Magic Cube for Sports Club Management

Managing a Sports Club is a bitch. It takes two to tango but the dance of scarce resources and incompetence hardly qualifies as entertainment. Then again, see me laughing. You pretty fucking should. Sports is all about the leisure. The fun good stuff that makes it worthwhile. We don't need suffering. We already have MTV's reality shows for that.

As not a devout but marginally practicing (thinking in the ways of) Buddhist I wish to reduce the suffering in the World. I Prensent to you my fine people The Magic Cube of Sports Club Management (MCSCM). Behold. (It's the blue thing down below).


The Magic Cube

 "It's all shiny and new but what does it do".

 You must be full time in a club, dude. It does absolutely jack shit. It's a cube with words in it.

"How do you use it"

The same way you use cubes with words in them. You study. You read. And after lunch - you Think. The capitol A is a tribute to A.A.Milne. Big words for big things, like Thinking. Not bad grammar. 

Central tasks of a sports club

What are the central tasks of a sports club.Clubs are founded around people. It's all about the people, the members. The club that does not represent the interests of the members is a shit club. Like a book without pictures is a shit book (quote by the one and only Liam Gallagher). You can't be too much pro members. The moment the club feels it's more than it's people it reaches the pinnacle where the tables turn. And it's all downhill from here. Bring a helmet.

Providing sports programs is a no-brainer. You can have teams, you can have courses or organize fat camps. Whatever suits you sir. This is the bread and butter of a club. The reason why it's there. To move.  This is a small paragraph but very important. The core of your actions is here. We do multiple things. WHAT DO YOU DO.

Traditions. This is one of the most important things in sports. A club creates tradition. It creates an identity. And this is for the people. They are the ones that make the story real and make the connection to the actual plane. This is evident in the cases of football clubs, for example. You hear testimonials of how there was never a choice - it's in the blood. From father to son. For some the club is the life line - a canvas they reflect their identity on. They are the club. This is hard core but it exists no less. Be wary sports club people. You could be more important than you think. 

Management functions  

What does a management do. Nah, what it should do. Defining is the core. What are we, how do we going to handle our shit. Management can't think quarterly - it need a lot longer lens to look into. Think long term and reflect everything. Never sell out. People need leaders who tell them that despite all it's gonna be alright.

Management monitors things. Like employees. Do they perform and do what they should. And they should especially monitor the management. What does it actually do. Is it a combinations of many opinions and zero talent or something else. Monitor the learning of employees and especially the management. If the employee makes everytime the same mistake the employee is a liability. If the management falls everytime in the same trap of wasting time at the meetings - also a liability.

The management needs to maintain certain level of management but also be able to adapt to changes. If your guidelines are carved on stone it's pretty slow process. The management needs to be liquid, able tokeep  form and be able to work in every situation. This means that every person must forsake their old identity and adapt to the new one - a caretaker of the club. The club comes first. 

In your real life, when you run out of milk you go out and get some more. In a sports club you form a committee to study why there's no milk and who's behind it.

Organizational structures

How do we decide. Conditionally or on purpose? It takes both. In short, there's both and they are needed for different situations. There needs to be a structured way to every decision. Otherwise it's just chance. We need a tool to back track our actions. They need to be based on something premeditated.

Communication channels. If you listen to general opinion, there's never enough and it's always inadequate. Keep in mind that this is as valid as saying every muslim is a terrorist or every german is a nazi. It's easy to cry this particular wolf. Communication is a thing not too many understand at all. They divide it from all other actions when it actually is marketing if nothing else. Press releases are just the tip of the iceberg. Emails are not the answer. Communication is embedded or it's not. It's about making it clear of what your intensions are, of what you want to achieve and when. This is both internal and external. Which you value more?

Human resources. There is the million dollar question they never ask - WHAT CAN YOU DO. and take the answer and run with that. No. It does not happen. The clubs always have their own agenda. The professional is someone outside of the club. If there ever was twisted thinking it's here. why hire people who can't hold their own weight. EVERY recruitment should be for MORE profit - never for less. The human resources make the club. It cannot be more than these people. Synergy does happen but it's rare. Don't count on it.

Making a summary. The Cube will help you. It will make it more clear. But in a case of hiring a veteran of a sport in question the said person will still be that. A had-been. The cube will not change this but it will give tools to life forms that comprehend the alphabet. Sorry about that.