Horsham Football and Netball Club

The Clubasdasd

The Horsham Football and Netball Club is a major league club competing in the Wimmera Football League.  The club is one of three major league clubs operating from the township of Horsham and boasts five football grades and four netball grades.

History

Until 20 years ago, the Horsham Demons was the only major league club operating out of Horsham. Since then, two other clubs have joined the Wimmera Football League, increasing competition for members and players from within the town.

These competitive threats were starting to affect the club in terms of:

• relatively poor on-field success
• declining membership
• loss of sponsorship
• increased cost of fielding a team

These factors in turn affected the financial wellbeing of the club with the income coming mainly from the social club facilities. As a club that traditionally catered for young adults, the principal emphasis was on the bar and sale of alcohol.

Making the Change

The committee instigated a major review of the strategic direction of the club. A new mission statement was developed to shape club goals and objectives, and focus on increasing the benefits to members and supporters. A key element of the strategy was making better use of the club facilities. One major objective was to develop a club ethic, both on and off the field, that would make Horsham Football and Netball Club attractive to the Horsham community. 

The club looked to promote more responsible consumption of alcohol via:  

• the development of a Director of Licensing position on the Board
• the promotion of light beers by increasing the range of light beer available
• pricing light beer 80% of the cost of heavy alcohol
• the serving of meals
• not allowing the facility to be used for functions that promote binge drinking or under-age drinking, such as 18th birthdays.

Directors and other members of the Club participated in the Responsible Serving of Alcohol (RSA) course and the club ensures that a significant number of members and directors presently hold an RSA certificate.

The Challenge

The club did experience some resistance to change, particularly from younger members who were not accustomed to restrictions on underage consumption of alcohol. The changes also caused some unease among long-term members. However, after viewing how well the club was operating, members soon embraced the new culture.  

The Outcome – Horsham Football and Netball Club today

The change in direction has considerably improved the club, with key indicators of this improved performance being membership up 40%, sponsorship up 100% and overall income increasing by 30%.