This document outlines strategies for forming a rowing club strategy. It recommends starting by defining goals and listening to member needs. Surveying members to identify strengths, weaknesses, and desired changes. Prioritizing areas to focus on within 1-3 years by categorizing responses into broad themes. The document also discusses managing politics within clubs and increasing club finances by finding new revenue sources and questioning costs like private boat storage. The overall vision is advocating for masters rowers' unique needs through different coaching, training, and support.

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w w w . d c s c p a . c o m
Rowing Club Strategy
Presented by: Rebecca Caroe

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What makes culture in sport?
Alexander Field. MPhil Thesis
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Setting your
Strategy

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Forming a strategy
• Terms of Reference - constitution / goals
• Listening first
• Questions for you to answer
• What do your members need from you (the
Board / Committee)?
• What do you need from your members?
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Forming a strategy….2
• Listening first
• Survey your members
• What is 1 thing we do really well?
• What is 1 thing we could improve?
• If you had a magic wand, what would you
change?
• What the answers will tell you
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Forming a strategy…3
• Priorities
• Broad areas for things to stay the same
• Broad areas for change
• Categorise into 2 groups
• 5 Things you can do in 1 year
• 5 Things you can do in 2-3 years
• Create sub-committees to action
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Forming a post-Covid strategy
• Covid changed a lot of things
• Take the temperature of your members’ views
• What did we do during Covid which we should
continue doing?
• What is 1 thing which we should which is new /
different?
• What is 1 thing which we should stop doing?
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Forming a post-Covid strategy….2
• Analyse the answers
• Form key themes (e.g. coaching / equipment)
• Select no more than 3 things which can be done
within 1 year
• Select no more than 5 things which you can deliver
in 2-3 years
• That’s your activity plan
• Use teams / committees to deliver and figure out the
“how” and to take the actions
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Politics in Sport

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Politics and Consensus
• Consensus can happen
• Coalition of the willing
• A signed ‘contract’ with members & parents
• Politics can happen - use your committee / board
to handle objections and challenges
• Review what members sign up to “behaviours”
• Align with the strategy - does the political person
act in alignment or not?
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What makes culture in sport?….2
Alexander Field. MPhil Thesis
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Club Finances

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Common issues for rowing clubs
• Clubs depend on $ donations to keep afloat
• There is a core mentality to restrict membership
• Review what members sign up to “behaviours”
• The battle between shared boats & private boats
• Inspirational leadership exists more than
managerial smarts
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Finance for rowing clubs
• Find new profit centres
• Calculate “cost-per-use” for equipment storage
• Revamp the business plan with an eye to
sustainability
• Reach out to underserved communities
• New types of membership
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Finance for rowing clubs…2
1. Think cash not revenue
2. Increase profit centres
3. Question private boat storage
4. Pursue insulated income streams
5. Train your staff and “gain share”
6. Do teamwork training for corporates
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“
fastermastersrowing.com
Our vision for the future of masters rowing
Masters need to be supported differently from youth
rowers, we need different coaching and different training
plans. Faster Masters Rowing advocates for masters
rowing worldwide.
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Resources
• https://www.rowperfect.co.uk/strategy-for-rowing-clubs/
• https://www.rowperfect.co.uk/write-rowing-club-management-strategy-part-2/
• https://www.rowperfect.co.uk/less-rowing-courage/
• https://fastermastersrowing.com/frustrations-for-masters-rowers/
• https://fastermastersrowing.com/advocacy
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