WHAT PRIVATELY OWNED BRIDGE CLUBS WILL HAVE TO DO TO SURVIVE

Several questions arise when discussing today’s Bridge Club’s survivability.  What is causing them to fail? What can they do to avoid insolvency?  What is the attitude towards Bridge Club lifestyle by the next generation of players?  Just to mention a few. 
So why are bridge clubs losing members by the dozen in an aging society ?  For if the game of bridge appeals to older people then there must be a bigger market to aim today than ever before. So which generation needs to be targeted as the best potential market for new members ? Gimmicks or tricks are not certainly not going to work on the over 40 year olds for sure. There have been a number of initiatives put into place over the years to court younger members, but none have long lasting effects.  The solutions to Bridge Club survivability will come once committees see they have to change direction.

If clubs are to survive they will need to offer things the current and future members want or need.  How they do this is to take a look at the problems they currently have and not brush away what is not working until they understand why they are not working.  From that review will come the answer to the questions on what clubs will have to do to survive. When members’ attendance for instance starts to drop off , ask them why the bridge experience is losing its appeal.

So lets take a look at what some of the problems bridge clubs have that threaten their existence and where there are opportunities for change.

Aging Membership

It is true that many clubs failed fail miserably in marketing department given the limited resources and know how at their disposal. Recruitment to membership through putting on bridge classes seems to be their one and only marketing initiative.  For the most part fail to have a marketing plan and see no need for one ,  since they rely on their members to recruit new ones. That depends of course on members feeling positive and enthusiastic about their club . Word of mouth gave can be a powerful advertising medium , but equally negative comments can have a devastating effect.

If therefore the majority of elderly members , in the autumn of their life and having to leave the club for health or financial reasons,  is more than the current members and class teachers can recruit replacements from their network of students and friends , then a crisis looms large. Committees will be left with looking outside the box for the first time to fill their membership books.  This means the older establishment in charge of the club , so often stuck in their ways, must reach out further  to attract the younger generations to take up this wonderful game. But, will this solve their problems?

Aging Facilities

Many bridge clubs are very old buildings and need a tremendous investment to undertake the complete reconstruction of their infrastructure.  Why these clubs let their facilities get near dilapidation usually is based on a bad decisions by committees years before.  Of course, that ‘Stuck in their ways’ attitude comes up many times as a reason.

With a declining membership the funds needed to completely rebuild and refurbish clubhouses are just not going to be available.  This situation does not make recruiting younger members an easy task.

Debt Ridden

In the age of austerity, bridge clubs are sucking in the air of failing economies.  More donations are required along with new revenue streams and profit centres. The facilities need to be put to additional or alternative uses. If club houses are privately owned then any spare room capacity could be rented out to other businesses,  clubs and societies.   For example yoga classes ( for all those bridge members who want to keep their bodies are supple as their minds  would be a very complimentary option. Moreover turning the club into a mind sports centre, which perhaps encourage those who are into chess, scrabble and war games to help expand the membership base.     All committees need to take a hard look at their options and get proactive by selling their club to a wider market , rather than throwing in the towel and allowing membership numbers to fall.

Boring

Bridge is and should always be promoted as a wonderfully addictive game , which has huge appeal and endless fascination for those who relish mental challenges and problem solving scenarios.     The game must never therefore be allowed to be used in the same sentence as boring.  This requires club administrators to instil a reasonable tempo in completing boards , and cracking down on serial slow players. When table movements are held up repeatedly by the same slow players , boredom and irritation quickly set in.   

Still, the loss of older members and the costs of infrastructure replacement will result in these troubled clubs becoming acutely aware of the importance of  recruiting new members , because adding more members will help balance the operations budget. 

So, what else is needed to place privately owned bridge clubs on a solid footing to cater for the next generation of bridge players?

Other Things That Might Work

1.   Rewards for members who introduce guests to the club, who then go on to join

2.   Discount subscriptions and table money for young members for the first three years

3.   Membership for the day , week , month and year

4.   Handicap competitions which give all pairs an equal chance of winning

5.   Breaking up of cliques and better integration of new members with older established ones

6.   Improved communication and a real open and transparent dialogue with members

7.   Listening to members and initiating changes they ask for

8.   Evolving an environment with promotes healthy , fair competition , lively social banter and a real sense of belonging

The solution to a club's survival stands on meeting the next generations wants and needs and these wants and needs are based on their social wants and needs.  Private clubs need to look to helping the members improve their enjoyment of the facilities,   and to justify the cost of being a member by providing a deeper purpose of staying on as a member of that club.  The status quo has to be stopped and positive changes made in order to convince players that bridge has so much more to offer.