Clubs in strife

[Bluedemon]

With less and less volunteers at clubs, those that have helped out over the past COVID years are getting burnt out.

What is the feeling around the Ammo clubs around the next generation of volunteers? From what I have seen the next generation of younger people/parents are less likely to put their hand up to volunteer, which in turn puts more pressure on the long term vollies...thoughts?

Do find it really tough to get the young generation of junior kids to help out. Anytime that they do want to help, they want to get paid for doing it which is pushed by the parents for payment

[The Bedge]

Money doesn't really seem to be a factor IMO - it's more the CBF factor.. or the "Why Should I?" factor.

[whufc]

Money doesn't really seem to be a factor IMO - it's more the CBF factor.. or the "Why Should I?" factor.

Its such a shame because clubs are in no position of power......you push to hard and they will quit or leave your club for one who doesn't make them do stuff.

For me its probably been the most enjoyable part of playing/being involved in country sport is that everyone just chips in no questions asked. At our club we get 2 home games a year at Spalding (we are merged with 3 towns so share home games) and you just know on those games you are going to be manning the gate, cooking the bbq, cleaning up afterwards. I understand its a completely different environment

Its so bloody rewarding though once you've done it and whilst still being a player it kind of makes the game results you play in irrelevant because you feel you have been part of something. It's a shame people don't allow themselves to have that sense of feeling.

[The Bedge]

I had the most mind numbing chat with a player the other week.. he failed to do his 30min BBQ shift.

Player "Why should I do BBQ?"
Me "Everyone does, it's about doing your little part to help raise some money, it's only 30min!"
Player "I'm not cooking a BBQ to raise money so you can pay players!"
Me "It doesn't, it goes towards running costs i.e. electricity, taping, trainers etc etc"

then it rolled into..

Me "How do you expect the club to improve if people wont put in? What would you do to change things?"
Player "Start by paying some players to come in."
Me "You literally just said you wouldn't do BBQ because you didn't want players paid! Where's the money going to come from!?"
Player "I deserve to get paid, i've been here for years"
Me "You've trained 3 times in 5 years and refuse to play A grade.

then it rolled into..

Player "You need to be thanking xxx - he was forced to do an extra 15min on the BBQ today because other idiots wouldn't!"
Me "That was you goose - that was you refusing to do it, so he got stuck longer"
Player "I'm not cooking a BBQ to raise money so you can pay players!"

[whufc]

I had the most mind numbing chat with a player the other week.. he failed to do his 30min BBQ shift.

Player "Why should I do BBQ?"
Me "Everyone does, it's about doing your little part to help raise some money, it's only 30min!"
Player "I'm not cooking a BBQ to raise money so you can pay players!"
Me "It doesn't, it goes towards running costs i.e. electricity, taping, trainers etc etc"

then it rolled into..

Me "How do you expect the club to improve if people wont put in? What would you do to change things?"
Player "Start by paying some players to come in."
Me "You literally just said you wouldn't do BBQ because you didn't want players paid! Where's the money going to come from!?"
Player "I deserve to get paid, i've been here for years"
Me "You've trained 3 times in 5 years and refuse to play A grade.

then it rolled into..

Player "You need to be thanking xxx - he was forced to do an extra 15min on the BBQ today because other idiots wouldn't!"
Me "That was you goose - that was you refusing to do it, so he got stuck longer"
Player "I'm not cooking a BBQ to raise money so you can pay players!"

That's brilliant.....

We hear the same argument about entrance fees being purely an income so players can be paid.

It blows my mind though that clubs especially with 3-4 teams can still struggle. If you have 3 teams that would be roughly 50 blokes who are somewhat regular players accepting that c grades are often made up of one to two week fill in types.

If 50 blokes all chip in your probably only going to have to commit to a couple of hours of volunteering in the whole season.

I used to get so pissed at the rugby club I played for because the only requirement senior players had was to man the bar before the b grade started and after the a grade finished...….you guessed it though it was the same 5-6 blokes every week that did the work.

[Executive Member]

I had the most mind numbing chat with a player the other week.. he failed to do his 30min BBQ shift.

Player "Why should I do BBQ?"
Me "Everyone does, it's about doing your little part to help raise some money, it's only 30min!"
Player "I'm not cooking a BBQ to raise money so you can pay players!"
Me "It doesn't, it goes towards running costs i.e. electricity, taping, trainers etc etc"

then it rolled into..

Me "How do you expect the club to improve if people wont put in? What would you do to change things?"
Player "Start by paying some players to come in."
Me "You literally just said you wouldn't do BBQ because you didn't want players paid! Where's the money going to come from!?"
Player "I deserve to get paid, i've been here for years"
Me "You've trained 3 times in 5 years and refuse to play A grade.

then it rolled into..

Player "You need to be thanking xxx - he was forced to do an extra 15min on the BBQ today because other idiots wouldn't!"
Me "That was you goose - that was you refusing to do it, so he got stuck longer"
Player "I'm not cooking a BBQ to raise money so you can pay players!"

that's what happens when every kid has to get a participation award

[Executive Member]

I had the most mind numbing chat with a player the other week.. he failed to do his 30min BBQ shift.

Player "Why should I do BBQ?"
Me "Everyone does, it's about doing your little part to help raise some money, it's only 30min!"
Player "I'm not cooking a BBQ to raise money so you can pay players!"
Me "It doesn't, it goes towards running costs i.e. electricity, taping, trainers etc etc"

then it rolled into..

Me "How do you expect the club to improve if people wont put in? What would you do to change things?"
Player "Start by paying some players to come in."
Me "You literally just said you wouldn't do BBQ because you didn't want players paid! Where's the money going to come from!?"
Player "I deserve to get paid, i've been here for years"
Me "You've trained 3 times in 5 years and refuse to play A grade.

then it rolled into..

Player "You need to be thanking xxx - he was forced to do an extra 15min on the BBQ today because other idiots wouldn't!"
Me "That was you goose - that was you refusing to do it, so he got stuck longer"
Player "I'm not cooking a BBQ to raise money so you can pay players!"

That's brilliant.....

We hear the same argument about entrance fees being purely an income so players can be paid.

It blows my mind though that clubs especially with 3-4 teams can still struggle. If you have 3 teams that would be roughly 50 blokes who are somewhat regular players accepting that c grades are often made up of one to two week fill in types.

If 50 blokes all chip in your probably only going to have to commit to a couple of hours of volunteering in the whole season.

I used to get so pissed at the rugby club I played for because the only requirement senior players had was to man the bar before the b grade started and after the a grade finished...….you guessed it though it was the same 5-6 blokes every week that did the work.

Leave it for Someone else
Someone else the most valuable person at any club

[whufc]

I honestly think the current culture and lack of loyalty in ‘amateur’ sport is a major problem. Why would a person volunteer for a club if the only reason they are playing there is because of the money they are being paid to play. Especially when they know they can move clubs the next year if the t&c’s that come with that clubs money are too hard. Sadly there is alway a waiting suitor for their services.

I can imagine it would piss of a few people if they are doing lots of volunteering whilst paid players are coming and going each year and not contributing whilst their there.

[MoP]

Gone are the days when people do a job for loyalty/nothing, 'cos it's part of running a club. Nowadays, we pay people to run water, do the boundary, do the score board, cook the bbq, working the bar, etc. Everything needs to be paid for.

[jo172]

There's a bit in this.

I stepped back from volunteering at the start of last season (arising from a new career opportunity I wanted to make the most of) and it had definitely started grating on me over my ten or so years on the committee the number of jobs that were done by volunteers when I started that had begun to involve some level of payment/contra.

Obviously I didn't want any money or the like for the time put in as I was raised to the effect of if you want to enjoy the benefits of being in a community you do your shift in sharing the burden of making the community an enjoyable place to be around.

That a preponderance of people ceased seeing it this way is regrettable.

Having said that, I wonder if there isn't a degree of classism in this.

I tend to suspect that there was a significant correlation between people being comfortable and them not seeking any benefit in respect of their "volunteer" time. Considering that we all know we have less time to give to things such as community organisations it might be unsurprising that people with limited time and who might be less comfortable may want some degree or reimbursement for their assistance.

[Brodlach]

If every person at a club put in 2 hours a season there would be a huge windfall for the club and two hours a season isn’t going to test anyone

[gadj1976]

If every person at a club put in 2 hours a season there would be a huge windfall for the club and two hours a season isn’t going to test anyone

Amen to this!

Problem is, people aren't willing to give up 2 hours, so a nominal few people at each club do 20-30-40 hours per week.

[locky801]

If every person at a club put in 2 hours a season there would be a huge windfall for the club and two hours a season isn’t going to test anyone

Broadies have a roster type system where they call for volunteers each home game to help out on the BBQ and or canteen.

Players from all senior sides work the BBQ each home game as well without any issues i am aware of.

where as is a late shuffle BBQ and canteen always seems to be covered without any issues

outdoor can bar is run by the same volunteers each week and online social media scores and photos are done by the same volunteers each week

[Dutchy]

its a good discussion and seems to be very similar everywhere.

Volunteering to me is very rewarding, when my lads started playing it was only natural to me to ask what I could do to assist. The friendships and networks you open up are incredible. This stuff doesn't seem as important to the next generation coming through, I've even heard of parents complaining about being rostered on the BBQ/Canteen - "I pay subs, why do I need to do a shift?" I guess they also believe they have all the friends they need on their phone and there is a genuine resistance of some younger people to build relationships face to face.

Add to that people are genuinely time poor these days, more demands from employers etc and add in that its easy to throw around the COVID excuse its no surprise there is a shortage, its the most pressing issue in footy I reckon.

[whufc]

its a good discussion and seems to be very similar everywhere.

Volunteering to me is very rewarding, when my lads started playing it was only natural to me to ask what I could do to assist. The friendships and networks you open up are incredible. This stuff doesn't seem as important to the next generation coming through, I've even heard of parents complaining about being rostered on the BBQ/Canteen - "I pay subs, why do I need to do a shift?" I guess they also believe they have all the friends they need on their phone and there is a genuine resistance of some younger people to build relationships face to face.

Add to that people are genuinely time poor these days, more demands from employers etc and add in that its easy to throw around the COVID excuse its no surprise there is a shortage, its the most pressing issue in footy I reckon.

100% Agree.

We are fortunate at our football club being country that personal money is probably not as tight as other areas, many are their own bosses and its country so what else are you going to do honestly. Essentially on guernsey presentation night you get your guernsey for the season and also the roster for junior umpiring, boundary, goal umpiring and timekeeper. Each player normally only has 2 commitments, maybe 3 at most.

Is that unique in itself???..…..at other clubs I played at you did the whole get the guernsey off the team manager and return it into a bag after the game. Someone then cleans them. Interestingly at BSR we get presented with a guernsey, we then keep that, clean it ourselves, bring it to game days. The team manager has a small batch of guernsey probably about 5 which they hand out for fill ins or the odd occasion a player forgets. I like it, one less task you need a volunteer for as there is no real cleaning requirements.

You have plenty of notice so its up to you to make the time for those two shifts or find someone else who will do it but ultimately its your responsibility. If its a late notice swap often players will buy there way out of it offering a carton of beer or $50 bucks for someone else to do it. Normally a young lad will pick it up for a $50. The culture is though if people buy their way out it stands out like dog balls and their likely to be given more tasks next year to make it more expensive for them

I'm yet to see a player 'refuse' to be part of it. We only have 2 city recruits at our club but they have happily participated and how could they not when literally every player is completing a task. Would say a fair bit about their culture fit and whether we are recruiting well if they refused to participate.

Its hard though as culture change is uncomfortable and if a club decides to go down the path of being stricter on volunteering there will be some casualties. No doubt some people/players will opt out and go find somewhere they're not required to be involved. Long term though if a club can find a solution they will be so much more internally richer for the culture change. The whole club will become a happier place and the community spirit will grow exponentially.

[Mr Beefy]

its a good discussion and seems to be very similar everywhere.

Volunteering to me is very rewarding, when my lads started playing it was only natural to me to ask what I could do to assist. The friendships and networks you open up are incredible. This stuff doesn't seem as important to the next generation coming through, I've even heard of parents complaining about being rostered on the BBQ/Canteen - "I pay subs, why do I need to do a shift?" I guess they also believe they have all the friends they need on their phone and there is a genuine resistance of some younger people to build relationships face to face.

Add to that people are genuinely time poor these days, more demands from employers etc and add in that its easy to throw around the COVID excuse its no surprise there is a shortage, its the most pressing issue in footy I reckon.

100% Agree.

We are fortunate at our football club being country that personal money is probably not as tight as other areas, many are their own bosses and its country so what else are you going to do honestly.

Its got f*ck all to do with money, its not like they could be earning any $$ somewhere else and they're happy to spend a bit tipping some pre-mix spirits in.

[whufc]

its a good discussion and seems to be very similar everywhere.

Volunteering to me is very rewarding, when my lads started playing it was only natural to me to ask what I could do to assist. The friendships and networks you open up are incredible. This stuff doesn't seem as important to the next generation coming through, I've even heard of parents complaining about being rostered on the BBQ/Canteen - "I pay subs, why do I need to do a shift?" I guess they also believe they have all the friends they need on their phone and there is a genuine resistance of some younger people to build relationships face to face.

Add to that people are genuinely time poor these days, more demands from employers etc and add in that its easy to throw around the COVID excuse its no surprise there is a shortage, its the most pressing issue in footy I reckon.

100% Agree.

We are fortunate at our football club being country that personal money is probably not as tight as other areas, many are their own bosses and its country so what else are you going to do honestly.

Its got f*ck all to do with money, its not like they could be earning any $$ somewhere else and they're happy to spend a bit tipping some pre-mix spirits in.

By money I meant I imagine there is players that genuinely still have to work the odd Saturday morning to earn a few extra dollars. I'm also sure there is some who genuinely have to work late Friday nights eg nightshift and really do need the extra bit of sleep etc.

[amber_fluid]

Add to the above that a lot of youngsters are useless with their hands these days so they struggle to turn a bbq on let alone cook a decent steak or even snag.
And if you hand over a $50 for payment they gotta get someone else to work out the change for you or get out their iPhone calculator.

[The Bedge]

And if you hand over a $50 for payment they gotta get someone else to work out the change for you or get out their iPhone calculator.

So true! I bought a coffee the other day and paid cash and the girl just stared at me blankly

.. then she punched the numbers into her calculator.
.. then watched as she moved like a sloth counting the change

[TheTranzlator]

And if you hand over a $50 for payment they gotta get someone else to work out the change for you or get out their iPhone calculator.

So true! I bought a coffee the other day and paid cash and the girl just stared at me blankly

.. then she punched the numbers into her calculator.
.. then watched as she moved like a sloth counting the change

Well at least she was volunteering... wouldn't get too picky.