The true value of a sports club membership can sometimes depend on the club and the individual. Some benefits of a sports club membership include funding access to facilities, discounts on activities and merchandise, and the opportunity to socialise with other members of the community. Additionally, many clubs provide additional services such as coaching and mentoring, competition participation, and networking opportunities.
Brings value to the community
The value of sports clubs and the service their volunteers provide can sometimes be taken for granted. However, when you have a closer look at how much is spent on your club membership compared to other activities out there, the value of local sports clubs to families in these communities is relatively high.
As a more direct comparison against the numbers we spend on entertaining and educating our kids outside the school curriculum, being a member of a sports club presents the most cost-efficient way of entertaining and educating children as they get to experience all the social benefits of participation while learning some valuable life lessons along the way.
Typically, the average club season might run for 6-7 months of the year (depending on the sport) and at an estimate of 5 hours per week. Between all the training and matches over the season’s 24 weeks, a club member might participate for 120 hours over the course of the season. Even though some clubs may be different and may not meet that level of activity in a season, even at just only meet 60 hours of activity per year, the true value of your annual club membership is a small price to pay given what your members get in return.
If, for example, you were to compare it to a cup of coffee in Dublin (€3.20) or the price of petrol per liter (€1.61), the cost of your sports club membership per hour of participation is very small.
Helps fund better facilities
Sports clubs rely heavily on club membership income for the day-to-day running of the club and the money raised is used to cover costs such as insurance, NGB fees, and pitch & grounds maintenance. All of this is supported by people volunteering as club officers, coaches, match officials, and other roles. With these roles, they may have to then organise fundraisers, kid’s camps, etc. Mostly all of these roles are fulfilled in a volunteering capacity with no monetary reward.
Aids in physical and mental health development
It’s worth noting too that club membership is an investment in your children’s health and personal development. Being a member of a sports club from an early age helps to create the habit of a healthy lifestyle – between training and matches each week, the typical child will exceed the recommended activity levels on 3 days every week.
As spoken about in our previous blog “Why run camps at your sports club”, shows that there are many health benefits to be gained from regular participation in sports as well as social benefits and learning about teamwork, communication, leadership, and respect.
Being active can help your physical health by strengthening muscles and bones, increasing cardiovascular endurance, and improving balance and coordination overall. It also helps to improve your mental health by increasing self-confidence, reducing stress and anxiety, and improving concentration and focus.
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