We are a small community run football club that has had great success over recent years. We have a strong and committed committee, with heaps of experience in the football world. We have amazing facilities and look forward to field upgrades shortly. We are surrounded by complimenting facilities including; a basketball stadium, world-class physio and swimming pool. We are with in a small town that has fantastic natural beauty and a great community spirit.

Our governing football body, North Coast Football, has created a clear pathway for smaller clubs to become a more professional outfits. The top-flight league, offered in our area, has recently combined with another league, making it a larger more visible competition. There is also the desire of the Australian top-flight to create a second division with promotion/relegation. The football club in Yamba is well located To grow into this space; amazing facilities, a go-to location for paid players, easy access to transport.

Depending on the desire and implementation of a professional club within Yamba, there is honestly the option for the club to grow and grow and grow. It is a true reality that the football club could be the professional Sports club that represents the community starting north of Newcastle and running right up to the Queensland border – essentially a million people.

The first, and most challenging, step would be the transition from community sports organisation to a professional body. There are two sides to this issue: what would be the commercial benefit/cost and how do we ensure the community still benefits from this new approach.

Addressing the commercial benefit is one of opportunity. Investment would be required to build a business plan, bring players to the area, market the club, improve administration

Implications commercially would be a running loss for the first 2 to 3 years but the opportunities would allow the club to be made profitable in a relatively short run

Those opportunities being:
– partnering with the basketball stadium and swimming pool to create and Academy like situation without the cost implications – leasing of the entire facility to create commercial opportunity; Including live music events and summer commercial activity.
– Utilising the attraction of Yamba as a destination to attract young players and focus on creating on cell opportunities for those players to Pyo grade and figure clubs.
– Entering a competition with this which is in its infancy allowing for greater success – re-visiting the club at an early stage To ensure that its focus is regional rather than local: this is not done by any other clubs in the area.
– Building a model from the ground up
Community ramifications include the need to connect the club not just within Yamba but initially the whole Clarence and then the entire Northcoast region. There is no ongoing issue with professional sportsmen– Particularly rugby league as the most popular sport in Australia – misbehaving and getting bad press. It would be crucial that the players have a focus on community delivery not just on field delivery. This could be links to old people‘s homes surf clubs and other sporting organisations. This would then link back to the marketing department to ensure positive community by. It would also be crucial for Community to have a sense of ownership. It would be recommended to investigate The German model of ownership which focuses on 50% community ownership this could be done through purchase of shares in lieu of sponsorship. The structure similar to community commercial clubs – the bowling club – with a electric board sitting above commercial ownership ownership.

The exciting element of this proposition is the potential. There is a potential for the club to reach a much larger organ audience. There is the potential for the club to be singular in its approach to football in Australia. There is potential for the development of an Academy, in a very different way. There is potential to reach a fan base that has no competition. There is potential to make money from this organisation.

If the football club were envisaged as youth focused, with Yamba becoming a training Academy – that develops young players into high quality professionals valued by their community. We would be creating Well rounded sportsman that would be appealing to many larger clubs. Young players bring with them energy and excitement in their brand of football but require slightly different management in developmental steaks. While the football club could start with its homeground in Yamba in the lower divisions there is full potential for the club to grow into a regional sense but keep Yamba as it’s centralised home base. This would allow us to tap into the regional audience while delivering connection for young people at a local level. The marketing potential of a young and exciting team is very powerful. We would also need to consider having agents based with the club.

The first step in all of this planning would be business planning in-depth and well defiant