Our ‘back to play framework’ helps your sports club, association or fitness group to fast-track its recovery during the ongoing Coronavirus restrictions.

Aussies are EXTREMELY EAGER to be on the sports fields and back within some level of normality post the Coronavirus (COVID-19) shutdown!

The Government restrictions being placed upon sports clubs and associations all across the world are taking a huge financial toll. Each club has been working on its’ return to play’ program to reduce any risks to public health AND build confidence in its members.

EVERY sports club and association understands the hurdle that faces them to get players back on the field and club members to start spending money on hospitality, events, merchandise and of course sponsorships.

There is help available!

With access to Government grants and working with sports marketing agencies and service providers, you can speed up the process and also remove the stress on your club volunteers.

rev™ Branding provides a range of marketing, communication and advisory services specifically for sports clubs, sports associations and fitness groups. We develop high-performance brand marketing campaigns which are strategic, creative, and connect with your club’s audience to inspire actions.

Our team help you to implement systems and processes that streamline your club’s operations, making it more efficient and resilient.

We work with your leadership group to create a positive and inclusive culture, the foundation that will ultimately drive your club forward and open opportunities for growth and funding.

How to get your sports club back in the game

To help your club to return to play quickly, PLUS kick-start your marketing and communications to drive club revenue, here is a checklist of tasks that your club needs to complete.

Kick-start your committee and working groups

Organise a special meeting for your committee members and brief them on the challenge ahead. Gain their commitment to complete tasks within timeframes. Think about creating working groups to deal with any COVID-19 restrictions. Many hands will make lighter work!

Get a strategic plan in place

It’s critical Your committee decides on a plan and vision for the current and also the following season.
Identify the things that will change, and work through how to adapt the club to deal with the challenges ahead.  It’s important to make the club more sustainable by looking at additional ways to fund the club

Engage and support your members

Remember to support your members. The Pandemic has touched everyone in the community, some more than others. Work together to create ways to support each other. Think about your sponsors. It is these small businesses that will be finding it tough, try and return the support they gave you.

Create a Coronavirus (COVID-19) Safe Plan

Construct a COVID-19 safe plan and share this with players and members via the website, email and social media. Doing this will help to build confidence in club members and ensure their safety. Work with your sporting body, they have tools and templates developed to help. Do not underestimate this task.

Apply for available sports club funding and grants

Work with an agency like rev™ Branding who can show you how to build a Grants and Funding kit that allows you to apply for Government funding and sports grants more confidently and easily.

Do need help to apply for Government grants and funding?
Speak to us about how we can create an application toolkit that makes the entire process faster and easier.

Get your event plans in place

As part of your COVID-19 safe plan, it’s important that you understand the restrictions that surround events and group gatherings. Work out which events you want to have, then plan out the timing for each, thinking about how you may need to tailor these to meet compliance with Government regulations and restrictions, As a suggestion, have smaller fundraising events early and push the major events out until later in the season. Don’t focus too much on making revenue, think more about engagement and inclusion. (the money will flow later)

Finalise your club merchandise and clothing

If you do have funds allocated for club merchandise and clothing, get those orders to vendors so you have the stock available early to sell and create a revenue stream. This will also help your vendors who are chasing customer orders.

Think about your funding options

Apart from the many Government grants that are available, there are numerous ways you can fundraise to generate club revenue. Think about raffles, online games, auctions, and competitions. We can help you with ideas.

Build your marketing and communications plan

Build a marketing and communications plan that caters for players, club members and supporters, and sponsors. Think about each group and the specific messages you need to communicate with them over the next few months. Remember to focus more on building their confidence, trust and support.

The sooner you begin publishing club marketing messages, the faster your club will get back on its feet.  Utilise your website, social media, email, and of course group forums like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

Support your sponsors

When times are tough, working together with your sponsors will be extremely important. Make contact with each sponsor and find out how you can help each other during these difficult times. Plan some co-branded promotions and event opportunities. Remember, these sponsors have stood by you over the years, utilise your supporter base and communication tools to help market their brand or offer.

Need help to create a strategic plan for your sports club?
We can help you to create a plan or simply offer you some guidance on how to adapt your club to cope with the impact of the Coronavirus.

Keep your website and social media updated

Refresh your website and social media content with new images and information about the season ahead.  Think about a logo update or a tweak to your graphics and styles.
Keep the content marketing and communications to members flowing.
Make sure you update the season dates and contacts and publish an events schedule in advance.

Use digital to your advantage

Talk to digital agencies like us about how you can use digital technology to create a memorable digital experience for your members when they participate in online events, activities, and club updates.
Use creative backgrounds, social media tools, interactive surveys, and even augmented reality to create a unique digital experience.

Post your Coronavirus (COVID-19) statements and policies

One of the MOST important tasks.
Post your COVID-19 statements, and have the club president announce how the club has adapted to the changed conditions and comply with any Government regulations. Highlight your plan and exciting things to come. If you want to retain members and keep revenue flowing, this is CRITICAL.

How we help your club!

Sports Club Marketing & Communications Kick-Start

rev™ Sports Club Marketing Kick-Start Program has been designed specifically to help sports clubs, sports associations, or fitness groups give them marketing and communications a jump-start!
Get your marketing off the ground QUICKLY with our $995 +gst kick-start promotion (save 50%).

Building a Sports Club Culture

Club Culture will make or break sports clubs and associations!
It’s now a fundamental task for any sports club or association to ensure they have a ‘culture’ that is inclusive and supportive of all its members. ONLY when you have a quality culture, will your club have the ability to engage ALL its members and continue to grow its membership and attract sponsors.

Download our FREE whitepaper showing you how to build a quality sports culture.

Sports Club Marketing and Mentoring

The Victorian Government has allocated over $40 million towards community sports grants to support the operational viability of community sport and active recreation organisations impacted by the Coronavirus crisis.

If your Sports Club needs help to adapt to the economic impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and help reboot, rebound and recover, speak to my team at rev™ Branding about how we can help?

We help sports clubs with:

– Strategic planning and long-term club vision
– Providing branding, digital marketing and communications
– Improving the results from club events and merchandise sales
– Alternate revenue streams (sponsors & funding options)
– Design of club compliance policies and statements e.g.
(Social media, values & behaviours, gender equality, fair play, club culture)
– Creating a quality Club Culture
– Committee mentoring and support services.

Contact me on +61 3 9429-2293 or [email protected] or learn more about our Sports Club Acceleration Services.

Additional Resources

Download Sports Culture Guide [Learn More]
Learn How to Create a Sports Culture [Learn More]
How to Run a Successful Sports Club [Learn How]
Sports Club Mentoring & Advisory Service [Learn More]
Sports Club Marketing Service [Learn More]