DRAFT - The Gap Pastime Club Strategic Plan – DRAFT
The Gap Pastime Club Strategic Plan – March 2010
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Table of Contents
1.0 Purpose of the Plan
1.1 Aim of the plan
1.2 Objectives of the plan
2.0 Existing planning documents
Review of previous planning and operational documents
2.1 Football Qld strategic plan
2.2 Industry review
2.2.1 Industry description and outlook
2.2.2 Trends
3.0 Organisation profile
3.1 Organisation overview
3.2 Membership
3.3 Competitions and affiliations
3.4 Mission statement
4.0 Operations
4.1 Location
4.2 Committee
4.3 Organisation structure
4.4 Legal information
5.0 Financial summary
5.1 Income
5.2 Expenditure
5.3 Profit/Loss
5.4 Balance sheet
5.5 Projections and opportunities
5.6 Sponsorship
5.7 Funding
6.0 Needs analysis
6.1 SWOT analysis
7.0 Key themes
7.1 Governance and administration
7.2 Facilities
7.3 Education, training and volunteers
7.4 Profile and participation
8.0 Action plan
9.0 Attachments
Lease
Audited accounts
Mixed junior coaches and managers’ manual
Women’s coaches and managers’ manual
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1.0 Purpose of the plan
Early in 2008, the management committee of The Gap Pastime Club (GPC) recognised the need to
establish a strategic plan to help guide the future development of the club. Shortly before this time,
the club had regained possession of its clubhouse and bar facility, which had been leased by a
separate entity for many years prior.
The management committee identified three broad goals that a strategic plan could help achieve: an
overall plan for the development of the clubhouse; identification and prioritisation of other
development needs of the club; and documentation of the operational requirements of the club.
This plan’s purpose is to draw those three over-arching objectives together into one document
which will serve as a blueprint for the club’s development over the next 2-5 years.
1.1 Aim of the plan
The Gap Pastime Club’s strategic plan aims to establish a single, unified vision for the club to follow.
It provides a structure to help decision making and prioritisation of tasks. It will allow the club to be
proactive about the future. It will be a constant point of reference to help provide continuity as the
make-up of the club’s committee changes over time.
Most importantly, it will be a living document, providing a focus for future development through
regular reviews.
This document aims to:
 Help guide the activities of the club;
 Provide a framework for the development of an action plan to help prioritise the
implementation of services at the club;
 Develop a master plan for the facilities at the club; and
 Establish an operational plan for junior teams at the club.
1.2 Objectives of the plan
 To conduct a review of the club’s operations to determine strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats;
 To set priorities for the development of the club’s facilities;
 To guide the club’s spending; and
 To develop a coordinated and strategic approach to facility development and planning based
on identified need.
2.0 Existing document review
The GPC has never had a strategic plan so there is no existing plan to review. Although the club has
enjoyed success in securing grants, there has been no overarching plan prioritising efforts and
ensuring the club progresses in an orderly manner. In preparation for this plan, the club drew up a
“Top 10 Priorities” document which is attached in the appendices to this document. This document
served as a discussion starter in the strategic planning process.
3.0 Organisation overview
3.1 Organisation profile
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The Gap Pastime Club is a football club catering for boys and girls from the age of 5 and men and
women from the age of 18. In January 2010, there were 759 players playing in more than 60 teams
placing it in the top third of clubs in the north of Brisbane ranked by player numbers.
3.2 Membership
The Club’s membership base has been steady for a number of years. The club is operating at
capacity in terms of the amount of field space available. Until this problem is overcome, the club
cannot cater for more footballers.
3.3 Competitions and affiliations
The club runs teams in competitions run by two bodies:
Football Brisbane; and
Queensland Lions Masters.
Junior and open age teams play in the Football Brisbane Juniors, Men’s and Women’s Competitions.
Men over 35 play in the Queensland Lions Football Club’s Queensland Masters Competition.
3.4 Mission statement
To provide a safe, friendly and inclusive environment for people to play football at a level that is
appropriate for them, whatever that level may be. To provide support, training and advice for
coaches, managers and parents to help create that environment.
Goals
 To provide an environment in which football is fun;
 To ensure the club provides a safe environment for all players;
 To improve the standard of coaching so that all players can achieve their potential;
 To cater for all levels of play from elite to socially-orientated;
 To promote the game of football;
 To play a positive role in the local community; and
 To continue to improve the standard of facilities at the club.
4.0 Operations
4.1 Location
Walton Bridge Reserve
25 Glenafric St, The Gap, 4061
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4.2 Committee
The 2010 committee:
Name
Col Brockbank
Stephanie McAvoy
Glenys Wilkinson
Elizabeth Musgrave
Stuart Watt
John Mullaney
Lee Gannon
Ty Marega
Noel Ainsworth
Trevor Hook
Position
President
Secretary
Treasurer
Women’s rep
Junior rep
4.3 Organisation structure
The GPC committee oversees the major operations of the club, including overarching policies and
infrastructure. The men’s, women’s and junior committees oversee the operations of their
respective sections. They report to the GPC committee.
4.4 Legal information
Incorporation No: 7897 (see attachment)
ABN: 49 372 554 480
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GST Status: Registered
Lease/ Tenure arrangements: Grounds are leased from the Brisbane City Council (see attachment)
Liquor Licence Permit No: 107563
5.0 Financial summary
The following section is a summary of the club’s financial situation derived from a review of the
club’s financial statements for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. It includes information on income,
expenditure, profit/loss, balance sheet as well as projections and opportunities for 2010. A copy of
the club’s most recent audited financial statements (year ending 31st December 2009) is included as
an attachment.
5.1 Income
2007: $349,155
2008: $344,945
2009: $616,690
5.2 Expenditure
2007: $227,606
2008: $223,342
2009: $394,667
5.3 Profit and loss
2007: $17,622
2008: $430
2009: $30,578
5.4 Balance sheet
2007: $35,761
2008: $36,191
2009: $66,869
5.5 Projections and opportunities
The club’s membership is expected to remain more or less constant. The club should continue to
access grant funding. There is also an opportunity for the club to increase the income produced by
the clubhouse facilities.
5.6 Sponsorship
The club is sponsored by these companies and individuals:
 In the Game Fitness and Training
 Red Lion Agencies
 The Gap Physiotherapy
 The Professionals, Arana Hills
 Prosdent Denture Clinic
 Rotary Club of Ashgrove
 Legends Display and Print
 HD Timbers
 Boon Enterprises
 Pizza Capers The Gap
 Heritage Building Society
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Market Direct Campers
BB Whitehouse Accounting
Enzed
Alex Gow Funerals
Queensland Gas Company
Baker and Staff Painters
Tyrepower The Gap
Suncorp Bank The Gap
Iceworks
Rode Pool Services
DQ Tiling
Woollam Constructions
5.7 Funding sources
The club has been successful in accessing grant monies since a concerted effort began in 2005 to
access these funds (see attached spreadsheet).
Funding has been received from these groups:
 Sport and Recreation Qld ($3,025)
 Brisbane City Council ($5,000)
 Gambling Community Benefit Fund ($11,722)
 Jupiter Casino Community Benefit Fund ($27,500)
 Brisbane City Council ($10,000)
 Federal Government ($47,376)
 Federal Government ($25,849)
 Gambling Community Benefit Fund ($19,000)
 Brisbane City Council ($55,000)
 Telstra ($1,000)
 Brisbane City Council ($165,000)
 Brisbane City Council ($5,000)
 Brisbane City Council ($6,800)
 Sport and Recreation Qld ($53,639)
 Brisbane City Council ($11,341)
 Sport and Recreation Qld ($4,400)
 Qld Government Disaster Relief ($27,500)
 Brisbane City Council ($5,500)
Funding bodies with programs appropriate to the club include:
 Qld state government
o Dept of Sport and Recreation
o Gambling Community Benefit Fund
o Jupiters Casino Community Benefit Fund
 Brisbane City Council
 Federal government
 Corporate programs
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6.0 SWOT analysis
The club undertook a SWOT analysis to identify needs. This aims to provide a snapshot of where the
club is now, and identify areas for the club to expand into in future. The SWOT analysis for the GPC
was been developed by the club’s management committee.
Strengths
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Dedicated and experienced core on the
committee
Proven capacity to secure grant funds
Stable financial position
Consistent membership numbers
Good relationships with government
stakeholders
Strong feeling of local community
Improving facilities
Good pitches
Access to the clubhouse
Capacity to raise revenue from existing
facilities
Weaknesses
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Too few people involved on the committee
Risk of burn-out for those who are involved
No land to expand into for training facilities
Lack of an operations manual, in particular
for the junior section
Canteen is poorly laid out. This is probably
affecting canteen takings
Opportunities
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Better use of website
Capacity to access
Popularity and growth of football
Potential for sponsorship growth among
local businesses
Membership base to draw volunteers from
Professional expertise among membership
Potential to improve facilities
Ability to access training in administrative
systems via Football Brisbane
Threats
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Ambition overstretches the abilities of those
at the club
Rising costs – eg, electricity
Economic factors affecting club members
Competition for grant funding
Changes in government
The amount of traffic on the fields will result
in them being worn out and therefore waste
the money spent on them
Changes in legislation
7.0 Key themes
A number of themes have emerged during the planning process.
7.1 Improvement of facilities
The club has significant facilities, especially the clubhouse and bar. These need to be managed and
improved over time. These priorities were identified:
 Planning for the expansion of the clubhouse;
 Ensure facilities meet council and governmental codes and standards;
 Change the layout of the canteen to give customers greater access and make better use of
the adjacent unused storage space;
 Ensure energy efficiency; and
 Maximise the capacity to use the grounds by expanding the use of floodlights.
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7.2 Grounds maintenance
The club has been successful in obtaining grant funds to improve the standard of its fields. These are
now among the best in Brisbane and represent one of the club’s greatest assets. They need to be
maintained and, if possible, improved further over time. These priorities were identified:
 Steps should be taken to manage the use of the fields, both in terms of training and games;
 A maintenance schedule should be established to look after the fields;
 Funds should be identified to purchase equipment to maintain the fields; and
 Funds should be put aside to repair the fields at the end of each football season.
7.3 Policy inconsistency
Because the club has struggled to recruit members to its management committee, the committee’s
entire resources have been consumed running the day to day operations of the club. This has left
little time to document policies, which has in turn led to policy inconsistency. These priorities were
identified:
 As a priority, a policy manual for the junior section of the club should be written;
 Manuals setting out the responsibilities of team managers should be written;
 The management committee should begin codifying its policies so they are clear, consistent
and can be tracked over time.
7.4 Volunteers
The club relies on volunteers and has had difficulty recruiting and retaining them. These priorities
were identified:
 Establish a clear set of roles and responsibilities for different committee positions;
 Ensure responsibilities for coaches and managers of junior teams are made clear; and
 Recognise and reward the efforts of volunteers.
7.5 Coaching
Although the club has made significant improvements in some areas of its operations in recent
years, the standard of coaching junior teams has not been a focus. This means young footballers are
not being taught the skills they need to maximise their potential. These priorities were identified:
 A junior director of coaching should be appointed;
 Coaching qualification benchmarks should be set for those aspiring to coach junior
competition teams; and
gAttempts should be made to encourage coaches at the club to complete Football
Queensland qualifications.
8.0 Action items
A number of action items have been identified and grouped according to the key themes the
strategic planning process has uncovered. The items have been prioritised high, medium or low.
Approximate costs and timeframes have been set against each.
Specific tasks have not been assigned to specific people. Instead, the GPC committee will assign
tasks over time.
8.1 Improvement of facilities
1. Sub-committee to plan for clubhouse extension
Given the expansion of the clubhouse is a real long-term aim of the club, a sub-committee should be
established to drive this process. This sub-committee could also ensure the club’s existing facilities
are maintained and meet with required codes and standards.
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Estimated cost: Nil
Timeframe: by end 2011
Responsibility of: GPC committee
Priority: High
2. Survey members about expansion of facilities
Now plans have been drawn up for the extension of the clubhouse, the club should survey members
to gauge the level of support for the plans.
Estimated cost: nil
Timeframe: by end 2012
Responsibility of: GPC committee
Priority: Low
3. Investigate installation of solar panels
With electricity prices rising, it would make sense for the club to try to reduce its power
consumption. This could be done via accessing a city council grant to install solar panels on the roof
of the clubhouse.
Estimated cost: $10,000
Timeframe: by end 2011
Responsibility of: GPC committee
Priority: Medium
4. Floodlighting review
The club needs to maximise the use of its fields. In order to use fields to maximum efficiency, all
areas need to be properly lit. An audit should be done to establish whether changes can be made to
the configuration of the floodlighting to aid in this.
Estimated cost: Nil
Timeframe: by end 2011
Responsibility of: Grounds sub-committee
Priority: Low
5. Canteen refurbishment
The canteen at the club should be refurbished to make better use of the space and create a more
customer-friendly layout.
Estimated cost: $20,000
Timeframe: by end 2010
Responsibility of: GPC committee
Priority: High
8.2 Grounds maintenance
1. New mower
The club should investigate purchasing a cylinder mower. Advice from the Suncorp Stadium
groundskeepers suggests this will improve the quality of the turf at the club, making it more robust.
Estimated cost: $30,000
Timeframe: by end 2011
Responsibility of: Grounds sub-committee
Priority: Medium
2. Ground repairs
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The club should contact turf contractor Twin View Turf to schedule end of season repairs each
September/October. This should include:
 Scarifying
 Aeration
 Fertilisation
 Re-turfing worn areas
 Levelling
Estimated cost: $20,000-$25,000 recurrent
Timeframe: every year ongoing
Responsibility of: Grounds sub-committee
Priority: High
3. Field use guidelines
The grounds sub-committee should develop a set of guidelines for use of the fields during training
sessions. This will then be distributed to all coaches.
Estimated cost: Nil
Timeframe: by end 2010
Responsibility of: Grounds sub-committee
Priority: High
8.3 Policy inconsistency
1. Junior section policy manual
Policies, rules and guidelines in the junior section exist only in the minds of longer-standing
committee members. They need to be put down on paper and communicated to members of
section so disputes can be handled in a transparent way. Until this is done, the junior section risks
being seen as having no credibility in handling disputes.
Estimated cost: Nil
Timeframe: end 2011
Responsibility of: Junior committee
Priority: High
2. Junior section managers manuals x 2
Managers of junior teams are among the most important volunteers at the club. At the moment,
they are given very little guidance in performing their tasks. Managers are given a briefing at the
start of the season and are then left to learn on the job. The club should write managers’ manuals
for both competition and non-competition teams.
Estimated cost: Nil
Timeframe: end 2011
Responsibility of: Junior committee
Priority: High
3. Club operations manual
Too many of the club’s policies and procedures are “understood” by long-standing committee
members, but have not been documented. As new members have joined the committee in recent
times, it has become clear this lack of clarity is causing confusion. Therefore, the club needs to
produce an operations manual to avoid ambiguity about how the club is run.
Estimated cost: Nil
Timeframe: end 2012
Responsibility of: GPC committee
Priority: Medium
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8.4 Volunteers
1. Management committee roles
It is difficult to attract new members to the management committee when there is a lack of clarity
about what is expected of people performing different roles. There is also the potential for confusion
about where one role ends and another begins on the committee. This could be alleviated by
drafting roles and responsibility documents for the different committee positions.
Estimated cost: Nil
Timeframe: end 2011
Responsibility of: GPC committee
Priority: Medium
2. Volunteer end of season function
Efforts of volunteers should be recognised more than they currently are. One way of achieving this
would be to organise a modest end of season function, providing limited drinks and snack food, for
volunteers, their partners and children.
Estimated cost: $1,000-$2,000 per year
Timeframe: end 2010
Responsibility of: GPC committee
Priority: Medium
8.5 Coaching
1. Appointment of a junior director of coaching
In order to establish a coordinated approach to coach education, the club needs to appoint a junior
director of coaching (JDOC). This position has been vacant at The Gap for several years.
Estimated cost: $10,000-$12,000 per year
Timeframe: end 2010
Responsibility of: Junior committee
Priority: High
2. Coaching qualification benchmarks
When appointed, the JDOC needs to decide the benchmarks (in terms of coaching qualifications)
required for teams in small-sided football and competition football at the club.
Estimated cost: Nil
Timeframe: end 2011
Responsibility of: JDOC/junior committee
Priority: Medium
3. Encouraging coaches to take coaching courses
In order to increase the number of junior coaches with qualifications, the club should pay half the
cost of officially sanctioned Football Queensland coaching courses.
Estimated cost: $1,000-$2,000 per year
Timeframe: end 2011
Responsibility of: Junior committee
Priority: Low
9.0 Attachments
1. The Gap Pastime Club master plan
2. Lease
3. Certificate of incorporation
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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Junior section policy manual (draft)
Junior section managers’ handbooks (draft)
The GPC master plan
Strategic plan – top 10 priorities
Membership breakdown 2007-2009
Grant applications 2005-2010
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The Gap Pastime Club
Membership Breakdown
2007
Total: 724
Juniors: 499
Senior men: 41
U18s: 19
O45s: 20
Total Men’s: 80
Senior women: 65
Junior women: 80
Total Women’s: 145
2008
Total: 699
Juniors: 478
Senior men: 49
U18s: 18
O45s: 18
Total Men’s: 85
Senior women: 53
Junior women: 83
Total Women’s: 136
2009
Total: 797
Juniors: 551
Senior men: 69
U18s: 17
O45s: 19
Total Men’s: 105
Senior women: 52
Junior women: 89
Total Women’s: 141
2010
Total: 759
Juniors: 493
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Senior men: 96
U18s: 32
O45s: 18
Total Men’s: 146
Senior women: 53
Junior women: 67
Total Women’s: 120
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