‘Doing Sport Differently’ Club Conference challenges the norm

Images and video provided by Adelaide University.

The fourth instalment of the South Australian Sports Club Conference titled ‘Doing Sport Differently’ was held in February at the University of South Australia’s Pridham Hall. Over 90 students from The University of Adelaide, Flinders University and University of South Australia were involved with a day full of discussion and networking.

‘Doing Sports Differently’ is an approach developed by Vic Health and La Trobe University’s Centre for Sport and Social Impact based on years of evaluation of innovative sport programs. The research suggests that the nature of sporting clubs and member expectations has changed significantly in recent years. Vic Health subsequently developed six principles for the design and delivery of social sport programs to engage people who are less active.

The information provided to the conference participants focused on how to design pathways within a club to appeal to a range of groups. This included people who are not currently engaged with organised sport with the goal of growing and diversifying club membership. Discussion included: looking at the difference between customers and members of a sporting club; how to ensure those within a club feel integrated within the club community; and providing a sense of identity as a member while developing good club culture.

The day concluded with an open conference as members took their final chance to converse with their fellow attendees. Ideas were exchanged as to how to best apply the many lessons taken from the day.

View the video below to find out what students took out of the day.