FROM PETER APOSTOLOPOULOS, CLUBS SA CEO

PETER APOSTOLOPOULOS | CLUBS SA CEO

Very different challenges confronted South Australian licensed sporting and community Clubs this year as compared to the previous two and half years of which COVID dominated all decision making processes and consequent activities.

People have returned to their Clubs in droves, however many paid workers and also volunteers had left the industry to pursue other interests.

Clubs SA Members also became more familiar with the online technologies introduced during COVID. Despite this, we never forgot the need to continue providing personalised, specialist advice either “face to face” or via the phone should a Member prefer this approach.

As testament to the above, Membership continues to remain exceptionally high and the Association continues to be in an extremely sound position, both financially and reputationally.

After almost nine years in the role as Clubs SA and Clubsafe CEO, Mike Penfold moved on from both roles in September and handed the reins over to me to lead the Association and its Member Clubs through its next important phase

This new phase includes a number of significant initiatives such as:

Following a major reform of the Association’s legislation by the State Government in 2024,

Clubs SA will deliver its Club Development Program to its Members which will include everything that relates to good Club governance. Topics such as how to conduct compliant and efficient committee meetings, how to draft and adopt a great constitution, understanding Club finances and how to best handle Club disputes are just a few of the topics that will be made available to our Members in easily understood and practical detail; This will lead to increasing and improving the array of services, resources and information to our Members; and Embark on an innovative, digital transformation that will keep us moving forwards, ensuring we remain connected to our Clubs, their needs and wants and are better able to react to changing market conditions.

Finally, my sincere gratitude to our loyal Members and supportive Partners, enabling us at Clubs SA to fulfill our roles. Special thanks to the dedicated Clubs SA and Club Safe staff who achieve remarkable results with limited resources I am genuinely thankful for the board's trust in my appointment and encourage all members and corporate partners to freely reach out to me Your input, ideas, and concerns are invaluable to our collective success, and I am here to listen and collaborate toward realising our vision for Clubs SA

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous 2024