Relationship with local Council
Sharing facilities
Community partnerships
Relationship with local Council
Your local government authority is a key stakeholder for your Club. A positive relationship can be established with the local Council by understanding the role of local government, as well as putting a few simple strategies in place to keep them informed about your Club and its needs.
Your local Council:
- Can provide ongoing advice and support for your Club. Some Council's have a Recreation Officer or Community Services Officer appointed for this purpose
- May have funds available to assist in developing sport and recreation facilities and projects
- May have a Sport and Recreation Council or Committee that provides opportunities for input from sporting and community groups into Council sport and recreation policies and issues
- May have a Club development program to assist Clubs with their management and administration
It may be helpful for your Club to nominate a contact person from within the Club who is responsible for liaising with the Council. In the first instance, this person could set up an initial meeting to discuss how your Club and local Council could work effectively together.
A few basic points to establishing a good relationship with your local Council include:
- Get to know your Council through elected-members, senior officers and recreation and maintenance staff
- Appoint your local mayor as the Club Patron
- Invite Council representatives to Club functions, have them present trophies and, most importantly, show appreciation for the services they provide
- Acknowledge your Council whenever you can, particularly in any public arena
- Understand the problems that your Council is having and help them with issues that affect your Club. For example, establish a joint committee to examine your sport's development in the district
- Offer to assist in coaching and recreation programs for the Council and be actively involved in local community activities (such Clean Up Australia Day)
- Approach problems constructively and seek "win-win" solutions for both Council and Club
- Encourage a variety of community groups to take an interest in your sport by inviting them to participate in Club activities
- Insist on good behaviour, both on and off the field, displaying good sportsmanship and avoiding bad language
- Be good neighbours and form relationships with those who own property adjacent to your ground (complaints to the Council will tarnish your image immediately)
- Establish a positive public relations program by appointing one of your members to carry out defined tasks, such as issuing press releases and liaison with the Council
Sharing facilities
In recent years, all sports have been faced with increasing competition for facility usage (from new and expanding sporting and recreation groups). Councils too are facing increasing pressures to maximise usage and provide multi-purpose facilities. Clubs are encouraged to work with other sports to share facilities. Eg: summer/winter sports, alternate day use (Sat/Sun), etc.
Where appropriate, two or more parties can share a sport or recreation facility. The idea is to broaden access to the facility, maximise usage and apportion operating costs to get the best possible value from the facility.
Potential partners for sport and recreation facilities include:
- Other sporting and recreation Clubs
- Local Schools (Primary/Secondary)
- Local Universities / Colleges
- Community Groups
- Community and Recreation Centres
Benefits of shared use facilities include:
- Less duplication and maximum use of facilities and services.
- Creation of a community hub - a focal point for community services and activity.
- Shared operating costs.
- Potential to share services, resources and expertise.
- Improved relationships between participating organisations.
- Increased community ownership of facilities.
- Reduced vandalism.
- Design Issues
Management agreements for shared use facilities need to be comprehensive; detailing all cost sharing, legal and access arrangements, so that all responsibilities and usage arrangements are clear and concise for all parties. While management agreements for shared facilities are essential, the key elements of a successful partnership are flexibility, trust, open communication and a spirit of co-operation.
Community partnerships
Clubs play a pivotal role in the local community drawing together people from all different sectors, to unite and bond in a common love for the game. Rugby Clubs provide a positive experience through the interaction of Club and local communities, which promote the values and ethos of rugby, encourage a sense of belonging and connectedness within the local community and contribute to the achievement of a healthy lifestyle, and physical and mental wellbeing.
Clubs relationships with other parts of the community are vital to ensure maximum advantage is received by the Club. Strong relationships with the local community groups will allow the Club to operate smoothly and enjoy an envious image throughout the community, resulting in added recruitment and financial benefits.
Examples of community groups that Clubs should be looking to forge ties with include:
- Local Council,
- Local businesses and
- Schools and
- Other sporting and recreational Clubs / groups
In developing these community relationships, partnerships must:
- Be mutually beneficial
- Work together (not in isolation of one another)
- Have open communication channels
- Have clearly specified outcomes and measurable indicators
Successfully building relationships throughout the community, will make the Club easier to run through greater assistance from community stakeholders, and improve the chance of sponsorship as well as maintain healthy membership, and ensure the longevity of the Club as well as sharing the positive aspects of the Club with the community.
Acknowledgements
Reproduced with the permission of the Department of Sport and Recreation WA
