Basket Case Clubs

Local politics plays a role in the delivery of sport and recreation services and facilities. We have to come to peace with that. Join Michael and Steve in this week's episode of Basket Case Clubs, where they address some Basket Case-y behaviour of Councils and the importance of Council officers pushing the right projects, while volunteers in clubs should commit to good project planning. This...

Where is your club’s line in the sand? Are you aware of the time and effort your club’s volunteers are putting in JUST to make ends meet? Whether it’s ensuring your clubhouse is up to scratch (i.e. not falling apart), or that your courts and fields are well maintained so that members are safe while playing their beloved sport, be sure to catch this episode of Basket Case Clubs where Michael and St...

In this episode of Basket Case Clubs, Michael and Steve discuss how to poach your jocks… This isn’t about washing your undies in hot water, but rather how school sporting associations in Brisbane have been dealing with athlete poaching between schools, and more importantly, how committee members need to bring their business smarts to their volunteer roles in sport.

Inspired by a question from a club volunteer, this week Michael and Steve got to wondering how many other club committee members ‘move’ and ‘second’ motions without even knowing what that means. How can good motions influence a good meeting? Why are they important? What does a motion even mean? Why does it need to be ‘seconded’? If you’re asking yourself any of these questions, tune in for this we...

Building sporting facilities on flood plains makes great sense… until it rains! And boy did it rain in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales on the weekend of 26 and 27 February 2022! The devastation caused by the floods really put a damper on what would otherwise have been another busy weekend of community sport. In the latest episode of CPR Group’s podcast, Basket Case Clubs, Michael...

In this episode of Basket Case Clubs, join Michael and Steve as they demonstrate the value of forming good partnerships with other clubs, Councils, and peak bodies. As a volunteer in a club or association, you may feel as though other clubs are your competitors, when in actual fact, they could be part of your support system! They are the people who could have been through exactly what you're...

In this episode of Basket Case Clubs, Michael and Steve investigate the ideal time for clubs to hold their AGM. The Connelly brothers bring with them as much knowledge as they do wit; this is certainly not an episode you will want to miss. Jump on and learn how to hit that AGM timing 'sweet spot'. 

In this episode, Michael and Steve delve into the importance of clear, unambiguous communication among committee members. They explore the similarities between committees and flight crews on commercial airliners, where, as they discover, too many disasters could have been avoided if everyone simply felt that they could speak up.

Governance is one of the most important aspects of being a successful club. In this episode of Basket Case Clubs, Michael and Steve delve deeper into the need for good governance within any organisation, and their top takeaways on how to avoid being stuck in the oh-so-common rut of "we can't change, this is how we've always done it". If you're feeling as though your club i...

The good thing about AGM’s for clubs is that they only come around once a year… unless you’re like Michael and Steve and get to go to AGM’s for lots of clubs, all year round. In this episode, the boys from Basket Case Clubs share some good advice for making sure that the AGM is not something to fear, but rather a productive transition from one committee to the next.

Sandgate Hawks Football Club thought  it was going to have to shut the doors, until the board decided to make a change. In this episode of Basket Case Clubs, listen to the interview with Hawks board members Chad Polinski and Des Warnock, where they discuss how they turned the club around. Chad, Des, Steve and Michael share some sound advice for other clubs that may find themselves in a similar pos...

In this particularly fiery episode, Michael and Steve get up on their Basket Case Clubs soap box to teach clubs how to spot a good deal when they have one, and more importantly, how to make the most of that deal to ensure their long-term success. 

In this episode of Basket Case Clubs, Steve shares the tale of some disgruntled golf club members who wanted to boot out the club's committee, who, in their opinion, were underperforming. While it's never a fun exercise, Steve and Michael discuss the process of removing committee members in line with the rules. Of course, with a bit more self-awareness, maybe tired committee members woul...

In this episode, Michael and Steve investigate the pitfalls that many clubs have fallen into, thinking that they can pay people for their help, but avoid paying tax, superannuation and WorkCover insurance. In many club's lives, there comes a time when there just aren't enough volunteers, so they decide to start paying for services. But rarely do clubs get it right, because instead of tak...

In this episode, Michael Connelly and Chris Kenward interview Rod Jackson, the president of the Bulimba Memorial Bowls and Community Club. The 'Bulimba Bowlo' was literally on the brink of folding and it seemed like the situation couldn't have been any worse, when all of a sudden, COVID-19 shut down the club completely! Rod shares how he and the committee led an incredible turnaroun...

In their first Basket Case Clubs episode for 2021, Michael and Steve explore the difficulties that Bush Lawyers can cause in clubs. You know the 'Bush Lawyer' type. They are those people in clubs who claim to know everything, regardless of their actual knowledge or professional experience, and use their sometimes limited, often incorrect, knowledge to undermine a club's progress. Bu...

In this episode of Basket Case Clubs, Michael and Steve simplify the process of preparing a strategic plan. The examples you'll find by Googling a 'sports club strategic plan template' will give you a place to write down some actions, but they won't inspire transformational improvements. A strategic plan should inspire! And for inspiration, you need 'emotional juice'....

Sports clubs often think that grants will save them from becoming basket cases. But as Michael and Steve explore in this episode, that's simply not how they work. The clubs that are most successful in getting grants, particularly the big ones, are the ones that look like they don't need them! They already run tight ships and so grant agencies are more willing to invest in them. Join Mich...

It makes perfect sense for field space to be shared, especially in metropolitan areas that are experiencing rapid urban sprawl. But how well it works in practice is sometimes not as effective as the theory. It could be 'season creep' causing clashes between traditional summer and winter sports, or challenges over field bookings for sports that share facilities in the one season. In this...

While the old, inner-south Brisbane suburb of Wellers Hill has all but been swallowed up, the local bowls club has become a thriving hub of the community. In this episode, Michael and CPR Group's Chris Kenward interview club president Richard Tanner, who shares the simple, but powerful steps the club has taken to not only survive in an environment where most other lawn bowls clubs are struggl...

In this episode, Michael and Steve get into the psychology of volunteers, and what makes some of them spend so much of their time fighting petty battles with each other. Why do people volunteer in the first place? And what do they really get out of the experience? There are some really easy steps that club volunteers can take to push through, so they can spend more time on value adding activities,...

In this episode, Michael and Steve shine a spotlight onto the question of relevance of each layer of the federated structure of sport in Australia, highlighting some of the difference between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. Do we really need state associations for sport and recreation activities that can be organised socially? How do we answer the question about why clubs have...

After 13 years without change, Queensland's Associations Incorporation Act 1981 has recently undergone a comprehensive review. The resulting Associations Incorporation and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2020 was passed by Queensland Parliament on 16 June 2020. Some of the approved changes bring the Act into line with other similar legislation around the country in terms of important fiduciar...

Understanding the Value Proposition of Community Sports Clubs

In this episode Juanita Paton, then President of BMX Queensland, joins us to talk all things BMX both on and off the track.