Thursday 6 September 2012

Are sports maximising the opportunities associated with their participation programs?

There are a range of outcomes that can be achieved throught the delivery of grassroots sports programs - yet the focus of most organisations remains on only one.... participation.

As sporting organisations evolve and the true value of a participant can be measured (in terms of consumer behavior) a significant shift in thinking is occuring. No longer is it 'best practice' to look at programs from the singular participation perspective.

To extract all opportunities from an activity a number of other queries need to be addressed:

Fan Engagement: How do we get the people involved to attend our games or watch on television?
Media: How can a media article be generated from the activity? 
Talent identification: Are there talented athletes participating? what is the process to transition them to talent pathways?
Government: Is the program an opportunity to showcase what the organisation is doing?
Commercial: Is there a revenue stream from the program (user pays or sponsorship)?

For many sports organisations this evolved philosophy requires a cross business approach with other departments supporting the outcomes (i.e. a media department assisting to develop media profile).