THE HERALD REPORTS

Clubs must raise game to survive

CALUM MACDONALD August 29 2006

The game could be up for many of Scotland's local sports clubs unless they become more businesslike in their organisation, according to the biggest study into their long-term sustainability.
Empty coffers, ageing members, poor facilities and a lack of volunteers are combining to put many of the country's
estimated 13,000 clubs under threat. The long-term survival of many clubs depends on whether they manage to operate in a more businesslike manner, according to the study carried out by the Scottish Executive.
Despite this, the study found that relatively few clubs have proper business or development plans and that only 40% of club treasurers have any kind of book-keeping or accounting qualifications. The study took evidence from 1402 local sports clubs in Scotland in an attempt to discover the social and economic constraints they face.
It found that while there are about 14,000 volunteers working across all sports and in clubs of all types and sizes in Scotland, most clubs appear to have a "relatively unsophisticated" understanding of the value of volunteers and few appear to be taking a structured approach to their recruitment and management

This article was posted on 29-Aug-2006, 07:26 by Hugh Barrow.