportunities to local businesses
This provides them with opportunities to increase their community exposure.
5. Hire out your facility to other community users during off-peak times
This will enable you to keep your spaces and places filled. Download a facility hire agreement. Click here
6. Consider complimentary ways to make income
There are plenty of options that exist to upsell to members. Find out more
1. Sign up with the FREE national group buying scheme - n3
Sport New Zealand have paid the joining fee for all affiliated clubs to save on existing operational outgoings. Find out more
2. Take advantage of the national insurance scheme - Aon
Squash New Zealand have developed an insurance package with Aon. Find out more
1. Put processes in place
It is best practice to have a club bank account with multiple signatories.
2. Utilise online accounting software
This will assist your club to keep track of income and expenditure using computerised systems such as Xero or MYOB.
3. Watch the Charities Services video or read the Grant Thornton Conversion Guide and take the tier assessment
This will help you understand where you club sits under the new financial reporting requirements. The majority of squash clubs are likely to fall under tiers 3 and 4.
4. Adopt the new reporting standards layout
This will ensure your club prepares financial statements in line with the new standards.
5. Sign up for updates with the Charities Services
This will allow your club to be continually up to date with the requirements of financial reporting as it happens. Find out more
Once your club is established and running, you shouldn't let things continue as they are. You should be constantly reviewing your progress and looking for ways to improve. Monitoring your club's performance will allow you to find out what is working and what could be made more effective and efficient. Doing this will help you to achieve your goals as a club and will also help your members to become the best they can be.
Collecting information to measure will allow you to manage changes. Download the continuous improvement process. Click here
Concentrate only on the things you can attribute directly. Download a circles of influence guide. Click here
Documenting the details is necessary to support decision making. Download an evidence sheet. Click here
Showing others the outcomes and impact you have made can help you to build stronger partnerships. Click here (to see Squash New Zealand's CoachForce stories)
Building strong relationships with other groups and businesses in your community can go a long way to helping your club achieve its desired outcomes. There are many different organisations that play a vital role in growing and supporting the game at the community level.
There are 17 located throughout New Zealand and each exists to support levels of physical activity and strengthen club infrastructures. Find out more
Local and district councils support community squash through investments such as facility improvements, sport delivery and events. Find out more
Primary / intermediate and secondary education providers are key partners in the community and creating a link can offer a pathway to your club. Find out more
There are 21 located throughout New Zealand and each exists to support community organisations with volunteerism. Find out more
Universities and polytechnics provide a range of participation opportunities through inter-faculty, social leagues and regular competitions. Find out more
If your club regularly provides food - even if you contract out your catering - there have been some changes to food safety. Recently introduced, the Food Act 2014 focuses on the processes of food production and recognises that each business is different. Squash clubs that have a regular bar or restaurant open all the time are likely to require a food control plan. Those who only provide food on special occasions (less than 20 times a year) are likely to be exempt.
This will outline the changes to the legislation clearly for your club. Find out more
This will allow your club to be continually up to date with the requirements of Food Safety as it happens. Find out more
This will help you understand where you club sits under the Act. Find out more
This will ensure your club are implementing the food control plan correctly. Find out more
This will ensure your members follow safe food practices, such as:
Squash New Zealand encourages the responsible consumption of alcohol; promotes the health and well-being of all members; and is committed to the advancement of clean sports that rejects cheating through the use of performance enhancing substances and methods. Clubs are encouraged to promote legal and responsible use of alcohol; comply with the Laws and Regulations which aim to preserve a social environment conducive to healthy living; and to educate young people, adult members and staff regarding the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.
This will outline the key things your club needs to know. Find out more
This outlines the different types of licenses, depending on your situation. Find out more
This will ensure your club is up to date with the latest. Find out more
Learn what regular and excessive alcohol consumption does to sporting performance. Find out more
Download a sample Alcohol & Other Drugs Policy and adapt for your club. Click here
This documentation provides essential information for your club, such as:
Servewise have a free online course for all paid employees or volunteers that outlines their rights and requirements under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol legislation. Find out more
Drugfree Sport NZ also have a free online course on anti-doping. Find out more
Download and display the 100% Water resources. Click here
Community & Youth Development Partner
