England Netball has appointed Knight Kavanagh & Page to review its membership and affiliation categories, structures and benefits.
The governing body for England's biggest female team sport, England Netball is keen to maximise the opportunities detailed in its Whole Sport Plan (2009-13) to modernise the image of the game and capitalise to develop.
In recent years it has worked hard to improve internal systems and processes and will be working with KKP to consider more radical options to facilitate its ambitious growth targets. A core element of this review is to capture a detailed understanding of the sport's target audiences; evaluating data and management information needs and processes, as well as motivations and, more importantly, barriers.
England Netball has a large potential membership base with its current membership statistics of around 70,000. Junior netballers are also a prime audience that could be engaged further based upon the high levels of school-based activity. The Youth Sport Trust reports that more than 170,000 young people aged 11-15 participate in netball regularly outside school.
In the current sports market, a customer driven approach is needed to ensure that the needs of different types of members/potential members are met. Tiered product approaches (ranging from entry level, basic membership to full membership) targeted at different audiences (adults, juniors, clubs) can not only maximise potential resource but also provide a catchment pathway to improved list creation and management.
KKP's review will incorporate:
- Assessment of current membership structures, categories and their associated benefits.
- Research and comparison with other NGBs and membership organisations, in the UK and further afield.
- Consideration of new and developing programmes such as Back to Netball and New Games, New Markets.
Paul Smith, Director of Finance and Business Services at England Netball commissioned KKP to deliver this review. He said,
"It was clear from KKP's proposal that John and his team would offer us something more and yet still work to our very tight timescales. Not only do they have a clear understanding of our sport but they can apply an extensive knowledge of other sports and membership driven organisations to make objective comparisons and realistic recommendations."
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