Oakwood Tennis Club Business Plan 2017: Our Plans for the Future

Transcription

1 Oakwood Tennis Club Business Plan 2017: Our Plans for the Future Mission Statement Oakwood Tennis Club aims to provide the opportunity for tennis to be played by all ages and abilities in a social and competitive atmosphere. We aim to provide a family feel and pride ourselves on our inclusive and collective culture. The opportunity to compete and play competitive tennis is a big feature of our offering but not the core culture of our club. Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 1

2 A Brief History of Oakwood Tennis Club 1916 Tennis section of VCD Sports club established 11 Grass courts During this period and especially from the 60 s onwards membership numbers reduce and little by little all of the grass courts either fell into disrepair or became unplayable due to lack of available funds as a direct result of dwindling membership numbers. This period ended with only 3 grass courts in regular use and a membership of 15 to 20. These grass courts however were gradually becoming more and more unplayable and deteriorating year on year Group of around 15 tennis players who were playing regular park tennis at Danson Park were introduced to VCD and those players are now the longest serving members of the club. Some of those players became committee members and the majority of them are still playing at the club remaining grass courts converted to Macadam. The parent club VCD recognized that if something wasn t done the tennis section would disband and be gone for good. So working with the committee at the time a plan was put together, funding found and the three grass courts were turned into Macadam Floodlights installed. All three courts were floodlit with the help of funding from parent club VCD A tennis club in Dartford Acacia closed its doors and the 15 or so members that found themselves without a venue to play tennis became members of Oakwood New cabin / Clubhouse bought using a loan from the LTA which really changed the dynamics of the club and enabled match teas to be had adjacent to the courts and provided player cover during periods when rain stopped play Group of around 15 tennis players who were playing regular park tennis at Russell Park were introduced to Oakwood boosting membership to 40 members Kent Club of the Year (1-4 Courts) Clubmark achieved 2015 Kent Club of the Year (1-4 Courts) 2015 Junior membership introduced which welcomed circa 50 junior players from the coaching programme into the club New hardstanding and pathway provided free of charge by Conway as part of their community giving and apprentice training programme. Another major improvement to the club facilities that had a big positive impact and further improved club dynamics Visited by Cathie Sabin Tennis mark Achieved Kent LTA Coach of the.. year nomination for Neil Biddle Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 2

3 Oakwood Tennis Club in 2017 The Current Situation We currently have 3 floodlit courts that can only be used, at any given time, exclusively for one type of tennis at a time. This is typically either of the following; social play sessions, coaching, competitive league matches or other playing sessions (Cardio, Tennis Express, etc.) but cannot be used for concurrent usages. This severely limits the organic growth that is available to us currently and is stifling the future growth of the club. We are unable to provide attractive offerings to interested would-be members when we hold Fun days and annual GBTW events and our limited court space prevents us from tapping into the massive catchment area that we sit within. The club believes it has come to the end of one cycle of its development growing the membership base and junior coaching programme, introducing new types of junior squad and starter junior memberships, and consolidating and growing the number of teams. The main catalyst for future growth will be the addition of 2 new tournament sized courts and a 1 full practice/4 mini practice courts caged area. This additional court space will provide a new dynamic to Oakwood and the room to grow all forms of tennis and massively increase participation. A set of tables have been appended to this document (Appendix 1) to demonstrate visually the increased playing time and multi-use of the courts, at any given time, that new courts will provide. This increase is absolutely fundamental to the future growth of Oakwood Tennis club! Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 3

4 Local Context Oakwood is situated in Crayford Kent. The location of Oakwood geographically means that our catchment area is huge compared with other clubs and there remains to this day a huge untapped area that we wish to explore and promote within. Note: Sport England current market segmentation figures suggest that there are currently 4156 people wanting to play tennis within a 5Km radius of Oakwood Tennis Club. Appended to this document is the current Sport England demographic figures supporting the above statement. (Appendix 2) Oakwood Catchment area Local Competitors/Partners Map of local tennis clubs Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 4

5 Oakwood and the competition Local tennis clubs include Shooters Hill, Bexley Tennis and Squash Club, Crescent, Bexleyheath, David Lloyd Sidcup, David Lloyd Dartford and Gravesham. Oakwood are quite unique within this band of local clubs in that: 1) we do not offer the fitness and pool package like the David Lloyds 2) Unlike Bexleyheath and Crescent (whose average membership s age is 35-70) we have a vibrant and flourishing junior section only rivalled by Shooters Hill. 3) Bexley are a pure performance club who run over 30 teams and do not hold the same reverence to social tennis and the social aspect of a tennis club that Oakwood do. It is important for the overall success of tennis that other local clubs thrive, remain strong and expand their membership. Oakwood while wanting to maintain its membership levels, also wants to support the development of other clubs for the wider benefit of participation in tennis. To this aim we have developed strong links with Shooters Hill and Gravesham tennis clubs, supporting and providing opportunities for our juniors to visit and compete in their tournaments and vice-versa. This is a real fledging arrangement that has been in place for the past 18 months or so and our limited court space has meant that Oakwood are not able to host as many and our ability to reciprocate is stifled until we have more courts. Membership From a membership of circa 40 in 2011, the recent efforts in the 5 years since then from the committee and coaching programme has had a huge impact on tennis participation at Oakwood and the club has grown considerably (nearly 300%) to a current membership of 122 made up of: 55 adults 10 Intermediates 19 Squad Juniors 38 Juniors There are also circa 80 minis involved on the Oakwood junior coaching programme but who are not club members. Unlike other clubs we do not have any members who are not actively playing and we estimate our current membership who regularly compete in league teams at 80%!! Although our actual membership numbers may be slightly lower than LTA guidelines for a 3 court club we hope we have demonstrated through this Buisness Plan that we have a very unique membership base, whose use and demand of court time has pushed the club to it s very limits. Due to this fact, Oakwood have been reluctant to push for new membership due to the current strain on court time and the fact that our 11 teams are all full with a waiting list of adults who also wish to complete regularly. Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 5

6 Existing Facilities The club has three, floodlit, tar macadam courts. The courts are in reasonable order, having recently repainted (2012/13). This work was funded from the club sinking fund. There is a maintenance programme which includes the regular spraying/demos sing of courts to ensure the courts remain in good condition. Due to the current membership numbers, our 11 competitive teams playing in leagues, and the range of junior coaching sessions, court space is now extremely limited. The somewhat battered, but much-loved, club hut serves a useful purpose for match teas, social meeting place, and shelter for players when rain stops play and communication (through notice boards). The internal space was refurbished in 2015 using a donated kitchen and lots of improvements carried out by members. In 2016 one of our members obtained a community donation from his company which has purchased a new double glazed French door set for the club hut which will provide better circulation and an enhanced tennis spectating experience. We have regular working party weekends where members and supporters offer their time to carry out small projects and general maintenance and cleaning activities. These are very well supported and typically become a well enjoyed social event. Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 6

7 Management and Administration The club has an effective, active committee with a mix of long-standing and more recent members. The committee aims to ensure that there is succession planning and some refreshing of the committee each year. The committee includes Coach, Membership Secretary and Tournament Organiser as well as President, Chairman, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. It has proved a highly effective element of the success of the club to have the coach as an integral part of the committee. The committee strives to ensure that the club adheres to LTA good practice by regularly updating policies and procedures, by attending relevant training courses e.g. Safety and Wellbeing in Tennis and by ensuring that there are other appropriate volunteers in the club e.g. Welfare Officer, First Aiders etc. The committee meets at least 6 times a year (more than required by the club constitution). The AGM is held in April. Tennis Programme The club has focussed in recent years to promote a healthy junior section with many RCJs and Oakwood is represented by 9 junior teams. The club has a full and active programme of open sessions, matches, coaching and tournaments. This ensures the courts are extremely well used both during the day and in the evening. The club is fortunate to have the services of an excellent Level 4 Coach who is supported by 2 new PTR qualified instructors and also 2 younger coaches (both sons of members who were once juniors and have been playing tennis at Oakwood for several years) - this allows a wide range of activities and opportunities to be offered and provides the foundations to deal with our anticipated growth. Play: Coach: Club Open Sessions: Sunday mornings and Wednesdays evenings. These sessions are predominantly aimed at adults however intermediates who are confident to play with adults are encouraged to join in and do so with great success. Social tennis midweek- Wednesday morning for members, off-peak members and members of the public. Junior: 27 sessions per week inc all ages and abilities from Beginner to county competition standard Junior: Holiday Tennis Camps Easter and summer & Half Terms for all abilities Junior: Advanced Training camps for squad players during holiday (Friday only) Adult: Monday and Thursday nights team coaching Adult: Tuesday and Thursday eve rusty rackets/cardio tennis (adult / beginner /improver) Adult: Cardio Tennis: Monday /Thursday& Friday daytimes Adult: Off-peak adult coaching Mon, Tue, Thu, Friday (6 sessions) Compete: AEGON team tennis (summer): 7 junior team (red mixed/orange mixed/green mixed /12u boys /14u boys& girls/16u boys/18u boys AEGON Winter Junior Leagues (winter): 7 Teams (Red/Orange/Green/12u B /14u B & G /16U B) North Kent Tennis League (summer): 4 Men s, 2 Ladies, 2 Mixed, 2 Vets, 1 midweek vets North Kent Winter League (winter): 3 Mens, 1 Ladies, 2 Mixed, Kent Winter League (winter) 2 Vets Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 7

8 Working with Local Schools The coaching programme extends into 13 local schools during term times providing tennis opportunities for school children during lunch periods and after school clubs. These are: Mayplace/ Pelham/ St Thomas More/ Bursted Wood/ Westhill/ Holy Trinity/ Darftord STC Map of Local schools where Oakwood are providing tennis to kids: Red= active supporting schools (non-regular after school clubs and promotion of Oakwood) Black= Regular after-school clubs year on year There are many, many further schools that want us to work with them but we cannot do so until we increase the coaching team and our available court space. We also have a very strong relationship with 3 senior schools (St Catherines/ Beths/ Dartford STC) who we provide free coaching days to in return for promoting our program and historically we have recruited several of our intermediate players from this arrangement. This is another area that we will be targeting for future growth potential. Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 8

9 Tournaments and Competition The club runs a regular programme of tournaments throughout the year providing opportunities for all members of the club to take part. The current programme includes: Summer season club tournament Winter Shield club tournament Club tournament from May to September for Mens and Ladies Singles, Mens & Ladies Doubles, Mixed Doubles andsenior Doubles. This culminates in club Finals Day in September which also includes a Mens and Ladies singles plate. Winter Shield tournament that runs from September through to May for Mens and Ladies Singles, Mens & Ladies Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Senior Doubles A range of half day junior tournaments: singles and doubles, for all ages 16U to mini red. These include the 14URoad to Wimbledon event and more recent Quorn Family Cup. Invitation Junior Doubles open to other local clubs A range of social tournaments to celebrate current events like Grand Slam tournaments and festive holidays Junior and mini match play in coaching sessions and holiday camps. We also run cross-club tournaments with Shooters Hill and Gravesham where we send our juniors to them and they reciprocate on alternate weekends. Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 9

10 Social Programme Oakwood has for the past 6 years focused on being a social, family-oriented club appropriate to and open to the local community. To support this ethos, there is an active social programme. Social tournaments and club Finals Day are designed to be events which appeal to both players and supporters. Many feature barbecues (or even breakfast!) and families and supporters are encouraged to come along and join in. The aim is to be open and welcoming to all players and non-players alike. The Club Tournament draw is combined, in early April each year, with the ballot for Wimbledon tickets always a positive, fun afternoon with refreshments and a huge amount of anticipation provided! There is a range of fund raising activities held each year - e.g. raffles, darts nights, poker nights, auctions and Race Nights. The club, where suitable events allow, organises trips to national tennis events. Groups of club members have been to the Wimbledon Tour, theo2 for the ATP Masters Final each year, and many more including a trip to see the Davis Cup. Ensuring there is an active social side to the club is a key part of Oakwood s current success. Our recent Centenary dinner and dance was open to past and present members and also junior s parents and was a fantastic success and the amount of comments about how different we are to other clubs and how inclusive and fun we are is a testament to the ethos and momentum that currently grips the club. We have put on a fun GBTW for the past 2 years with over 150 visitors and lots of fun non-tennis activities during the day to compliment the tennis events and sessions. Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 10

11 Marketing, Sponsorship and Promotion Over recent years, membership numbers and our junior programme has increased. This has been achieved by: Focusing on an ethos and on policies which create a sociable club with open access to all levels of player Maintaining membership fees at an affordable level to ensure inclusivity and accessibility Promoting an environment where junior players are as equally valued as adult player Providing an effective coaching programme Although the club has, in the past, relied predominantly on word of mouth to promote the club it now actively uses: A club website which was relaunched in 2015 We have also recently set up twitter feed to promote the club and club events A club Facebook closed group where news and photos are posted for all members and programme participants A club Facebook Page open to the public to see which list forthcoming events such as summer camps and GBTW We advertise on Netmums which is regularly reviewed by parents Press releases to local newspapers and other media to promote and report on key events Club kit which many members wear when representing the club in matches, external tournaments and trips Oakwood has not previously sought general sponsorship, but several local businesses have provided equipment and/or support for individual events as they are keen to be associated with a successful club. Part of our expansion plans are to engage with local businesses for the purposes of obtaining sponsorship for equipment and club improvements as we have done successfully in the past. Club Finances The club is financially viable. The majority of its income is generated through membership and coaching fees and it maintains a small sinking fund for court and floodlight maintenance and repair. We recognise that this sinking fund will need to be increased as part of our initiative to construct and maintain new courts going forward. Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 11

12 Full details are provided in the club s income and expenditure forecast The Future of Tennis at Oakwood We want to become a sustainable club for many years to come and that involves growing and grooming the coaching staff and providing them with the financial impetus to see their future in tennis and to grow with the club. The club believes it has come to the end of one cycle of its development growing the membership base, introducing new types of junior (squad and non-squad) memberships consolidating and growing the number of teams. Principles guiding future development In order to plan for the future, to ensure the club continues to develop and meet demand and to ensure it maintains current values, the club has established the following overarching principles: Future developments and expansion in the tennis programme will be controlled such as to maintain an effective balance between social and competitive play and provide opportunities for all ages (3yrs 80+) and abilities Any further expansion of the club will be facilitated by and will maintain Oakwood as a welcoming, friendly club that is accessible to all through affordable membership fees and a wide ranging programme; the needs of the considerable number of social players will continue to be met and will not be subsumed by the growing developmental and competitive aspects of the club. The development of tennis locally is important and the club will look externally to continue to support tennis in local schools and to support other clubs. Opportunities to develop the club s more talented players and to increase representation in county level events for all age groups are important both for individuals and for the reputation of the club Current Tennis Development Goals Within this context and core principles, the current development goals are: Management & Administration Succession planning to be a key priority for the Oakwood committee. Recruiting more committee members to help and support the management and administration capacity as we grow our membership base Monitoring of the business plan to take higher focus in committee meetings and to be reported on at AGM To hold key positions within the VCD committee to ensure Oakwood s interests are voiced and supported on club wide matters Growing our membership We aim to steadily and sustainably grow our membership both organically (which is available with immediate effect once we have increased our court space) and through promotion within the local community. We will be seeking to reach out to and attract from the 4156 people who have expressed a desire to play tennis (in the Sport England market segmentation data) and will focus on all the different demographics as we can cater for everyone young, old, competitive, social. By continuing what we do successfully now and by progressing the development targets and opportunities stated within this business plan and our current membership action plan we will achieve the targets set within our funding Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 12

13 applications. We attach our current 2017 membership action plan in appendix 3 and a subscriptions projection narrative to support our target figures in appendix 4. Playing Opportunities (new courts dependant) Further develop Tots and Mini Tennis especially as a direct result of the recent success of the 4 No. Tennis for Kids (Davis Cup legacy programme) programmes that were run at Oakwood in 2016 (resulting in 24 out of 40 kids joining the mini tennis coaching programme). Introduce a Tennis Xpress programme to compliment the current rusty rackets sessions to ensure new players have a clear pathway into club play Develop additional school links (include more of the local schools on the waiting list that want to have Oakwood involved) Host tennis camps for juniors in the holidays regardless of what adult matches and play is in progress. Provide the opportunity for the 80+ kids that take part in regular school programmes to join into the mini and junior coaching programmes. We are unable to grow school participation until we have new court space. Provide court time for juniors and intermediates during weekends that is currently unavailable. Host more RCJ tournaments. Player and Teams Development (new courts dependant) Increase numbers of regularly competing juniors Increase the number of junior players regularly playing on adult teams. Form an Adult AEGON team. (We currently have 8 junior AEGON teams and these players need somewhere to grow into) Develop and implement strategy for attracting/retaining yr. old players Create opportunities to get juniors playing regularly and become intermediate club members in their own right and not have to leave after coaching sessions due to lack of court space. Actively promote external tournaments and events and encourage Oakwood players (both adult and junior) to take part Ensure equitable access to team and squad selection for all players using ability, team commitment and adherence to principles of Fair Play as key criteria, ensuring there are no practical or social barriers to participation Increase the number of teams (add 2 over the next 6 years) that we run to ensure all members who wish to compete have the opportunity to do so) Coach Development (new courts dependant) Strengthen current coach development programme to ensure a throughput of Level 1 and 2 coaches, bidding for external funds to support this as appropriate. Provide clear development path for current younger coaches to maintain their interest and hunger. Also providing them with the financial impetus to see their future in tennis, ensure their time at Oakwood is rewarding and to grow with the club. Aim is to have 4 new tennis leaders during the next 2 years to add to the existing 4 Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 13

14 Ensure Head Coach is supported by the club when introducing new sessions and testing new ideas. Competitions & Tournaments (new courts dependant) Continue at least one adult/junior event each year and the encouragement of juniors to take part in adult competitions Increase number of external competitors in appropriate competitions e.g. Read Cup, Junior Invitation Run regular tournaments for juniors both internally and externally (current arrangements with Shooters Hill and Gravesham to be expanded to other clubs) and target having some of these as a regular yearly date in the diary. Facilities (new courts dependant) Construct 2 new courts and practice cage area/red ball 4 court area project (70K of funding secured already) Install floodlights to new courts and practice area (planning application to submit) Resurface existing courts to provide years further of low-maintenance usage Provide toilet, shower, changing facilities; either standalone or in partnership with the parent club VDC (we are in discussions with them about partnering for a multi-sport pavilion construction in 2018) Investigate potential for satellite clubs in schools/ colleges/ neighbouring areas Investigate feasibility and costs projections of replacing current Halogen floodlights to existing courts to LED type Social Activities Always maintain and protect current ethos of fun events open to all users of Oakwood Tennis Club whether they are club members, families of members or members of the public. Revenue development (new courts dependant) Our immediate and future growth will depend on our revenue and will underpin the club s sustainability for many years to come. We have identified the following revenue streams that will ensure the aspirations of the club are realised in the short to middle terms and maintained in the long term. Increase membership numbers Additional membership types Regular tournaments (our coaches have recently completed the LTA tournament organiser s course) Sponsorship- partnering with local businesses Introduction of a Touch Tennis league (using the new mini red caged practice area) Increased fund raising potential due to increased membership Additional fund raising events Increase in vend machine sales due to increased membership Slightly increasing teams subscriptions to provide a small club slush fund to cover small miscellaneous club expenses Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 14

15 Summary In summary we believe that the content of this business plan clearly sets out the history, current usage and future aspirations of Oakwood Tennis Club: To provide the opportunity for greater tennis participation in the much untapped catchment area that Oakwood Tennis club is situated within, and to grow our club to be the thriving, active, fun, social hub for tennis and good socialising. All within the spirit of our mission statement found on the cover page of this business plan. Our goals, management structure, past success of growing the game and growing participation are clearly demonstrated in the pages of this document and all we are lacking now to push on to achieve our further aspirations is additional court space. We have identified the potential of over 4000 currently non-playing people in the Oakwood catchment area that have expressed a desire to play tennis and by continuing in what we do currently and by executing our growth strategies and action plan over the next few years we have no doubt that our efforts and drive will be successful in realising our goal now and also provide a robust and sustainable tennis club for the next generation of tennis players in the area. Appendices: We have appended the following information to further demonstrate the basis of our convictions: Appendix 1: Court schedules showing current usage (3 courts) vs potential court usage (5 courts plus caged practice area) Appendix 2: Sport England tennis market segmentation graph Appendix 3: Growth projections including membership revenue forecasts (aligned with LTA funding application figures) Appendix 4: Action plan Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 15

16 Appendices: Appendix 1: Court schedules showing current usage (3 courts) vs potential court usage (5 courts plus caged practice area) Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 16

17 Appendix 2: Sport England tennis market segmentation graph Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 17

18 Appendix 3: Growth projections including membership revenue forecasts (aligned with LTA funding application figures) Annual Subscription Projections Full adult membership is currently 180 if paid after 1 April or 165 if paid before. Roughly half pay early and half after so as a base we will use 170 as a full adult membership. Intermediate or student membership is 90. Junior membership currently has 2 tiers ; junior squad and starter junior(mini). For the purpose of the projection calculations junior squad membership is set at and starter junior at /18 Project 55 new members based on demographic of previous membership. 20 new starter juniors, 20 junior squad, 5 intermediate, and 10 adult. We have decided to keep membership costs the same as 2016 in order to maintain our membership base whilst also anticipating an increase in membership fees for the 2018/19 season with the new courts in place. Adults: 65 x 170 Inter: 15 x 90 + Junior: 39 x 37.5 Starter: 57 x , /19 Project 55 new members based on enhanced Tennis offering because of the new courts and the refurbished surface of existing courts. 20 new starter juniors, 20 junior squad, 5 intermediate, and 10 adult. Increase adult membership by 10, intermediate by 5, junior membership by 2.50, starter junior by The increase membership fees will be partly due to inflation and the fact that fees have been frozen for the past 2 years, but primarily due to the enhancement of the tennis offering at Oakwood Tennis club because of the new courts and resurfacing of existing courts. Adults: 75 x 180 Inter: 20 x 95 + Junior: 59 x 40 Mini: 77 x , /20- Project 55 new members based on demographic of previous membership. 20 new starter juniors, 20 junior squad, 5 intermediate, and 10 adult. Increase adult membership by 10, intermediate by 5, junior membership by 2.50, starter junior by The increase in membership fees will be partly due to inflation, but primarily due to the enhancement of the tennis offering at Oakwood Tennis club because of the still recent new courts and resurfacing of existing courts. Adults: 85 x 190 Inters 25 x Junior 79 x 42.5 Mini 97 x ,675 Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 18

19 2020/21 We anticipate a settling down in membership numbers and a slight slowdown in growth from 2020 onwards. Project 30 new members based on demographic of previous membership. 10 new starter juniors, 10 junior squad, 5 intermediate, and 5 adult. No increase in membership fees for this year to ensure maintenance of membership numbers. Adults: 90 x 190 Inter: 30 x Junior: 89 x 42.5 Mini: 107 x , /22- Project 30 new members based on demographic of previous membership. 10 new starter juniors, 10 junior squad, 5 intermediate, and 5 adult. Increase adult membership by 10, intermediate by 5, junior membership by 2.50, starter junior by Adults: 95 x 200 Inter: 35 x Junior: 99 x 45 Mini: 117 x , /23- Again a slight slowdown in growth is anticipated. Project 20 new members based on demographic of previous membership. 5 new starter juniors, 5 junior squad, 5 intermediate, and 5 adult. No price increase in membership this year Adults: 100 x 200 Inter: 40 x Junior: 104 x 45 Mini: 122 x ,540 Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 19

20 Appendix 4: Action plan Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 20

21 Business Plan 2016: Our Plans for the Future pg. 21