It’s not a popularity contest

by bqmedia on April 2, 2022

By Micheal Sorrensen – RBM South East Queensland

Electing a board of management is a serious process, clubs are a business and the process of electing the management team is, therefore, extremely important. A good board can make a club, and a bad board can ruin a club.

Gone are the days of just filling a position for the sake of it. Job descriptions should be compiled and posted for each position of the board. Current boards should be looking for members who can fill each of the roles for a directorship, and position themselves to approach these members to consider taking on the available roles.

If you can’t fill a position from within your club, advertise externally, as there may be someone in the community who is looking to help out with a club, and has a skill set that suits the position, but doesn’t want to play the sport. There are people with skills among us that would like to help, but don’t wish to play the sport.

With careful planning, a good board of management can be formed. There are some highly informative board directors courses available, Clubs Queensland run such a course and there is a free director’s course called “Start Line’ Director Education course on the Sports Australia website. This course is certificated, I have taken advantage of completing this course myself and found it to be invaluable.

Each director needs to know their role and the requirements of their position on the board, and needs to be able to work with other directors within the board. Being everyone’s friend does not always make you a good board member. There are many tough decisions that must be made to run a successful club.

It is important that all members look at who is standing for a board position and ask themselves, “can this person do the job? Or am I voting for them because they are my friend?” If you think that someone is standing for a position and they’re unqualified, again ask them, “do you really think you’re the best person for the position?” Electing a good board is the responsibility of every member of the club. Please remember, it’s not a popularity contest, it’s a business.