Returning to sport after a COVID-19 shutdown: understanding the challenges facing community sport clubs

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of participants and the CSCs they represented.

Characteristic	N	%
Gender
Male	27	47%
Female	30	53%
Age
18 − 24 years	2	3%
25 − 34 years	3	5%
35 − 44 years	12	21%
45 − 54 years	21	37%
55 − 64 years	10	18%
65 − 74 years	6	11%
75 years or older	3	5%
Role at sport club
President	35	61%
Secretary	16	28%
Other^a	6	10%
Length of time in the role
<1 year	6	10%
1 − 2 years	14	25%
3 − 4 years	12	21%
5+ years	25	44%
Sport club location
Metropolitan Melbourne	40	70%
Regional/rural Victoria	17	30%
Sport competitive season
Winter	10	17%
Summer	16	28%
Year-round	31	54%
Type of venue
Indoor	9	16%
Outdoor	37	65%
Indoor & outdoor	11	19%
Type of sport offered at club
Individual sport^b	18	32%
Small team sport^c	11	19%
Large team sport^d	28	49%
Size of club
<100 playing members	17	23%
100 − 200 playing members	16	28%
>200 playing members	24	42%
Type of playing members
Junior playing participants only	2	3%
Junior & senior participants	50	88%
Senior participants only	5	9%

Notes: ^a(e.g. Vice-president, Club manager, etc.); ^b(e.g. tennis, golf); ^c<10 participants per team (e.g. netball, basketball); ^d≥10 participants per team (e.g. football, Australian football, and rugby).

Table 2. Challenges facing CSCs as they return to operations post-COVID-19 shutdown (by cluster and in order of mean impact rating).

Focus Area (cluster)		Bridging score^b	Mean rating^c		Go-zone^a
Challenge (statement)			Impact	Ability/Capacity
1. Managing additional demands on volunteers		0.62	3.94	3.53
30	… the pressure on volunteers to be responsible for the safety (hygiene, social distancing, and cleaning) of its members (players/athletes, coaches, officials, etc.) and the public in attendance	0.50	4.29	3.45	1
46	… additional demand on club leadership/administrators e.g. supervision/monitoring, calling participants/volunteers, documentation, and record keeping (names and numbers of those in attendance at training/competition, etc.) for tracking purposes	0.54	4.24	3.71	1
19	… retaining volunteers when the ask has doubled	0.67	3.96	3.20	2
35	… maintaining a positive club environment, when people might be anxious, whilst trying to secure the club’s ongoing sustainability	0.89	3.92	3.73	1
32	… maintaining club momentum and relevance	1.00	3.84	3.69	1
5	… finding and training consistent volunteers and support to ensure all COVID guidelines are adhered to (e.g. enhanced hygiene, equipment and protocol cleaning, social distancing, etc.)	0.41	3.84	3.61	1
42	… putting volunteers at risk	0.38	3.82	3.57	1
48	… impact on future volunteer recruitment given people (e.g. parents/spectators) can't hang around now	0.59	3.63	3.29	2
2. Maintaining club culture		0.67	3.44	3.43
17	… creating a community club when there is a need to keep people apart (social distancing)	0.69	3.73	3.63	1
36	… maintaining the strong culture of our club without the potential ability to host functions or have spectators at any of our games/competition	0.75	3.65	3.37	2
49	… club culture change from “social” to “get in, train, get out”	0.69	3.57	3.51	1
59	… apathy (buy-in) of participating and non-participating members towards the regulations (e.g. hygiene and social distancing)	0.49	3.47	3.41	1
64	… maintaining good social relationships with other clubs/athletes within our association/league/competition	0.71	2.78	3.24	4
3. Implementing health protocols		0.41	3.40	3.49
24	… ensuring everyone (players/athletes, volunteers, administrators, spectators, opposing teams, the general public, etc.) understands and adheres to the guidelines, policies and procedures put in place to ensure safety	0.39	4.18	3.86	1
67	… continually monitoring department of health advice and adherence to changing government (local council, state, and federal) restrictions – future changes to restrictions are unknown	0.42	3.96	3.76	1
31	… effectively educating and communicating changing information to all members (players/athletes, coaches, officials, etc.)	0.45	3.86	3.88	1
18	… managing and sanitising multiple sets of equipment and surfaces is unsustainable for volunteers	0.35	3.82	3.67	1
66	… implementing COVID safe practices while managing people who need medical attention (e.g. through injury)	0.36	3.24	3.57	3
44	… managing different guidelines for different groups (juniors vs. seniors vs. people who are high risk)	0.47	2.84	3.31	4
6	… managing game/competition tactics where bodily fluid is likely (e.g. saliva to shine/clean equipment; players spitting)	0.41	2.73	3.14	4
65	… the risks to residents/the public if we run events or finals – managing large crowds	0.47	2.57	2.78	4
4. Engaging and retaining members		0.55	3.33	3.34
53	… attracting new members this season (shortened) and the next	0.61	3.59	3.45	1
57	… engaging people (players/athletes, coaches, and officials) back to the club next season, including if they go to another club/competition this season	0.60	3.49	3.45	1
22	… competing with community sport members potential new interest or loss of motivation	0.57	3.49	3.12	2
16	… engaging and retaining participants with low numbers attending training and with no start date (nothing to aim for)	0.57	3.43	3.35	2
29	… regaining confidence and trust of everyone to return safely. It is hard to convince parents/players/athletes community sport is safe when national competitions are cancelled	0.62	3.41	3.59	1
1	… creating innovative training programs to keep participants interested and overcome facility and social distancing restrictions	0.43	3.29	3.51	1
15	… getting older (COVID high risk) playing/competing participants back	0.47	2.96	3.27	4
4	… lack of participants/athletes wanting to participate	0.50	2.96	3.02	4
5. Managing finances		0.15	3.21	3.39
41	… unknown income and expenditure makes it hard to budget	0.02	3.92	3.57	1
56	… finding ways to cover the expected reduction in income from sponsorship, fundraising, canteen and/or bar, membership/game/match fees	0.06	3.90	3.53	1
52	… retaining current and attracting new sponsors	0.16	3.84	3.47	1
27	… providing members (players/athletes, coaches, officials, etc.) with value for money	0.49	3.76	3.78	1
28	… understanding the financial stresses on some families/members (participating and non-participating) and how we can help get them back to the club while remaining financially viable (collecting fees)	0.12	3.73	3.84	1
23	… the cost impact of COVID requirements imposed (e.g. cleaning of shared facilities and equipment, sanitisers, etc.)	0.18	3.59	3.53	1
39	… fixed financial expenditure, reduced income, and lack of financial reserves may impact on being able to continue club operations	0.00	3.53	3.41	1
40	… setting membership fees for next season given the uncertainty of the current season (given it is the clubs’ main source of income)	0.05	3.43	3.51	1
11	… identifying/calculating the cost of player/athlete/member fees given the length of the season/competition	0.00	3.24	3.61	3
7	… payment of affiliation fees (club to governing/peak body or league)	0.06	3.06	3.41	3
20	… development of refund guidelines and processes	0.21	2.92	3.27	4
45	… managing membership fee questions	0.32	2.90	3.43	3
61	… the extra cost to run social functions (e.g. hire of non-club venues to meet occupancy limits, cleaning, additional tables for social distancing, etc.)	0.29	2.33	3.12	4
2	… setting up per session payment when our systems are set up for season payment	0.05	2.27	2.76	4
60	… the extra cost associated with travel (e.g. multiple vehicles to safely transport people)	0.17	1.71	2.63	4
6. Accessing facilities		0.53	3.11	3.20
33	… not having access to all facilities at once (e.g. change rooms, clubhouse/pavilion, swimming pool, stored equipment/merchandise, etc.)	0.46	3.41	3.20	2
50	… fitting everyone (players/athletes, volunteers, coaches/deliverers, administrators and spectators/parents) on/in the limited facility (indoor/outdoor) space given restricted numbers	0.45	3.35	3.35	2
55	… managing different views of members	0.63	3.14	3.16	4
51	… access (ongoing) to personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies and sanitisers etc	0.59	2.96	3.16	4
68	… coordinating with various facilities/clubs/athletes to streamline a start date	0.54	2.71	3.12	4
7. Creating meaningful competition		0.42	3.02	3.33
12	… not knowing the start date or length of the season, or uncertainty around if the season will start on the scheduled date (trying to plan with ever-changing situation)	0.41	3.90	3.35	2
26	… providing a consistent/meaningful season/competition (or remainder of) with the expected level of competition	0.31	3.65	3.51	1
21	… the ability of community sport to commit to start dates set by the governing/peak body given the logistics required (time needed to plan)	0.57	3.33	3.39	1
14	… social distance requirements means skills/tactics (e.g. set plays/drills) cannot be practised – training considered boring	0.49	3.14	3.55	3
8	… ability for players/athletes to prepare/plan for a shortened season (including players/athletes not, or less physically prepared for competition)	0.35	3.10	3.43	3
10	… the ability of clubs, within current competition, to compete	0.39	3.04	3.20	4
9	… the need to change competition/game format to accommodate a reduced season length	0.34	2.84	3.49	3
63	… planning how many teams/divisions of competition need to be offered/filled	0.36	2.80	3.16	4
58	… encouraging the same level of participation for minority groups (e.g. women and girls, teenagers, people with a disability, etc.)	0.6	2.76	3.35	4
62	… having sufficient training sessions to grade participants/athletes (e.g. allocate to teams etc.)	0.34	2.35	3.08	4
25	… managing (inter-club) competition when facilities are of a different size. The number of people allowed will differ from venue to venue	0.44	2.31	3.10	4
8. Establishing governance and division of responsibility		0.54	2.91	3.29
43	… waiting on the governing/peak body to provide or update guidelines, before being able to make a decision at the community sport level	0.61	3.69	3.47	1
13	… governing/peak body reliance on Government before making decisions	0.6	3.43	3.67	1
3	… making facility changes to adhere to guidelines (e.g. access and egress, canteen and bar operations, etc.)	0.47	3.37	3.39	1
38	… the division of cleaning responsibilities between the club and facility owner (e.g. council)	0.44	2.88	3.06	4
47	… reduction in governing/peak body staff to assist community clubs	0.56	2.63	3.00	4
37	… keeping in contact with facility owner (e.g. council) regarding the re-opening	0.50	2.59	3.61	3
54	… conflicting interests of the club and external stakeholders/ community organisations that use our facilities	0.54	2.37	3.06	4
34	… lack of leadership, decision-making, and support from our governing/peak body	0.57	2.35	3.04	4
All statements		3.28	3.38

Notes: ^a1 = above all-statement mean on impact and ability/capacity; 2 = above all-statement mean on impact, below all-statement mean on ability/capacity; 3 = below all-statement mean on impact, above the all-statement mean on ability capacity; 4 = below all-statement mean on impact and ability/capacity (see Figure 1).

^b Values range between 0.00 and 1.00. Values closer to 0 indicate an anchoring statement closely related to others in the cluster. Values closer to 1 indicate bridging statements more connected to statements in other clusters in the map.

^c 1 = low and 5 = high, and n = 49 for both rating scales.

Figure 1. Go-zone graph plotting mean impact and ability/capacity rating for each challenge.

Figure 2. Cluster map illustrating the eight focus areas of challenges for CSCs returning to sport post-COVID-19 shutdown.

Table 3. Differences in mean cluster impact ratings by club sub-group.

Sub-group	Variable	Cluster	Mean cluster impact rating		T-value (P-value – one tail)
Type of sport	Individual sport vs. Small team sport	1.Volunteers	3.61	4.11	3.7279 (<0.01)
		4.Members	3.26	3.82	3.5104 (<0.01)
		5.Finances	2.76	3.27	2.1557 (<0.05)
		7.Competition	2.57	3.52	4.1226 (<0.01)
	Individual sport vs. Large team sport	1.Volunteers	3.61	4.04	3.4509 (<0.01)
		5.Finances	2.76	3.42	2.5834 (<0.02)
		7.Competition	2.57	3.03	2.1489 (<0.05)
	Small team sport vs. Large team sport	4.Members	3.82	3.14	4.6988 (<0.01)
		7.Competition	3.52	3.03	2.1180 (<0.05)
Club location	Metropolitan vs. Regional/rural	5.Finances	3.01	3.61	2.0528 (<0.05)
		4.Members	3.24	3.60	3.2801 (<0.01)
Club size	Medium^a vs. Large^b	1.Volunteers	3.77	4.09	3.3654 (<0.01)
Season of operation	Winter vs. Summer	4.Members	3.76	2.72	5.4582 (<0.01)
		7.Competition	2.66	3.74	4.4310 (<0.01)
	Winter vs. Year-round	1.Volunteers	4.24	3.83	2.9851 (<0.01)
		2.Club culture	3.91	3.21	3.3546 (<0.01)
		7.Competition	3.74	2.94	3.2044 (<0.01)
	Summer vs. Year-round	4.Members	2.72	3.45	5.7891 (<0.01)
Venue type	Indoor vs. Outdoor	1.Volunteers	3.54	4.00	2.8585 (<0.01)
		6.Facilities	3.53	3.07	2.6952 (<0.02)
	Indoor vs. Indoor/Outdoor venues	1.Volunteers	3.54	3.98	2.5396 (<0.02)

Note: ^a100–200 playing members.

^b 200+ playing members.

Table 4. Comparison of Sport Australia’s COVID-19 Return to Sport Toolkit Simplified Checklist (Sport Australia, 2020) to the challenges identified by Victorian CSCs.

Checklist content	Challenges derived from concept mapping with community-based sport clubs
1. Organisational (6 categories/17 items)	Cluster 5: Managing finances
Access to information	Cluster 8: Establishing governance and division of responsibility
Governance
Strategy
Financial
Legal and Compliance
Communications
2. Approvals (2 categories / 6 items)	Cluster 8: Establishing governance and division of responsibility
Government
Sport
3. Return to training (4 categories/11 items)	Cluster 3: Implementing health protocols
Principles
Communication and Education
Attendance Records
Equipment
4. Facilities (4 categories/12 items)	Cluster 6: Accessing facilities
Managed Access
Physical Distancing
Bar / Canteen Operations
Attendance Record
5. Hygiene (4 categories/15 items)	Cluster 3: Implementing health protocols
Personal infection control
Hygiene
Cleaning
PPE
6. Management of illness (2 categories/3 items)	Not identified by community sport clubs
Management
Notification
7. Employees and Volunteers (2 categories/5 items)	Cluster 1: Managing additional demands on volunteers
Safe working environment
Mental Health
Not identified in the checklist	Cluster 2: Maintaining club culture
	Cluster 4: Engaging and retaining members
	Cluster 7: Creating meaningful competition

Figure 3. Matrix of club variable differences and clubs’ perceived impact of the challenge.

Sport Australia. (2020). Return to sport. https://www.sportaus.gov.au/return-to-sport

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