Club planning

A strategic plan provides a roadmap for your club's growth and success. Club plans will vary depending on each club, but a thorough plan should cover areas which help to: 

• Define vision and goals
  What your club wants to achieve and how it will get there.
  
  
• Set priorities and objectives
  Identify key areas of focus.
  
  
• Align stakeholders
  Foster a sense of shared purpose among members, volunteers and stakeholders.
  
  
• Improve decision-making
  Provide framework for informed decisions that align with the plan.
  
  
• Enhance communication
  Share your club's visions and goals to the community.
  
  
• Improve financial performance
  Allocate resources effectively.
  
  
• Facilitate change and adaptation
  Anticipate changes in the environment and how to respond.
  
  
• Provide a framework for evaluation
  Establish measurable objectives to track progress and efficacy.

Form a small group (Planning Sub-Committee) to lead the process. This group might include committee members, coaches, participants, parents, volunteers, local council representatives or other key stakeholders.

The initial meeting/s of the Planning Sub-committee should involve completing research to understand:  

• The club’s current and projected future situations (Participation, Financial, Asset and Facility Maintenance etc) – conduct a Health Indicator of Tennis (HIT) assessment with your Tennis Development Officer
  
  
• Analysing current and potential participant demographics
  
  
• Completing a high-level SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats).

Your local Tennis Development Officer can assist with this stage.  

Hold a workshop with the broader club community to gather input. Use this session to brainstorm the basics of the plan, such as your vision, mission and key focus areas.

Document your plan using a structure that works for your club. Templates may be available through your local Member Association or via Bounce.

Your plan may vary in size, but it should include:

• Mission
  A brief statement about the purpose of your club and why your club exists.
  
  
• Vision
  Your club's long-term aspirations.
  
  
• Objectives
  What you want to achieve within the designated timeframe (think SMART principle).
  
  
• Actions
  Steps to reach your goals.
  
  
• Responsibilities
  Who is accountable for what action.
  
  
• Timeframes
  When each action needs to be completed.
  
  
• Resources
  Cost and support required.

Once drafted, share it with stakeholders for feedback and refinement.

The finalised plan needs to be adopted by the Club Committee.

To ensure the plan's success, the Committee should:

• assign responsibilities for implementation of strategies.
• create realistic timelines for implementations.
• evaluate and update the plan annually to ensure relevance of priorities, including evaluating targets quarterly.
• update financial and action plans monthly.
• reassess annually to ensure priorities stay relevant.
• communicate changes clearly with the appropriate stakeholders.

Don’t forget to complete a HIT audit every two years to track improvements.