Special Recent Posts
Club Development Conference a success!
April 16th, 2013
4 Topics – 1 Day – Unlimited potential for your sport – our first Club Development Conference Review! On Sunday the 14th April Sporting Advantage held our very first full day Club Development Conference in our well-equipped conference room at 5 Hamill St! We had a fantastic audience with attendees coming from Townsville, Charters Towers, Richmond and Mackay; and representing a variety of differ[...]
How good is your Governance?
April 2nd, 2013
Have you reviewed the governance standards at your club recently? Governance is the system by which your club or association is controlled. It is about how your club or association manages its resources to good effect for both members and stakeholders. The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has released new governance principles to improve the accountability of national sporting organisations.[...]
Come & visit our new office!
March 14th, 2013
Sporting Advantage is now fully operational at our new office in Garbutt. The office is located above The Coloured House at 5 Hamill St just past the Duckworth St roundabout. You can find Luke and Melissa working productively away behind door number 3. Our new office itself may be compact and windowless but we have a lot of amenities in the building to keep us entertained. The facilities in our[...]
Communicating with club members
March 4th, 2013
Different people prefer to receive their information in different ways. Communication throughout the club needs to be implemented in a variety of ways to ensure everyone receives the information they require, including: Website Newsletter Word of mouth Text message Social media Email Flyer Phone call Email and Newsletters Produce a regular newsletter to be emailed and ha[...]
Fundraising for Your Club
February 14th, 2013
Fundraising Tips and Tricks Do you need more cash to make a splash in your sport? You are not alone. Most sport clubs operate with limited finances and need to raise additional funds through fundraising, sponsorship or grants in order to run their club. Fundraising is traditionally the generation of funds to assist with specific projects, programs and infrastructure. In this blog we will discuss [...]
Volunteer Induction Day
January 31st, 2013
Volunteers are the lifeblood of sporting clubs - here are some tips to keeping them happy! Volunteering has taken on a more sophisticated role in organisations, requiring a serious commitment from both the volunteers and the organisation. It is important that once you recruit volunteers that they are properly inducted into the club. The purpose of induction is to ensure that volunteers feel wel[...]
Marketing & Promoting your Club
January 24th, 2013
All sport and recreation organisations undertake marketing, although they are often unaware that they are actually doing so. Informal marketing is what happens in the process of running your club, things like word of mouth, helpful committee members and the standards of your facilities. All of these things often happen naturally but it is important to compliment the informal marketing activities[...]
Sporting Grants for Women
January 24th, 2013
WOMEN IN SPORT ENTERPRISE FOUNDATION GRANTS The Program aims to activate the future of sport in Australia by increasing the number of women involved in the business of sport so that they may: participate in the business of sport at all levels from grassroots participation to management and the boardroom, and/or excel in sports performance spanning from state to international level. WH[...]
What Your Reflection Reckons
November 12th, 2012
Do you just brush your hair when you look in the mirror, or do you listen to the person looking back at you? So many of the challenges we face in life, achievements we accomplish, failures that set us back and awards that may come along, can only truly and honestly be evaluated within. No matter whether others compliment or criticise you, your own expectations and attitude will determine your p[...]
An Active Fun Christmas Staff Party
November 12th, 2012
Christmas staff parties can be an awkward creature, so here are some ideas where everyone can have fun, mix with each other, eat a bit, drink a bit, but not quite get to the point where people are getting their gear off and busting a move on the tables. Organise a ‘come and try’ afternoon with a local sporting club. Sailing, rifle shooting, broomball, outrigging, archery, bocce, the list is a[...]
Why Your Club Really Needs That Grant
October 12th, 2012
Just about every grant program out there now is extremely over subscribed, which means the competition for dollars is bordering on cut-throat. If you can't show why your club really needs the grant to run the project you want to run, you've got buckleys chance of being successful. So how are you going to ram home the need for your project in your grant application? Choice of Project You [...]
8 Steps to Sponsorship Success
June 28th, 2012
Sponsorship and sport go hand in hand. Sport needs the corporate dollars to survive and grow, whilst it's important for businesses to support their communities and associate their brand with a positive image. From a sporting club or community event's perspective, attracting sponsorship can be a challenging process. Following are 8 steps that can help you find and keep a range of sponsors. On[...]
5 Leadership Ingredients
June 27th, 2012
Leadership. Is this a quality we are born with or is it something we can develop? Either way, there are certainly specific traits that some of the worlds greatest leaders in both business and sport exude. Below we touch on 5 essential ingredients. This is by no means an exhaustive list, more of a one mix plain cake, rather than a double tiered sponge. Motivation There are a whole ran[...]
Finalist in the 2012 Young Business Achievement Awards
May 17th, 2012
I'm excited to let you know that I'm a finalist in the 2012 Young Business Achievement Awards for Business Person of the Year. It's hard to believe that Sporting Advantage is now over 3 years old. Creating a business and working for myself has always been something that’s intrigued me and without having completed any formal studies in business, has been a terrific challenge. We haven’t based [...]
Create Your Own 8 Week Office Racing Challenge
May 17th, 2012
There's nothing better for improving team morale than creating some friendly competition within the workplace. One way to do this is to create an 8 week challenge where teams participate against each other in a simulated race around Australia. Here's how you can do it: Obtain a map of Australia and work out the route your teams will follow to cover the whole country Work out the distances [...]
Health Check Your Business
March 20th, 2012
A healthy and positive workplace atmosphere without doubt creates a much more productive environment. Being able to have fun with your colleagues, interact with them socially outside the workplace and enjoy their company whilst working, will ensure people enjoy coming to work with an attitude that shows they feel responsible for more than their job and don't mope around saying they just work[...]
10 Ways to Motivate you to Exercise
March 1st, 2012
If I’m being brutally honest, I can say that I’m struggling for motivation to train at the moment. I’m still doing a few sessions a week, but the creative excuses are starting to flow thick and fast. Before this situation spirals out of control, I’m going back to the drawing board to work out how I’m going to pull myself out of this form slump. Here are 10 ways that I reckon will get anyone cra[...]
Are You a Winner or a Loser?
February 4th, 2012
Santa brought me some great books for Christmas. One is Richard Branson's Screw Business as Usual (awesome and super motivational!) and another is a collection of speeches from Australian sporting legends, like Sir Donald Bradman, John Bertrand and Nick Farr-Jones. It's got me thinking a lot, particularly about winning and losing. What constitutes being a winner? Success? Coming First? Ach[...]
7 Volunteering Secrets of Successful Clubs
January 26th, 2012
You can create a culture in your club that volunteering is enjoyable and a valuable opportunity. Did you know that the stats show people volunteer: To help others For personal satisfaction To do something worthwhile Fun Be with family and friends Social contact Meet new people To be active Gain work experience Learn new skills These are all brilliantly positive aspects, s[...]
In Sport and Business, There's No I in Team
January 4th, 2012
But there is an ‘e’ and an ‘m’, which means there is a ‘me’ in team! What’s the point of this mini anagram? To build a successful team, whether it’s in the workplace or in the sporting arena, we first need to focus on each individual and their capacity to fulfil their role within the team. We know when the North Queensland Cowboys play, Matt Scott is going to take the ball forward all game, Dal[...]
Let's Get Ready to Rummmmmm Ballllllllll
December 7th, 2011
Do you wrestle with your ‘health’ conscience each festive season, don’t want to ruin all that hard work you’ve put in through the year? Well, we all deserve a break and Christmas is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a couple of glasses of alcohol and a sweet treat or two. Which Christmas treats do you indulge in each year? My wife (aka admin manager) makes an impressive rum ball and they are m[...]
What you Must know when Planning for your Sport
November 29th, 2011
Without fail, every sporting club should have a plan of what they want to achieve. Ideally this would include the upcoming season (short term) and a few seasons down the track (long term). Here are some things to consider: Get as many different ideas from as many different people involved with the club as possible. This will give you different perspectives and hopefully some original ideas.[...]
5 Things to do in your Off Season
November 3rd, 2011
You’re in a club committee and you’re relieved the season’s finished. So why is 2012 going to be even better for your club than 2011? Because you’re going to run an eye over this list and start preparing now! Review and update the club’s strategic plan What has our club achieved this year, what projects still need to be started, where have things changed, where can we improve and how does this[...]
Going the Biff and Poor Sportsmanship in Sport?
October 20th, 2011
I just started playing in a social sports competition a few weeks ago. I played rugby league from the age of 5 to 30, so a bit of rough stuff doesn’t bother me, however, when I go along to have some fun with a few mates in a social sporting competition that’s predominantly non-contact and the opposition start the argy bargy which results in a very heated all-in push and shove that involved old bo[...]
How Richard Branson Inspired the NQ Corporate Carnival
August 14th, 2011
This is a little ditty about some of the quirkiness behind the scenes of the NQ Corporate Carnival to share the inspiration, thought processes and what was required to turn an idea into an event. Who’s Behind the Carnival? Sporting Advantage is a small business in Townsville that organises the Carnival, hence why it’s called the Sporting Advantage NQ Corporate Carnival and our name’s on pr[...]
Team Building - Learn to Play Noodle Hockey
July 25th, 2011
Want to do some team building, have a laugh with the crew in the office and whack a couple of big balls with a pool noodle? Learn how to play noodle hockey and all these dreams can come true. Watch Noodle Hockey in Action What you’ll need Two pool noodles – cut them in half to create 4 noodle hockey sticks 2 big balls (soft soccer balls or small beach balls are the go) 10 x markers 2 [...]
Tips to Write a Smokin' Grant Application
July 11th, 2011
The benefits of receiving a grant are as obvious as the nose on your face, it’s the writing of the grant application that is the challenge. Luckily, I’m sharing a few useful tips that will give you with the best chance of being successful! Be aware of what’s out there. Grant programs can pop up unannounced at any time, so be alert (not alarmed) and ready to strike. Read and understan[...]
A Fat Burning Friend Named Metabolism
June 30th, 2011
While you are sitting there, your body is churning up loads of energy you have eaten or stored as fat, via your metabolism. 60% of the energy your body uses each day is from your metabolism. In comparison, about 25% is from exercise. The best news of all is that there are a few things you can do that can actually increase your metabolism! Eating The easiest thing is to eat regular meals[...]
