Activity Reporting: The Facts

We know that the challenge is reaching members, attracting them to our sport and keeping them interested. More people through the door grows participation, which in the long-term creates a sustainable and successful club with a flourishing membership.

Research shows that:

• The level of support given to new members during the early weeks of their memberships is associated with greater retention.
• People who participate regularly and see results are happier and will be less likely to cancel their memberships – which increases retention.
• Members often value personal contact (people and programmes) over the physical aspects (facility ambience) of a club.

We also know that group programmes:

• Attract new members – they are the #1 motivational tool for clubs.
• Keep existing members satisfied – a variety of group programmes are considered a key feature of club experiences.
• Grow participation – satisfied members play more regularly.
• Retains members – satisfied members refer more people and renew more often.

2015 Information

Clubs and Districts currently deliver a mixture of their own regional programmes and nationally branded programmes to their respective squash communities. In 2015 Squash New Zealand started collecting participation information from all clubs and Districts that were delivered throughout the year via Activity Reporting. A total of 138 clubs recorded information.

Our findings - highlights:

• The results remind us of the potential of group programmes – the power of the masses provides the stimulus to keep people moving.
• When compared to membership returns – clubs with higher participation figures have more members!
• Junior programmes (including schools), business house leagues, club nights and interclub competitions account for around 90% of all participation.
• Future growth areas with potential to attract more people inside our clubs include programmes that cater for youth, beginner adults (including universities), women, competitive leagues / ladders, fitness and movement.

In a nutshell: group programmes attracts and motivates more members who participate more often and also attract more members themselves.

Our opportunities - capture, control, create:

Continuing to collect participation data through Activity Reporting will showcase the impact of group programmes and will highlight our top and growing activities. This information will help us keep attracting and keeping our members motivated. By measuring and understanding what our members want, we can keep them engaged by offering a variety of programmes, which will help us create long-term sustainable clubs in our communities. 

Programme Insights

For national insights on programme scheduling click here