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Doncaster AC boomtime
DONCASTER Athletic Club has proved one of the success stories on the local sports scene since moving to the Keepmoat Stadium complex in January 2007.
"Since the opening of the new facilities the club has seen some phenomenal developments," said chairman Dave Lilley.
"There have been many benefits, but also many new challenges for the club to overcome, primarily resulting from the rapid scale of growth.
"The club is well in advance of where it expected to be at this stage, and finds it necessary to review its position in order to put together new strategic, and business development plans.
"The strategic plan summarises what the club hopes to achieve over the next five years, whereas the business development plan lays down how it intends to achieve these aims.
"It is the intention of this document to give Doncaster Athletic Club a focus for the next five years of its development and to give others an insight into the organisation's plans and activities over that period.
"This long-term plan will form the basis of all developments for the club. As such the document is not exhaustive, nor is it meant to be.
"It is intended that all major areas of development are covered, and that there is room for adaptation should additional elements be identified later.
"The document will be an evolving one and will be changed and updated to suit the ever-changing needs of the club and its members.The club's progress against these plans will be monitored regularly.
"The strategic plan provides the club with a framework and performs a number of key functions.
"It will signal to all members, and potential sponsors, the future aspirations of the club and identifies those areas which need particular attention during the planning period to help ensure continued success and development;
"It will assist the directors and members' committee with the management and operational planning activities of the club - including priority setting, resource allocation, performance and monitoring processes
"It will set goals and targets against which the club can report to its members and sponsors and investors.
"Membership has increased by 400 per cent in the last two years (from 120 to 600 members), not taking into account those who joined but did not remain members.
"The club has attracted a growing number of disabled athletes which complies with our desire to be an inclusive club
"Increased numbers have helped to make us more competitive and has resulted in on-track success, but this necessitates more coaches and extra equipment to satisfy the training requirements of growing numbers.
"There are further distances to travel, which means increased transport costs
"The facilities are far superior, safer and more attractive to prospective members than those at Hexthorpe and Stainforth. They also allow the club to host meetings, as opposed to always competing away from home.
"However, the clubs' growth has resulted in us having to purchase ever-increasing amounts of training and competition equipment.
"As such we now has insufficient storage space for the higher volumes of equipment we hold. This is creating a health and safety issue within the storage facility.
"The Stadium lacks an indoor training, or competition facility, adjacent to the outdoor track for winter training, or when conditions outdoor are unsuitable.
"This contributes to some younger members ceasing to train in the winter, and to them sometimes being lost to the sport altogether.
"The stadium lacks an adjacent social centre for members and parents of younger members to congregate and to keep warm whilst waiting for training to finish.
"Such a facility would be at the heart of the club, allowing everything else to function around it. Lack of such amenities can discourage parents from bringing their children to training.
"Current agreements with the Stadium Management Committee restrict the catering facilities that we are able to provide, both at training sessions and when we host meetings.
"This can discourage participation, and reflects badly upon the club, and the town, to visiting athletes who may have travelled a considerable distance to compete.
"A social centre could enable the needs of members, parents and visiting athletes to be catered for.
"Training for hammer throwers is restricted, due to the risk of damage to the playing surface or underground sprinkler systems, putting our throwers at a disadvantage to their opposition.
"Our coaching numbers have grown substantially at all levels allowing us, to date, to manage with the increase in membership and to provide bespoke training for "elite" athletes.
"However, the growth in the number of coaches needs to be maintained if it is to keep pace with the continuing growth in membership.
"The lack of a head coach has created issues concerning the coaching structure and coaching pathways.
"We have been extremely successful across most age groups, both in representing the club in team competition and as individual athletes. Our successful performances have been recognised by our opposing teams, and have been acknowledged by England Athletics. But we have struggled to attract athletes to compete in certain age and sex categories.
"The club is financially sound, generating sufficient income via membership fees, event hosting and the tuck shop, to meet its current overheads. However, we would need to look at funding if we wished to undertake any significant development projects.
"The current economic climate makes it difficult to attract sponsorship, and lack of time and resources makes it hard to source grant funding.
"The club office is too remote to use as a reception, with the makeshift reception area in the rear of the grandstand being open to the elements and lacking any facilities for filing or computerisation. This severely restricts the administrative service that we can provide.
"As volunteers carry out all roles, a lack of time and expertise in specialised functions sometimes produces results which are not as professional as we would desire.
"Our inability to present ourselves professionally to the "outside world" does not help with promoting the club to the public, or in attracting sponsors.
"Whilst our members socialise to a degree when training and competing, several factors have contributed towards a lack of development with regards to social aspects of the club.
"Catering for the social needs of athletes and parents has been perceived as not directly contributing towards the training, or results of athletes and, has, to date, been placed down the list of the club's priorities.
"Our vision is for the town of Doncaster to be as synonymous, in terms of sport, for athletics, as it is for horseracing, and football.
"We aim to maximise the opportunities and potential of all of its members, by providing the best possible facilities, equipment and development.
"The club is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity in sport for all, irrespective of gender, race, ability, disability or age.
"The club has a number of areas that we are currently concentrating upon. One is to provide a structured development pathway for club athletes by increasing the numbers, and the standard, of club coaches.
"This will enable the club to create an elite squad consisting of athletes acquiring a specific standard, and who show the desire to progress in the sport.
"Through the Doncaster Athletics Development Group, we are strengthening our ties with South Yorkshire Athletics Network, England Athletics, CADS, School Sports Partnerships, the Local Authority and SYSport.
"These associations will help the club to provide high calibre coaching at all levels and develop our ability to take our coaching resources into the community and to access funding streams.
"It will also help us to continue with our efforts to increase participation from minority sectors, and the disabled, as part of our 'Inclusivity' programme.
"Whilst membership numbers continue to grow, we have no demographic analysis of membership trends, other than total year-on year figures.
"Such statistics would assist us in identifying what we are doing well, or not so well, and thereby give us areas to focus upon going forward. It will, therefore, become a priority within the new plan.
"Lord Coe spoke of the London 2012 Olympics creating a "sporting legacy" for the country.
"Quality sports facilities will lead to participation passing on from generation to generation. That is especially true where those facilities are associated with producing successful sportsmen and women.
"Investment in athletic facilities is self-fulfilling.
Over the next five years, London 2012 and Glasgow 2014 (Commonwealth Games) will provide a catalyst to engage the community of Doncaster in sport and, in particular, athletics."It is imperative that the club acquires the assistance of the various funding partners at its disposal to maximise the potential that these "once in a lifetime" events will provide.
"Success would provide the club, and the larger community, with some of the leading facilities in the UK and ensure that it will have a thriving and healthy membership for years to come.
"Failure to seize this opportunity could result in the forward momentum being lost , and the club's membership falling into decline yet again, once the attraction of these unique events has passed."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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