Just wondering what typical membership fees are for the many clubs out there, and what the members get back for their money (I'm not just thinking about the typical readers of this forum - also novices who join for some coaching / star awards, or youngsters.)
We have recently had a discussion amongst some of the club about fees, with some suggestions about putting them up to raise more money. However, put them up too mich and people will not bother joining. We're a small club, and our biggest expense is our pool sessions through the winter. We don't always have enough attendees at the pool to break even, and at the moment no formal programme of tuition for the many novices who do turn up (often never to be seen again once we move outside in Spring)
Do you have a policy for non-members (eg, attend for "x" weeks then you are expected to join)?
If I knew what other clubs were charging & offering, I'd have more of a feel as to what is reasonable.
Ta
Steve
Club membership - fees & benefits
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twopigs
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There is something about letting non-members only have 3 taster sessions before you - as a club - fall foul of some legislation requiring an AALA licence......
We halved our membership fees £30 to £15 for adult members (non-BCU) about two years ago - the increase in membership was hardly noticeable. BCU members pay a little less as there is no capitation fee for the club to pay to the BCU (or it is reduced.) Most of our BCU members are coaches so contribute more than their fair share to the club in terms of time and expertise.
We halved our membership fees £30 to £15 for adult members (non-BCU) about two years ago - the increase in membership was hardly noticeable. BCU members pay a little less as there is no capitation fee for the club to pay to the BCU (or it is reduced.) Most of our BCU members are coaches so contribute more than their fair share to the club in terms of time and expertise.
Canoeing - bigger boat, broken paddle, more skill!
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Rick Foster
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Richard Uren
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Membership of Penzance Canoe Club runs from April to April.
The Club fees are:
Family: £35
Single Adult £25
Junior £15
We also charge £2 / session to hire equipment.
The Club fees are:
Family: £35
Single Adult £25
Junior £15
We also charge £2 / session to hire equipment.
PaddlecrestCoaching
It`s the journey that matters, not the destination
It`s the journey that matters, not the destination
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Adam Carey
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£20/12 for an adult/junior membership, £25 for a family. For that you get free use of the clubs equipment, insurance when at the club and on trips etc, and the biggest plus in my book is free tuition towards * awards. The club still charges a small fee for use of the river which it rents and also fees for the pool sessions it runs but these aren't a fortune. For me its worth it for the coaching alone as I took a 1* course before joining the club and payed £50 for the day, if I'd have known then I wouldn't have bothered.
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hhzoombird
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Hiya,
Most clubs charge an annual fee, and then on top of that, some charge for pool sessions, other sessions, and possibly, equipment hire. Personally, I think that's a good way to arrange things, but I would think that, because I belong to more than one club, and attend sessions of any one of those only occasionally, so I'd rather just pay for what I use.
One of our local clubs recently changed from a system of approx £15-£20 per year + £2/£3 per session, to an "all-in" system, where all pool sessions and outdoor sessions are included for around £45 for an individual and around £70 for a family.
This new system very much suits those members who attend often, and obviously, can be much cheaper that previously for families. I'd guess its also easier to administrate.
But it really doesn't suit those who are occasional users, e.g. folk who are only around some of the time, or belong to several clubs, or tend to just be around to attend the occasional river trip. So in some ways, that kind of policy restricts to a particular kind of user, albiet, ones active in weekly sessions, with families, focussed on one club......
Just wanting to flag up that the system you choose will influence what range of members you will keep.
Good luck deciding what level to charge at.
Most clubs charge an annual fee, and then on top of that, some charge for pool sessions, other sessions, and possibly, equipment hire. Personally, I think that's a good way to arrange things, but I would think that, because I belong to more than one club, and attend sessions of any one of those only occasionally, so I'd rather just pay for what I use.
One of our local clubs recently changed from a system of approx £15-£20 per year + £2/£3 per session, to an "all-in" system, where all pool sessions and outdoor sessions are included for around £45 for an individual and around £70 for a family.
This new system very much suits those members who attend often, and obviously, can be much cheaper that previously for families. I'd guess its also easier to administrate.
But it really doesn't suit those who are occasional users, e.g. folk who are only around some of the time, or belong to several clubs, or tend to just be around to attend the occasional river trip. So in some ways, that kind of policy restricts to a particular kind of user, albiet, ones active in weekly sessions, with families, focussed on one club......
Just wanting to flag up that the system you choose will influence what range of members you will keep.
Good luck deciding what level to charge at.
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TheKrikkitWars
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We charge about £25 a year for seniors and £11 for juniors, for this you get free transport and boat transport in the (currently unusable) club van, reduced session fees (£5 for members, £6 for bcu member visitors), a discount at HPP, tent space, cooked food and (depending on weather we need the cash to pay our pool fees) boat hire at selected events are always handy and the club will sponsor any member towards qualifications which will add value to the club.
ONE BLADE, ONE LOVE, [TOO] MANY PIES
Joshua Kelly
Joshua Kelly
Crikey, can I join? I live in the Midlands....bala boater wrote:Our club charges £20, for that you get free access on the tywerren, (usualy 7-14 pounds a pop) free access to bala lake (usualy £3 a pop) discounts are out local boating shop, and can go on courses at PYB for £10 a day if you can show that they will help you benifit the club.
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Rick Foster
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Dave @ TRC
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TheKrikkitWars
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Adrian Cooper
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Here in the South East, things seem to be a bit more expensive than elsewhere in the country although I always thought our club offered a good deal.
Adults 42.00
Juniors 23.00
Family 65.00
Boat store 19.00
For your membership we have a large ‘clubhouse’ chock full of equipment for the free use of members. We have everything to get you on the water in a range of different paddlesports.
There are no other charges and the club is right on the Thames. All club boats are licences for use on the river. The club and its members are affiliated to the BCU.
Courses are provided on a voluntary basis by members to members who pay a 27.00 fee although this is more to make sure people turn up than to cover costs.
We prefer people to join as full members and therefore make a ‘day visitors’ charge’ to discourage casual attendance.
The above is a significant saving on going to a local commercial centre for a weekend’s one star course.
I thought I should add that, year on year, we generally generate a surplus which has allowed us to carry out capital projects from time to time. The new piling and concrete apron to the river frontage was a significant cost as was recovering the clubhouse roof, both completed in the last five years. Any further surplus should be used to provide the club chairman with new boats each year in recognition of his hard work and dedication.
Adults 42.00
Juniors 23.00
Family 65.00
Boat store 19.00
For your membership we have a large ‘clubhouse’ chock full of equipment for the free use of members. We have everything to get you on the water in a range of different paddlesports.
There are no other charges and the club is right on the Thames. All club boats are licences for use on the river. The club and its members are affiliated to the BCU.
Courses are provided on a voluntary basis by members to members who pay a 27.00 fee although this is more to make sure people turn up than to cover costs.
We prefer people to join as full members and therefore make a ‘day visitors’ charge’ to discourage casual attendance.
The above is a significant saving on going to a local commercial centre for a weekend’s one star course.
I thought I should add that, year on year, we generally generate a surplus which has allowed us to carry out capital projects from time to time. The new piling and concrete apron to the river frontage was a significant cost as was recovering the clubhouse roof, both completed in the last five years. Any further surplus should be used to provide the club chairman with new boats each year in recognition of his hard work and dedication.
Last edited by Adrian Cooper on Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Jay Oram
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Membership at Barking and Dagenham Canoe club is:
£70 per annum for adult paddlers, storage of two boats all courses that benefit the club paid for and all training sessions free (marathon and sprint)
£10 for non-paddling 'friends of the club'
and after three sessions the children (under 18) get free membership because of the AALA licensing. They then pay £12.50 a month for all the adult opportunities and only pay for Certificates on top of that.
Hope that helps.
£70 per annum for adult paddlers, storage of two boats all courses that benefit the club paid for and all training sessions free (marathon and sprint)
£10 for non-paddling 'friends of the club'
and after three sessions the children (under 18) get free membership because of the AALA licensing. They then pay £12.50 a month for all the adult opportunities and only pay for Certificates on top of that.
Hope that helps.
Thanks guys for all the replies.
I'm surprised at the range of fees. Particularly that clubs charge as much as £70 a year, although novices in our club could possibly pay a figure approaching that as we charge £30 to rent a boat and gear for the season. I guess this encourages people who want to keep paddling to start to build up their own gear. It also suits most of us who have our own kit.
We don't charge members for training or for awards. We charge for pool sessions in the winter (more for non-members), and mainly hope to break even on this, not always possible as we're a small club. Our fleet of boats is ageing and generally will need replacing bit by bit. Other costs are affiiations to the BCU & to Burrs, and the club also subsidises coaching courses. We don't have any premises and gear is scattered around members houses and the local pool.
All food for thought. Thanks again.
Steve
I'm surprised at the range of fees. Particularly that clubs charge as much as £70 a year, although novices in our club could possibly pay a figure approaching that as we charge £30 to rent a boat and gear for the season. I guess this encourages people who want to keep paddling to start to build up their own gear. It also suits most of us who have our own kit.
We don't charge members for training or for awards. We charge for pool sessions in the winter (more for non-members), and mainly hope to break even on this, not always possible as we're a small club. Our fleet of boats is ageing and generally will need replacing bit by bit. Other costs are affiiations to the BCU & to Burrs, and the club also subsidises coaching courses. We don't have any premises and gear is scattered around members houses and the local pool.
All food for thought. Thanks again.
Steve
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Eliza Dolittle
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Adrian Cooper
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Reading had the problem that they were one of the early clubs to get lottery funding for a brand spanking new clubhouse. being a racing club they were able to justify themselves to the Lottery. They now have a large rates bill they need to finance.
Our own 'clubhouse' is more akin to a 'shed'. We pay no rates since this is a concession to sports clubs by the local authority. In truth, we would probably not pay very much in the way of rates since we have a shiplap building with light and power, no water, no drains. I don't think you would call it 'habitable'.
Edit: Just in case there are any prospective members out there, the facilities are second to none. ;-)
Our own 'clubhouse' is more akin to a 'shed'. We pay no rates since this is a concession to sports clubs by the local authority. In truth, we would probably not pay very much in the way of rates since we have a shiplap building with light and power, no water, no drains. I don't think you would call it 'habitable'.
Edit: Just in case there are any prospective members out there, the facilities are second to none. ;-)
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Eliza Dolittle
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Yes I'll admit that Reading have a fabulous clubhouse, no parking though. Their race is held on the other side of the river in a field so they can park all the cars. Falcon at Oxford have a series of sheds though and they want £85 for membership. (Though is that because of the rowing club influence?)
On the subject of paying for courses how many of you know that some BCU regions will support grant applications for coaching courses by their members?
On the subject of paying for courses how many of you know that some BCU regions will support grant applications for coaching courses by their members?
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Adrian Cooper
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naefearjustbeer
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Our fees are as follows
Annual membership (adult) £12
Annual membership (concession) £6
Annual membership (family) £17.50
Weekly paddle session if using club equipment £2.
Your own equipment free
Pool session pay the normal swimming pool entrance charge.
I think if you go on coaching courses the club will pay part of course fee and then they can claim money back from the local sports council.
Annual membership (adult) £12
Annual membership (concession) £6
Annual membership (family) £17.50
Weekly paddle session if using club equipment £2.
Your own equipment free
Pool session pay the normal swimming pool entrance charge.
I think if you go on coaching courses the club will pay part of course fee and then they can claim money back from the local sports council.
Looking at our application form, Swaledale Outdoor Club seems to charge £19 individual or £28 joint, but these include any persons under 18 that you shelter. For that you get a programme of about nine different sports (each section has meets pretty much every weekend or midweek), a clubhouse and access to equipment for which a donation is requested (we are not allowed to hire equipment out, so the payment is 'voluntary') That runs up to about a tenner for a double sea kayak and all the bits and pieces for a weekend or £20 for a week. The equipment we have is a bit limited, in that it was intended for beginners who don't have their own boats. We have just been offered three more sea boats for free but are now panicing about where we can store them as two of them are too long for the store :-(
People are quite strongly _discouraged_ from joining until they have been out on a number of trips with the club. I don't think it is limited to three, although if you do more than a few with any one section of the club, it will get noticed and you'll start being hassled to join....
The club has a nice clubhouse with a bar and a music license, but no parking (except very briefly for loading/unloading). It's very family-orientated and great for doing one sport whilst dabbling in several others. I'm Canoe Section organiser, but dabble in caving, climbing, walking, cycling, mountain biking, skiing ... though mostly I regard the last few as solo sports. We run an annual Charity Event on the Swale in March and I urge you all to come and paddle in this wonderful and scenic part of the Dales :-)
If we run pool sessions (and we haven't for several years), we set a maximum number we can cope with, set a price which will cover the costs of hiring the pool and the lifeguard with about 80% of that maximum attendance and charge that per person. You must pay for all the sessions, whether or not you can attend them all, but you can send a 'deputy' in your place - all we are trying to do is ensure that we don't make a loss. Pool sessions are for individual practice in warm water - we do not offer coaching in the name of the club although some skills transfer inevitably takes place and advice is given. Individual members who are BCU coaches can offer instruction in their own name as they are insured for that themselves The reason we don't 'offer instruction in the name of the club' is arcane and historical and to do with our main (non-BCU) insurance covering all the club's activities..
Unfortunately, the club does not offer a childcare / baby sitting service - otherwise I would be paddling out to the Farne Islands right now. My wife's on the River Ure today and it's a bit big for our kiddies to play.
Andy
People are quite strongly _discouraged_ from joining until they have been out on a number of trips with the club. I don't think it is limited to three, although if you do more than a few with any one section of the club, it will get noticed and you'll start being hassled to join....
The club has a nice clubhouse with a bar and a music license, but no parking (except very briefly for loading/unloading). It's very family-orientated and great for doing one sport whilst dabbling in several others. I'm Canoe Section organiser, but dabble in caving, climbing, walking, cycling, mountain biking, skiing ... though mostly I regard the last few as solo sports. We run an annual Charity Event on the Swale in March and I urge you all to come and paddle in this wonderful and scenic part of the Dales :-)
If we run pool sessions (and we haven't for several years), we set a maximum number we can cope with, set a price which will cover the costs of hiring the pool and the lifeguard with about 80% of that maximum attendance and charge that per person. You must pay for all the sessions, whether or not you can attend them all, but you can send a 'deputy' in your place - all we are trying to do is ensure that we don't make a loss. Pool sessions are for individual practice in warm water - we do not offer coaching in the name of the club although some skills transfer inevitably takes place and advice is given. Individual members who are BCU coaches can offer instruction in their own name as they are insured for that themselves The reason we don't 'offer instruction in the name of the club' is arcane and historical and to do with our main (non-BCU) insurance covering all the club's activities..
Unfortunately, the club does not offer a childcare / baby sitting service - otherwise I would be paddling out to the Farne Islands right now. My wife's on the River Ure today and it's a bit big for our kiddies to play.
Andy