Club Insider Articles – First in a Series

Several years ago, a group called Future of Racquetball (the predecessor of the current Growing the Sport Advisory Group) created a series of six articles for publication in a long-standing newsletter produced by Justin Cates called Club Insider.

This series, written during the COVID time period, was a collaboration between the 20x40 Alliance entities (USA Racquetball and the U.S. Handball Association), two sport governing bodies with a common mission: to save courts. Club Insider content is positioned for facility owners and managers, so this was an approach to communicate with decision-makers who can keep courts intact for our sports as well as for perhaps other activities as well.

Currently, Manilla Athletics, supported by USA Racquetball, is expanding a program to develop Racquetball Program Coordinators. This is a much-needed practical endeavor to grow the sport AND to save courts by educating and training individuals to create win-wins, like junior programs, leagues, and tournaments, in their clubs. We can’t wait to watch the first national cohort swing into action! Contact erika@manillaathletics.com for more information.

The 20x40 Alliance continues to partner to this very day. All six Club Insider articles can be found on usaracquetball.com. Here’s the first one...for your reflection and action.

Greetings to Clubs and Fitness Facilities from “The Court People”
March 2021

Two logos appear here, and this letter represents our desire to work together and to partner with club/facility owners, managers, and employees, to create win-wins: increased profitability for your businesses and preservation of resources you offer that are vital to the survival of court sports, both indoors and outdoors. It really comes down to this: Handball and Racquetball (and others) need you, and we want to do our part to support you. What can we be doing to increase court play, in multiple variations, to justify court retention?

To state the obvious, during this unprecedented time of lockdowns and limitations, the threat to the fitness industry, including court sports, has never been greater. Court closures, sometimes presented as “repurposing,” are occurring at many locations. But while some estimates are predicting as much as a 50% cancellation in fitness memberships, court sports players, long known to be loyal members, will return in droves when they can be safely welcomed back.

After all­­––and especially when the weather keeps players inside for too many months of the year––courts are vital to keeping players doing what they love to do: compete, stay fit, and socialize.

Let’s recognize the elephant in the room...er, court. There are a number of articles out there pointing out the relative “ease” of converting courts to other uses, often making them no longer playable for the court sports for which they were originally intended.

So the challenge is court usage with that win-win outcome -- keeping them playable for handball, racquetball, paddleball, wallyball, etc., and giving back by making activities on the courts consistently profitable. The challenge is leveraging strategies to increase club memberships by developing programs targeted to a variety of activities geared toward families, fun, friendship, fitness...and increased long-term memberships.

“None of us is as good as all of us.” - Ray Kroc

To maximize court utilization, US Handball (USHA) Executive Director Matthew Krueger and USA Racquetball (USAR) Executive Director Mike Wedel, along with other leaders in sport, are endeavoring together to connect with yet more sports (as well as identify other unique and creative activities) that use the same 20 x 40 space in clubs. Here’s what they have to say:

Matthew Krueger offers, “Working collectively with club owners and managers, we can help bring more activity to the courts. Together, Handball and Racquetball will work to provide resources clubs can use to bring fitness, excitement, and profitability.”

Mike Wedel adds, “Whether played indoors or outdoors, court sports provide great ways to stay fit and connected with others over the span of many years of players’ lives. We are proud to collaborate with Handball to make a difference for facilities and their members.”

We begin by offering this...

Knowing that a robust court program with a universal and inclusive approach with other sports can result in a full and profitable schedule of court activities, we have developed court programming materials ready NOW for anyone and everyone who would like to use them to initiate a program or to supplement efforts already undertaken.

Please view the Court Programming section on the USA Racquetball website for information on how facilities can maximize the value of their racquetball courts through the use of a Court Programming Coordinator (CPC). The website includes an introductory presentation for facility owners and directors; a financial model that can be customized to a specific facility or situation; and a CPC Start-Up Manual. We would very much like to receive feedback on these materials as well as to hear about success stories that are out there to inspire others as they tackle the challenges of preserving courts profitably.

So, rather than committing to the next (perhaps expensive) fitness program du jour on the horizon, it might resonate in this time of austerity to experiment first with a fresh approach to utilizing court space in an ingenious and engaging way; to create a fun family dynamic that could well bring in neighbors and friends to get in on the action; and to explore how finding the right Court Programming Coordinator (skill + personality) can make a big difference to you. We stand ready as court sports organizations, together, to assist in every way we possibly can.

Do you have employees or volunteers who are coordinating court activities in your club? If you have successes or ideas to share, please contact us!