1. Introduction

This paper is an abbreviated version of a Discussion paper and associated Action Plan that was put together during March from a number of strategy meetings held by the Club Committee during the winter months. These meetings looked at the sort of vision that the Club should have exploring its perceived Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

2. Why a Strategy?

Since the Club was founded by a group of enthusiasts in 1952 it has had its ups and downs and leasing of the land at Seaford in 1962, acquisition of the Piddinghoe Pond, the building of the Seaford Club House and additions to it and the Pond over the years, being incorporated as a Limited Company by guarantee in 1976 and receiving a lottery fund for improvements to the Banks and Launching facilities at Piddinghoe are just some of the significant milestones. The year 1999 has been an excellent one with increased Membership and Net Operating Profit, Champion Club recognition by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) as well as their choice for nomination as Sports Club of the Year. The Club has also operated a full and broad Training and Sailing Programme, and has a thriving Cadet section rewarded towards the end of last year by sponsorship from Volvo the motor dealers. The Cadets also represented the Club well at Regional and National sailing events.

It was the Management Committee view however that although the Club was in a reasonably healthy position in terms of finance and membership, there was much that could be done to utilise assets more fully, maximise revenues, improve facilities and develop the Club generally. In particular the need was seen to promote and involve the Club more with the local community. The Club felt therefore that a strategy was required that would support such a direction and its vision over the next 5 years of becoming "The Best Family Sailing Club in the UK", and that this strategy be encapsulated within an Action Plan.

3. Key Themes and Actions

The following summarises the key themes and Action Statements from the 12 page Strategy Document.

Club General

• Understand what our Competitors are delivering, and also what is happening generally in the Sailing World with consideration to providing (if it is a requirement of what the membership wants);
• Maintain the variety of interest in respect of the broad sailing capabilities that the Club offers by progressively improving with development plans in place;
• Seek mutual Business arrangements e.g. between the Camping & Caravan and Sailing areas perhaps with joint events, reciprocal arrangements;
• Develop Corporate Entertainment by carrying out pre-planning such as a layout of the day e.g. what to do in the way of sailing, food (barbecue), with contingencies for the Weather, and promote with local Businesses involving sponsors as appropriate;
• Progress closer links with Sea Containers, our Seaford Land Owners, obtaining more information e.g. strategy documents, future Business Plans, and hold formal meetings to discuss how we could help them to meet their objectives (on the Web Press Release for July 99) of Newhaven becoming "the" Leisure place in the South-East";
• Put in place contingency plans for other possible sites if a deal on Lease extension with Sea Containers was not possible;
• Ensure maintenance programmes are in place particularly for the upkeep of the Seaford Clubhouse with budget allocations against sectors and maintenance logs and with a preventative maintenance schedule and agreed priorities such as Safety, Structure, Winch, Seaford Ramp, etc;

• Explore availability of Government Training Licences linked to development plans for additional Training facilities for the Training School, supported by sufficient RYA approved Instructors, to expand the Training options and volumes on a partial or full commercial basis;
• Ensure sufficient RYA approved Instructors are maintained and made available through suitable programmes to sustain the Membership, and this to include greater publicity through Mainsheet or Web Site of the RYA scheme, the qualifications and the Instructors;
• Provide more Wind-Surfing Instructors and more active encouragement of Wind-Surfing at all events e.g. Sailing Week, seeking further advice e.g. RYA Development Officer, and to drive from the Management Committee more actively;
• Consider the introduction of formal and/or informal discussion with Members on individual requirements;

• Develop the image of the Club by promotion in terms of what it is and does, has achieved and where it is going, in the Towns, Councils, Schools, Colleges, Businesses and Sailing Associations;
• Establish a formal Club Web Site with initial structure and content and produce a development plan;
• Produce a Public Relations Plan and provide an annual Social Programme;
• Understand the RYA Club of the Year nomination and how it works, the criteria and how we came to be nominated, and to strive to get nominated again in following years;
• Build the relationship with the Volvo sponsors, keeping it on their Agenda, and maximising the advantages equally to both;
• Explore further sponsorship relationships with the RYA and with local Businesses, Millennium Funds, Council and the availability of the Processes and Development Plans to realise any such funding;
• Enhance the Mainsheet supported by an appropriate Budget bid together with an implementation plan with identified linkages e.g. Web Site, Public Relations and encourage members to write about events;
• Identify funding sources e.g. Companies, Suitable topics include Sailability, Training Room at Piddinghoe;

• Develop Sailability ensuring that it is represented fully with dedicated resource;
• Form and develop close links within the community with such Organisations as the Scouts, Colleges, Schools, and the Disabled;

• Improve liaison with other Federation Clubs either through existing links and/or other ways identified e.g. hosting of Lectures, Films, broadening out to include Schools, Colleges, etc;
• Ensure Open Meetings are more efficiently organised with much more pre-planning e.g. sub-committee, and perhaps dedicated teams in place;
• Develop an Offshore Cruising Section (used to be one), affiliation with the Marina Yacht Club and the community who use the Marina generally encouraging reciprocal activities;
• Give greater encouragement to the introduction of people to the Sea with more specialist days e.g. like the recent expeditions, and also to analyse more the people who sail only at Piddinghoe;

• Understand the Membership more by enhancement and visibility of the Membership Database (taking account of the Data Protection Act appropriately);
• Understand the membership more (non - Cadet) in respect of what their requirements are and in particular (by survey) of where past members were going and why people joined and produce a development plan to address;
• Allocate Management Committee responsibility, perhaps on a rota basis, for new Members within a particular month and carry out New Member meetings, reviewing and revamping the Welcome Pack and consider other items;

• Sustain sufficient Parent involvement in the Cadets through advertising, recruitment and training;
• Understand Cadet requirements more, improve Social activities for them, evolve Cadet communication mediums such as the Web, promote the Club to improve its image in Local Colleges;
• Understand the linkage of Cadet to Family membership and establish why this was a perceived threat to membership base enabling the capability to influence;
• Constantly review Cadet Training plans to ensure sufficient skilled people (other then RYA Instructors), are available to ensure that the load is spread and that there is sufficient support through Refresher Courses, Handbooks, and regular Briefings;

• Continue the existing competent financial control through the Management Structure;
• Establish how all current sources of income e.g. Bar, Grants, Membership Fees, Sailing School, Open Events, can be maximised including investments as well as other possible sources of income that could be exploited;

• Pursue a policy of maintaining and reviewing annually Safety Policies and for Power Boats there should also be regular briefings and Checklists including "Kit of Parts" to ensure everything in place;
• Consider an independent Audit and responsibility for Safety Policies;

Work is already underway to realise some of the strategy statements and the Club Management Committee formally seeks endorsement of the Strategy which, we believe, supports the Club Vision of becoming "The Best Family Sailing Club in the UK" . The new Committee will need to agree prioritisation of the Actions e.g. Long of Short Term, and allocate to individuals for realisation over the next 5 years.

approved by AGM 6th May 2000