MAAA Wingspan

22 WING SPAN AUGUST We would all like to know the secret to growing club membership numbers, however sometimes it comes down to capitalising on a few basic ideas that you may be implementing already. Greg Potter has been the president of Adelaide’s Southern Soaring League club (SSL) for just over two years now, however he’s been affiliated with the club for over twenty and believes that one of the secrets to the club’s success, is first being focused on what they do. “You can tell by our name that we are all about soaring, so people know that it’s a gliding club and that’s predominantly what we do. Although our members are involved in all sorts of activities, all of our club activities are really focused around various forms of gliding events,” he says. Another aspect that Greg acknowledges, concerns building their club’s infrastructure- first with the initial search and purchasing of a field, a decision that was started back in the club’s infancy. “The MAAA were very helpful in loaning the club the bulk of the money for the purchase of the field,” Greg continues. “The club bought a hundred acres but only use about thirty of that. The rest of it is share-farmed, which gives the club an annual income for the duration. This income reached close to the loan repayment each year. The field is now fully paid for.” “It first enabled us to keep membership fees reasonably low and that money was then available to use to build the infrastructure on the field.” Over time the club built two sheds, had an area fenced off to prevent sheep from the paddock getting in and more recently, purchased a tractor and a mower to keep the surface area properly cut for member use. “The club shed has become more people-friendly and can be used for rainy days. We have solar panels on the roof, a toilet, a hot shower, hot water in the kitchen with a microwave, coffee machine and a small fridge- so it’s all quite comfortable,” he says. “It’s a good hour’s drive for most members, so if we have a multi-day event- where people come from interstate or overseas, they can have a shower at the end of the day and change into fresh clothes and so forth. So when people do visit, they appreciate that it’s a nice place to come for the day.” There’s also unique club accessibility, with members allowed to come and go as they please. The key to attracting new members comes from an open-door CLUB STORY: A SOARING SUCCESS! WE SPEAK TO THE CLUB PRESIDENT OF SOUTHERN SOARING LEAGUE TO FIND OUT HOW THEIR- ‘ALL ARE WELCOME’ POLICY AND CLUB SPIRIT HAS ACHIEVED MEMBERSHIP SUCCESS Photos taken by Elsie Mann - wife of AndrewMeyer from the F3J team.