Communication between a sports club and its community is vital for several reasons. Firstly, it builds an awareness about the club and what it has to offer the community. This could lead to new members, new supporters, new sponsors, hiring of their facilities and the selling of events.

Secondly, communication can target specific groups of people or businesses with a specific offer. For example, families could be informed about summer schools or what the sport has to offer young people. It could also target businesses to inform them about sponsorship, advertising opportunities or CSR opportunities.

Finally, communication can build up the club’s reputation and this in turn will build up the morale within the club. It could be used to celebrate the club’s successes, acknowledge volunteers or in the case of social media, create a two-way communication between the club and its audience.

The following sections about building a Communications Plan are developed in detail in the PDFs available for download below:

• Key points to consider before a club develops a communication strategy
• Communication channels
  • The Website
  • Social Media and how to use it
  • Local Press
  • Email
• Building a Strategy