What Does a Club Have to Do to Keep Members?

As you can see from the survey done in 1999, squash is played mainly by men, around 40 years of age, and probably a professional. This is sort of the “good news/bad news” thing. The good news is that most squash players are very good, loyal customers if they get what they want out of the club at a fair price. Of course they can make your life very uncomfortable if they feel they are not getting value for their money.

Squash is an individual sport. Individual sports are different in that the individual has to usually organize their own matches. The only time their matches are organized for them is when they play in a league or a tournament. Keeping this in mind, how do your members meet new people to play? How do they get comfortable enough with these people to phone them up for a game?

Squash Promoter/Professional:
All successful clubs have someone promoting, teaching, organizing and selling squash to the members. This person we will call your “Pro.” The Pro may be a volunteer or paid staff. Most paid Pro’s should be, at a minimum certified Level 2 coach and working on their Level 3. A Pro will give lessons, organize box and inter-city leagues, run tournaments and most important, keep your players active. Volunteer Pro’s will do these same things, but will do them on their own time frame and own agenda. Ask yourself, if you had a furniture store, would you have volunteer salesmen selling your products?

Your average member may spend 80% of their time in your club without the need of a pro. The other 20% of the time is what will keep your club interesting, dynamic, and a good place to be.

Club Night/ Challenge Court:
These two things are very important for any club. They give new members a chance to meet other members in your club. Club nights are usually one night a week events that is frequently an all comers type night. The club will book off a number of courts and people will show up and play each other 0ne game or maybe best two out of three, then they may play somebody else. After their matches, they will probably have a few healthy beverages in your members lounge.
A Challenge court is a little different in that 0ne court is usually not able to be booked by members so people can just arrive and get a challenge match with whoever is around.

Box League:
Box leagues are for members who sign up for a little more competition. These are usually a round robin format of 5 players. They will have a month in which to play their match. They will phone up their opponents and set up their own time to play these matches. If they win their box they will go up a box and if they lose, they will go down. This is a very good way for members to meet other members of their own caliber.

Inter-Club League Teams:
Many areas in the province have inter-club league. This is an excellent way to get a competitive match in once a week for your busy members. After teams play their matches, they will head to the members lounge for food and beverages and to discuss the state of affairs in squash and the world. Many of these players previously played tournaments but now can’t afford the time to spend all weekend at an event. League gives them a competitive match and a time to socialize with other squash players.

Junior Program:
Junior programs play a vital role in producing future squash players and elite players of our sport. Many clubs run junior programs and gain family memberships. Squash is a great sport for parents to play with their kids. All successful sports have successful junior programs which teach the game to kids when they are most able to learn. These kids may drop out of squash for a period of time but they will usually come back to the sport later in life and usually to the club where they learned to play the game since that is “their club.”

Club Tournament:
Once a year most clubs will have a club tournament. This determines the club champion. These events will culminate in a social function that will bring your members of all calibers together.

Provincial Tournament:
These events will be a larger undertaking for a club to host. Squash players from around the province are invited to play in a tournament in your club. The squash pro, or a very experienced volunteer will usually form a tournament committee to run this event.

Squash players need to have the opportunities to achieve their maximum level of success. Most squash players will improve to and play at a level where they are most comfortable, and find success at. The Squash BC sport model allows players these opportunities from the beginning player to a professional playing internationally. All the clubs in the province, Squash BC, and Squash Canada play a vital role in ensuring that squash players have the ability to achieve their maximum potential.

Some squash clubs may say, “I don’t care if my members become professional.” We all have to ask ourselves where a sport would be in this day and age if we didn’t have professionals in it. Where would it be if players didn’t have something to achieve. If we don’t have these types of players, then squash will die a slow death. It is everybody’s responsibility to ensure squash players are given the maximum opportunity to become the best they can.

On the next page is an article by Howie Snyder. Howie was the manager of the Bonsor Recreation complex in Burnaby for many years. He ran one of the most successful squash programs in a recreation center in the province. Many of his ideas will work in any squash club. We don’t have to invent ways to promote squash, we just have to implement them.