Review of the Registered Clubs Industry in NSW - Clubs NSW

12 Making it easier for new clubs to be established
To date, the first approach has been the most common way that registered clubs have
formed: that is, they have been formed organically by a group of individuals in a
community getting together, and slowly building up to obtaining a certificate of
registration and operating as a registered club.
Stakeholders indicated that clubs are unlikely to established using the second
approach. For example, ClubsNSW submitted that a club is unlikely to relocate to
premises a significant distance from its current location, given that it draws
membership from its local area, and members are unlikely to continue their
involvement in the club once it has relocated. 222 The RSL & Services Clubs
Association also submitted that it is very rare for clubs to relocate premises as a
result of choice; they will only do so in circumstances whereby the club must cease to
exist on the current site and is forced to move. 223
Figure 12.1 shows the number of clubs established using these different approaches
over the last 10 years. In this time, 24 new clubs and six satellite clubs were
registered, and one club relocated. Of the 24 new clubs registered, three have
already surrendered their licences and ceased to trade. However, in 2007, another
three clubs that previously surrendered their licences registered again.
Figure 12.1 New clubs between 1998 - 2007
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
-1
New Satellite Relocation Re-registered
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Data source: Information provided by OLGR and IPART’s analysis.
IPART considers establishing a new club organically is only likely to be possible for
small-scale clubs. Under this model, a group of people, dedicated to a common
purpose, run a small club operation for a particular interest group in the community,
whether it be cultural, sport, religious or other. To establish a new club in
developing areas that can provide services similar to the existing large diversified
clubs, the only realistic option is to encourage satellite clubs. It is only by relying on
222 ClubsNSW submission, 31 July 2007, p 127.
223 RSL & Services Clubs Association submission, 27 July 2007, p 16.
Review of the Registered Clubs Industry in NSW IPART 197