Ways to increase participation
The following information about overcoming barriers to participation is available on the VicSport website.
Overcome 'lack of time'
- Reduce competition times to allow for busy lifestyles
- Offer flexible game times during the week and/or weekends
- For weekly competition have a rotation system where each player gets a week off
- Run competitions on a fortnightly basis
- Offer court hire options where participants can book in at times that suit
- Extend the opening hours to allow for more casual participation Instead of running a competition over a full season (summer or winter for example), offer it in 10 to 12 week blocks.
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Increase affordability
- Offer the first few sessions free to allow people to 'try before they buy'.
- Pay as you go - this avoids lump sum membership fees.
- Consider 2 for 1 memberships.
- Give memberships to those who carry out a role around the club, eg canteen assistant, boundary umpire.
- Offer current participants a discount if they bring a paying friend to the club.
- Sponsor a person on low income (confidentially) for their fees.
- Offer membership or the cost of participating on a sliding scale based on participation levels (eg social, irregular, regular) or the income bracket of your participants.
- Offer scholarships for participation - these can be given and paid for by clubs, schools, TAFES and workplaces.
- Provide discount vouchers, health care card discounts, etc.
- Reduce or remove uniform requirements.
- Provide the option of leasing or hiring equipment.
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Improve knowledge
- Instead of taking a general approach to promoting your sport, target and customise your marketing efforts to ensure your message gets to the people you want it to get to.
- When targeting younger children, look beyond the school gate to child care centres, after-school care or school-holiday programs.
- For older people, think about promoting your sport at senior citizens and rotary clubs. Form a partnership with these groups and offer sessions on a regular basis.
- For young adults, target tertiary institutes. Hundreds of young adults move from the country to the city to study and are looking for avenues to make new friends and get involved in community activities.
- Take advantage of free promotion opportunities.
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Tackle perceived lack of safety
- Understand how the inherent risks associated with the sport can be effectively managed and minimised.
- Promote your club as being a safe club at which to participate.
- Implement simple strategies to increase people's sense of safety, eg if competitions are held at night, ensure there is ample lighting around the car parks and escort participants to their cars.
- Ensuring risk minimisation strategies are in place to prevent injury or incidents/accidents occurring.
- VicSport offers risk management training workshops to sporting organisations.
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Minimise fear of injury
- Smartplay is the injury prevention promotion program of Sports Medicine Australia (Victoria branch). It produces sport-specific and general brochures addressing injury prevention and treatment issues which sports can access and pass onto their participants.
- Smartplay can also provide information to sports on how to create safer sporting environments, including information about the provision of appropriate first aid facilities and first aid training opportunities for club members.
- For more information, visit the Smartplay website or phone (03) 9674 8777.
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Improve self-confidence
Creating a supportive and positive club atmosphere takes time and perseverance, but it can be achieved.
- Offer beginner classes, and stress in promotional information that 'no prior experience or skill level is required'. Participants are more likely to attend a session knowing they are not required to have experience in the sport.
- Use testimonies to give new participants something to aim for.
- Ensure that club leaders (eg coaches, executive, team captains, umpires) support and encourage positive behaviour.
- Be aware of the importance of good role modelling, on and off the field/court.
- Start a mentoring program so that experienced members can assist junior or new participants to become familiar with facilities and programs, and introduce them to other club members.
- Designate a 'welcoming' person, whose responsibility it is to meet and greet new members, or run induction nights.
- Provide clear documentation on what becoming a club member involves.
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Address transport issues
- When planning to recruit new participants, target the community that is within reasonable proximity to your club. This will ensure participants have better access to local sport opportunities.
- When choosing a location for your competitions, check to see that public transport is available around the area.
- Encourage car pooling between participants, especially among younger cliental that have to rely on their parents for transport.
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Provide support
People participate in sport for numerous reasons so it is important that sport providers recognise this and cater for these different needs.
- Provide a balance of competitive and social participation options.
- Use positive reinforcement to encourage continued involvement in activities. Use different forms of recognition instead of just rewarding the winner (eg, all participants receive a prize, certificate).
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Overcome lack of facilities
- Raise the issue of lack of facilities with your local council. Ask what future plans the council has and if there isn't any, investigate together what plans can be put into place.
- Apply to Sport & Recreation Victoria (03) 9208 3333 for funding for facilities.
- Pool resources with other like-sports in the local area, eg local schools have facilities that may not be used to there full capacity by the community and could be used by other local groups.
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Make facilities inclusive
- Ensure facilities are inclusive of all participants.
- There are organisations that can help sporting organisations assess if their facilities are inclusive of, for example, people with disabilities. Access for All Ability Providers in your local area can help.
- There are also organisations available to assist sporting clubs and associations ensure their facilities are appropriate for cultural groups. Contact the Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (03) 9340 3700. For women, contact VicSport on (03) 9926 1376.