Wesley Vale Football Club Editorial - Ghost writing

Getting guys on the park is an issue for every club. At the Vale we have found that this season having consistent teams each week has been a problem and across all sport clubs are struggling with player numbers.

It’s not like the good old days anymore with cricket in the summer and footy in the winter for most country players. There is now so many ways to exercise individually or part of a team that players are choosing which suits them best.

Of course, we can’t argue with family time and financial circumstances impacting availability and at Wesley Vale we will never begrudge anyone who needs to put their family or work first when deciding if they can pull on the colours each weekend.

So, how do we counter this rise of other things and a drop in numbers that has seen one club drop out and other challenged to find bodies?

Culture is the key.

Each club will claim to have a good culture, and rightly so as each club is proud of what it is doing and trying to attract players, supporters and, super importantly, volunteers to join.

The secret is cultural fit when recruiting.

When looking for a new full forward, ruck or whoever, how will that person fit into a group of mates who may have been playing and socialising together for, well, more than 25 years in some cases?

The idea of a cultural fit comes from a human resources angle where companies are starting to look at the person as a whole, not just a cover letter and resume.

Does this person fit with out goals as an organisation?

Does this person have a stabilising or destabilizing reputation?

Does this person fit within the ethos of our organisation, whatever that may be (win at all costs, high participation, club focused, party animal etc.)?

For clubs to be sustainable on and off the field, some 75 players are needed on the books and at Pipers Park we pride ourselves on being a club that is welcoming and competitive.

Each club goes through it’s struggles and these are not isolated to footy, but by recruiting the best cultured coaches, players and attracting like-minded volunteers, clubs can unite and not only survive, but thrive in a very competitive market for bums on seats and bodies in shirts.