From the Committee

This month, the Committee has been explaining to members - through talks at the club and information on the website - the key challenge facing our club, namely our future Clubhouse.

The Committee’s decision to prioritise adding additional money to our annual surplus, for the purpose of being well prepared for the future, has received broad support.

The Committee is reviewing the Club’s finances to identify ways to raise money or save money, without taking away from the enjoyment of the game or the friendly experience of playing bridge at our Club. The initial measure of withdrawing winner’s tickets was supported by the majority as an effective first step to adding to our reserves - saving $24,000 a year.

I would like to thank all those of you who have made suggestions for how else we can increase our reserves. All these suggestions will be considered carefully and we welcome any ideas that you have. Please address them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I would like to clarify some issues which have surfaced from members’ feedback.

1. The Clubhouse - we lease the Clubhouse from Northern Beaches Council - we do not own it. At the end of the 21 year lease, a new arrangement will be needed. The Council are obliged to present us with options in 2019, 2 years before the current lease expires.

2. Relationship with Council - over the last 20 years, the Council has been forced to become more commercial in its dealings with community organisations - money, land, facilities are all under a great deal more strain. Their current default approach is for shared use of community spaces, something that would be a major problem for us. They also likely to require far higher rent levels than we have enjoyed. Whilst we hope the Council will present the Club with an attractive option, there are no guarantees, and so we need to be prepared for a range of options. Having a larger amount of savings in the bank is central to being prepared.

3. Bridge Education - the Club has always maintained a commitment to education and will continue to do so.

a. Bridge Education contributes enormously to the financial well-being of the Club.

The Peninsula Bridge Education team deliver lessons with professionalism and enthusiasm which has driven much of the Club’s growth. The lessons are priced to be comparable with other clubs and are an income source, not an expense to the club.

Each new member that joins the club from the beginner lessons is a valued and valuable addition.

As the ABF states: “they are the lifeblood of our sport”:

Attracting and retaining new people to our sport is essential if we are to achieve our organisational vision. It is our core business.

Apart from developing new players to compete in our club sessions and tournaments, consider the implications of what happens to your club financially, over a period of one year, when you gain a single new member:

b. Bridge Education is essential to the Club’s survival

Attracting and retaining new members is essential to any club as without this continual renewal, a Bridge Club dies.

Let us consider the top 30 clubs in Australia:

• From 2017-2018, 29 of the 30, including Peninsula, declined in numbers - Ballina Bridge Club was the sole club to increase its membership, from 250 to 264 members
• Of the top 10 biggest clubs, membership declined in all 10 clubs. Losses ranged from 30 to 150 members in one year - notably, Peninsula had the smallest drop in numbersDe

• All of these clubs have active Bridge Education teams - it is the only way bridge clubs survive. Attrition of numbers for a whole range of reasons makes continual renewal a necessity.

We are committed to preserving our club’s viability as a great place to play bridge, despite the current premises uncertainty.

We will continue to keep you informed about any developments and news.

Happy bridging!

Sarah Young