10 steps to creating a Sports Club Development Plan
“The plan is nothing, but planning is everything.”
General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Are you a sports club needing a comprehensive development plan but don’t know where to start? This step-by-step guide will be for you!
Broadly speaking, I categorise sports management into 4 main strands.
- The Sport.
- The Business.
- The Community.
- The People.
As a Club Executive, how do you develop these all at the same time as well as plan for the future?
My latest sports management guide outlines 10 steps for how to create a Club Development Plan for a sports club of any size or maturity.
Step 1: Define the State of Play
Establish the club’s current state of play using methods such as internal stakeholder perception surveys, data collection, focus groups or formalised club meetings.
This information will help you determine what future plans you need and the potential that’s there for the taking. This process should represent all voices of the club and it should inspire action and drive momentum.
Step 2: Establish your Club Vision & Mission
Where do you want to go in the future? What are your club's dreams and purpose? Are these widely known and followed? Work with your club members and local community to envision the club’s aspirational long-term future. Then, define your mission by articulating the purpose and core activities that guide the club towards fulfilling that vision.
Here are examples from Waitemata Football Club, based in Te Atatu South, Auckland, New Zealand and secondly Ottawa South United Soccer in Ottawa, Canada.
Step 3: Establish your Core Club Values
Determine your club values by reflecting on the core principles and beliefs that embody the desired culture, behaviour and identity of the football club, aligning them with the organisation’s Vision & Mission (step 2).
It is good practice to showcase these values on your club website, referencing and reinforcing them regularly across external communications throughout the season.
Here are examples from Chicago Fire Football Club and New York City Football Club, both based in the United States.
https://chicagofireyouthsc.com/club/whyus
Step 4: Establish your Strategic Pillars
You can simplify your development plan by determining the categories that your initiatives will fall under. You can do this by determining fundamental areas of focus that align with the club’s Vision, Mission & Values (step 2–3).
Some recommended categorisation pillars are: The Sport, The Business, The Community, The People, however you will be able to determine your own.
Step 5: Outline your Goals
In each strategic pillar, you should hold several key goals that you want the club to achieve. You may have multiple goals within each pillar depending on the focus of the club and your ability to act on these initiatives due to the size of your club staff.
The goals may include data-driven numerical targets or percentage-based improvements over time and their impact should be measurable.
Examples can be found in the Club Strategy of Lewes Football Club based in England.
Step 6: Pick your Tactics
How will you go about achieving your goals? What initiatives will you activate? This would be considered the ‘how’ and will be made up of key actions that achieve your goals, e.g staff hired, workshops delivered, events held, revenue generated, attendances, memberships etc.
Step 7: Rally your People
To achieve success, not only will you require buy-in from your people, but you also will need to determine who will be driving these initiatives for your organisation.
In more mature organisations you may be able to dedicate particular members of staff such as managers or project leads, however, if you are an amateur sports club with a smaller workforce, you may have to recruit staff to assist.
Step 8: Set your Timelines
Not every initiative will be actionable straight away. You will need to determine which goals can be achieved and when by considering the resources and workforce focus you have available. You can break these down into weeks, months or years and allocate the appropriate attention based on key milestones. These dates will also help determine if your goals are on track or if an adjustment is necessary.
Step 9: Determine your Budget Investment
Whilst many goals may require a monetary budget allocation, there will be several club-based initiatives that need little to no investment. Ensure you have a clear understanding of the financial requirements needed to achieve your goals. Your budget and revenue generation plan will inform how much money you can allocate on a season by season basis.
Step 10: Regularly Review, Reflect and Act
Reviewing and reflecting on your progress should be a standing component of your club development plan. This can be done continuously at club meetings, such as Executive Committee meetings, or seasonally with your club members at the end of each year. This will help your club determine if your goals have been achieved or if you need to adapt and adjust.
Whilst many may have different language and terms, here are three examples of club based strategic or development plans which may be an inspiration!
The first image is an in-motion plan from Ottawa TFC in Canada. The next link is from FC Barcelona in Spain with a version from 2017 and the final link is from Dundee United Football Club in Scotland, proving that clubs of all sizes need a holistic plan of action to guide them into the future.
Want to see more of these posts? Check out my other articles on LinkedIn or on Medium using the links below. Thanks for reading!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenleedillon/
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