IMPORTANT, please read! This could sound the death knell for many small clubs

[Nathan S]

Day memberships are fairly common at most closed-to-club events anyhow.

The more I think about it, the less real change this wil make.

[smartie]

the way i'm reading this is that for all these years we have been paying for a day licence and we did'nt need it ,  it sounds like.

smartie.

[Nathan S]

Doesn't mean anything for day licences.

[evo550]

I belong to a club that has a total of about 25 members with an annual membership fee of $22 and a race day fee of $10 and free practice......I don't know how we have survived this long
We have a 2 story club house, bar, toilet/shower facilities, fully shaded pit area (BIG), irrigation to the whole track at the flick of a switch and the club has run events up to a state title level.
We have some very smart people on board who access 10's of thousands of $$ in grant money each year (it's out there).
This new rule will only effect clubs who have sat back and relied on club memberships as a source of income. The obvious solution would be to charge non-members an extra $ 10 nomination fee on race day....join the club or pay more to ride....easy.

[Viper666]

evo550,

Looked into the grant situation but hit brick walls as we own our track & no one wants to put into a privately owned facility.

I know there are grants out there for us but I can't find them. Any help?

[steve234]

Pretty sure our club even paid a bloke to do some grant submissions and they were knocked back. There must be a trick to it. Or our track is located in a low economic area and they consider putting money into something that the majority can't afford doesn't stack up or something?

[evo550]

evo550,

Looked into the grant situation but hit brick walls as we own our track & no one wants to put into a privately owned facility.

I know there are grants out there for us but I can't find them. Any help?

Dept sport and recreation here in W.A.
Mcdonalds.
Bank west.
State lotto/gambling.
Check with your local council to see if they have a Club development officer, if they have one, and they're switched on they can be worth their weight in gold...and their free.
Although things might change if it's a privately owned facility.

[Nathan S]

evo550,

Looked into the grant situation but hit brick walls as we own our track & no one wants to put into a privately owned facility.

I know there are grants out there for us but I can't find them. Any help?

Make it about people/activities, rather than property.

Asking for $X,000 for earthworks is generally looked at quite differently to asking for $X,000 for junior development, or fluro vests, or first aid training, or...

Make it warm and fuzzy. And don't rule out stuff that the club was going to buy/pay for anyhow - if you get the grant for the essentials, it will free up money for the 'extras'.

[VMX247]

evo550,
Looked into the grant situation but hit brick walls as we own our track & no one wants to put into a privately owned facility.
I know there are grants out there for us but I can't find them. Any help?

Dept sport and recreation here in W.A.
Mcdonalds.
Bank west.
State lotto/gambling.
Check with your local council to see if they have a Club development officer, if they have one, and they're switched on they can be worth their weight in gold...and their free.
Although things might change if it's a privately owned facility.

Health Ways
Smarter than smoking
Drink free
any kind of grants that's health promoting.. good luck   

[nada]

Well, well, well....I could add some more damaging information to this, but for now will think about it.....BIG BROTHER is coming to town.

I must be the only one who wants to know your damaging info Davey?? and BB??? how do they plan to start that one?? Cameras at all venues? 

[evo550]

evo550,

Looked into the grant situation but hit brick walls as we own our track & no one wants to put into a privately owned facility.

I know there are grants out there for us but I can't find them. Any help?

Make it about people/activities, rather than property.

Asking for $X,000 for earthworks is generally looked at quite differently to asking for $X,000 for junior development, or fluro vests, or first aid training, or...

Make it warm and fuzzy. And don't rule out stuff that the club was going to buy/pay for anyhow - if you get the grant for the essentials, it will free up money for the 'extras'.

Spot on Nathan.
It also is worthwhile for the clubs to have some of it's own funds to contribute. It all depends on who you are going to for the grant, dealing with the govt for money is a whole lot harded than Macca's, but my limited experience with all this is, that's it's easier to get 3x$5000 grants then 1 x $15000. The buzz word is currently "multi purpose", so something that can do the same job as three of something else. You will struggle to get money for earthworks and would stand a much better chance of getting money for a bobcat instead. Much better bang for the grantee's buck...
Our local council has a $500 per annum "no questions asked" grant for sporting clubs....cash in hand, then up to $50k grants through out the year for sporting clubs.
Good luck with it all, my first port of call would be your local council to see if they have a Club/sports development officer and take it from there.

[Tex]

Information Bulletin: Club Membership
August 23, 2013

Motorcycling Australia (MA) wishes to advise that the MA Board will consider deferring the decision on removal of the compulsory club membership requirement for a period of 12 months while further consultation takes place.
It is currently compulsory to be a member of an affiliated club to be eligible to obtain or renew an MA competition licence. A decision was made at the June 2013 Board meeting to no longer make club membership compulsory from 2014.

The decision to make club membership optional for obtaining or renewing a licence was made to reduce the administration burden on both clubs and State Controlling Bodies. Furthermore, it would streamline the licence process for members as MA and the State Controlling Bodies move toward an online licensing system.

This procedural change was entirely aimed at making the process easier and more accessible that could result in increased members. Club viability would remain protected as clubs would continue to rightly insist on membership to participate in club/interclub competition. The majority of events are club based and the majority of participants would continue to compete in club events.

The MA Board will review and confirm its decision at the October 2013 Board meeting.

The decision will be open to public feedback until 30th September. Submit your feedback on this decision by sending to: [email protected]

[evo550]

Information Bulletin: Club Membership
August 23, 2013

Motorcycling Australia (MA) wishes to advise that the MA Board will consider deferring the decision on removal of the compulsory club membership requirement for a period of 12 months while further consultation takes place.
It is currently compulsory to be a member of an affiliated club to be eligible to obtain or renew an MA competition licence. A decision was made at the June 2013 Board meeting to no longer make club membership compulsory from 2014.

The decision to make club membership optional for obtaining or renewing a licence was made to reduce the administration burden on both clubs and State Controlling Bodies. Furthermore, it would streamline the licence process for members as MA and the State Controlling Bodies move toward an online licensing system.

This procedural change was entirely aimed at making the process easier and more accessible that could result in increased members. Club viability would remain protected as clubs would continue to rightly insist on membership to participate in club/interclub competition. The majority of events are club based and the majority of participants would continue to compete in club events.

The MA Board will review and confirm its decision at the October 2013 Board meeting.

The decision will be open to public feedback until 30th September. Submit your feedback on this decision by sending to: [email protected]

I can't really see how it will change anything, you will still need to be a club member the second you go to use that new license at a race day, so it shouldn't effect the clubs membership base at all.
It will help the club sec who has to run around for members who can't get their shit together.

[Viper666]

MA have now put the decision on hold, for now.

[Freakshow]

BEst idea i ever seen.  IF a club cant attract its own memebrs through running propper days then having racers having to join there shitbox club to get a licnece sign off is a joke.   its why we are all in such a shit IMHO.   If many clube keep using this bullshit line that the racers have to join our clubs so the rank and file stay then the club  is on borrowed time.

I am yet to see or hear one logical and resonable reason that you shold have to be a club member to have a MA license.  IF a club held a decent home calender and track days on a regular basis as closed to club then they could infact charge $10 a day extra for non club memeber etc being equal to the amount they thought they deserved from forcing racers to join just to get there licence.  This would ensure more ridses, more efforts and more incentives for clubs to hold events.  THe whole point of not having to be a member somewhere is that you can make the licences electronic, online payments, update, restrcition, medical clearances and so on in real time, all from the confort of you PC rather than having to wait for you club to sign your shit, for the rac sec to check all the stuff on the day and for you not to have to wait 3 weeks  for your SCB to take your money and print our a 2 min card without your photo on it, that will keep no history of the events you attended or the sports you enter.    Having to get a license because you are a member of some poxy club is a total waste of time or effort.