Q7: Do you have any suggestions for attracting new adult members?

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Do we need new members? Shouldn't we focus on satisfying current members first?

• I am not sure you need to attract new members but keep the existing members happy by installing floodlights to enable more winter tennis.
• Invest more in keeping current members.
• I don't think we particularly need new members! We need to attract EXISTING members to use the club more and SPEND more! (Willingly of course). Winter play is the single most important factor WE NEED FLOODLIGHTS!!!!!!

More organised tennis

• In my opinion the Club has to provide more organized social tennis( and events) so that new mambers have a chance to meet other players. Affordable group coaching last year was very sucessful both for intermideate players and new members.
• More organised competitions, ladders, leagues etc. Including singles.
• Encourage families through simultaneous parent and child events; eg children's coaching on two courts, ladies mix-in on two courts.

More Club activities

• Increase the club activities.

Improve the Clubhouse. Employ a full-time manager.

• Make the club house more atractive. More often than not the clubhouse is both dirty and untidy, and is generally closed during most of the week. To attract more members the club should be transformed more into a country club similar to continental tennis clubs which also acts like community centres where people comein for a drink, a meal and a chat at any time of the day. It implies employment of a full-time manager and in time a larger and better club house with more and other forms of recreational facillities.
• Introduce a mini-gym?
• The front of the club could be much more welcoming, you have to walk around the back to get into the club house. It is kind of saying we don't want you. It could encourage more walk in trade if people were drawn in to a more receptive area. Obviously we can't re-build the club house but a notice board and sign-here kind of thing right near the front, bright and welcoming might be good.

Get the facilities right for all-year play.

• Floodlights and all weather courts to allow play all year around.
• Convert some courts to an all-weather surface, while retaining some grass courts.
• More all weather courts and possibly floodlights. Advertising for team players as we no longer have a first team.
• Improve the courts, and provide more tennis, flood lights to enable all year round play - especially for people who work and can't therefore play much in Winter.

Focus on the needs of the youngsters.

• Move some way away from grass : youth is the lifeblood of the Club. Bite the bullet and explore the possibility of re-engaging Cathy Birt as youth coach with a 'clean slate'. Her following of young players will be your adult membership of the future. Far better to grow the Club in this way than 'bus in' lots of new adult members who are playing just for a bit of fun now and again.

Shift the focus away from youngsters.

• Limit the percentage of our resources devoted to Juniors.

Eliminate isolated occurrences of member hostility. Be more friendly.

• A few select members are so hostile all the time to anyone who approaches the club, doesn't seem like a friendly club. Should open the club house (no toilet facilities most of the time), so there is access to info about the club and how to join etc.
• I think the club should try and come across as more family-friendly and welcoming. They are very friendly at open days but after that it is quite intimidating to turn up when you don't know people and don't know the etiquette or how to join in with mix-ins. I've been a member for two years and never been confident enough to just turn up without knowing some friends will be there. A lot of the older members don't like children being members and I think that if we encouraged a better relationship between the two it would encourage more families with children.

Marketing ideas

• Target sections of community where disposable income is spent—i.e. juniors, mums at home etc. Develop a programme that attracts groups of new members to overcome problems for single new members breaking into new club—eg mums' fit-for-tennis, dads' keep-up-with-your-kids etc.
• leaflet drops
• Mailshots around the village
• Flyers in shops in village and in station, i.e. use cheap-ish means of raising the Club's profile.
• Advertise in Thames Ditton Today, About Thames Ditton and the Parish Magazine.
• How about trying to attract local businesses in Thames Ditton to come and join - corporate membership? Leaflet drop?? Posters in library, station, surgeries, local school children. Invite Paul McManus from Esher News & Mail to come and have a few hits with Ollie and get a great piece about it in local press.
• Banner advertising on the club itself.

Employ a high-performance coach.

• Employ one or more high-performance tennis coaches

Improve playing standards.

• Raise the general standard of play, so that newcomers who can play tennis will know they will get a decent game. Also, the better the standard of play, the more that long-standing members will come down to play. The club will look busy and therefore appeal to newcomers.
• Better teams.

Timing of lessons

• Ensure that, during the first year of membership, lessons are on offer all year round—not just private, as not all of us can afford it. As I found, the only lesson offered after end of summer for beginners was at either 2 or 3 pm on a Saturday. Sorry but as a mum or dad, it is not a good time. I was not able to book and as a result I have paid 1 year's membership, paid for some lessons and, as a result of not being good enough and not experienced enough, I have not played at club since October 2006. Not good since paid one year's membership.

Make it easier for new members to break into the established players' circles.

• A ladder system. The club feels very cliquey when you first join. Colets squash club is bigger but feels much easier to break into and play some games.

Promotional ideas

• Join for the first month free. If you don't like it, then leave without having to pay for membership. If they want to stay, they can pay for 11/12th. Just a thought anyway. It doesn't cost anything to the club to get more bods on court this way.
• What about a group discount? eg join with three friends and only pay for three in total.

Change the fee structure. Reduce fees.

• Reduced rates for families would help because a single person joining is one thing, but when you are paying for four people it can be quite a bit of money.
• Lower fees to compete with local clubs.

Financial terms

• Payment by direct debit, perhaps monthly or even yearly. Monthly helps with the cost and does create inertia so people might be less inclined to leave the club.

Target lovers of other sports.

• Target Hockey players by joint approaches to for example Surbiton HC who have 300+ juniors. What do they and their parents do? They are clearly sport inclined and form the next generation and family prospects if their parents get involved.

Increased links to the local community.

• Links with local schools

(Tiresomely anonymous)

• Yes, plenty [ask me].