Monday, June 22, 2009
Hutt City Council has unveiled plans for a major boost to sporting clubs within the city.
Sportsville Hutt City is a collaborative three year project between the Council and SPARC (Sport and Recreation New Zealand). It aims to streamline administration, improve financial sustainability and develop joint facilities for sport clubs through an innovative partnership model.
Research conducted by the Council and SPARC indicates that most sporting clubs struggle with similar issues including attracting and retaining members, finding enough volunteers to coach or administer teams, and attracting enough funding to be able to maintain or redevelop facilities.
The Sportsville Hutt City project recognises that these issues are universal and that there would be real benefits for club members and the community in clubs combining resources.
Marcus Sherwood, Leisure Active Manager for Hutt City Council, says that Sportsville Hutt City will strengthen the capacity of clubs by encouraging like-minded and/or geographically located clubs to work together for shared benefit.
“A common issue is the ongoing cost of maintaining clubrooms on Council land which have fallen into disrepair because of the financial constraints clubs face. Sportsville aims to identify and be proactive about these issues to support sport to grow in the city.”
Major sporting hubs with multiple clubs, codes and facilities have been identified as ideal candidates to take part in the initial three year phase of Sportsville Hutt City. Fraser Park is the first hub that the project will focus on.
Marcus says the project’s core philosophy is to work together to achieve common goals and it’s not about the amalgamation of sports clubs.
“There are many examples of Sportsville models around the country. The most successful have been those where clubs maintain an identity within the overall structure. Having a separate body taking care of the administrative and operational duties allows individual clubs to concentrate on getting sports teams on the park.
One of the outcomes of the project will be a move away from the traditional concept of a sports club to a more collaborative, community-owned facility.
“One example would be the development of a single high quality clubroom with training and playing facilities where individuals can play soccer, cricket, softball or bowls and where you can take the family for a meal and also attend a yoga class”, says Marcus.
“It’s been recognised nationally that sport needs to change to meet the different demands of social and casual participants, while retaining the competitive and progression focused participants. Sportsville Hutt City aims to help clubs meet this challenge.”
In addition to SPARC, the project is supported by Sport Wellington, New Zealand Community Trust, Pelorus Trust and the various clubs and regional sporting organisations involved.