Opening Doors on Croquet - asking the tricky questions

[<<] [>>] by Paul Brown
13th January 2022 (Other News)

Could your club do with help to engage your members in a dialogue on the tricky topic of "How welcoming is our club?"

Here is a set of questions that a club can ask of its committee and wider membership to start that conversation. There are no right or wrong answers, and no requirement to share the answers outside of your club. You may find it easier to have the discussion led by a facilitator - check to see if you have a club member with that experience.

1. How would you describe the mix of members in your club? Would a change in this mix improve you club to everyone's benefit? What would that change look like? (e.g. more younger members to share the club tasks such as lawn maintenance and administration).

2. Following on from the last question; to what extent does your membership reflect your local community. (e.g. younger people, people with disabilities, people from ethnic backgrounds, people who are LGBTQ).

3. List the advantages you see of having a more diverse membership but also any disadvantages of the make-up of your current membership.

4. Describe your current recruitment process (aims, goals, and methods) and how (or indeed if) it considers the answers to the previous questions.

5. Discuss the extent to which your club website and publicity material promote a welcoming and inclusive approach to croquet? (e.g. could your photos do with updating to show that croquet is open to all?).

6. When new members join who may have diverse needs to the current membership how do you ensure that they feel welcome? (e.g. people with visual impairment or learning disabilities).

7. How are new members introduced into your club from both the playing and social perspectives?

8. How are inexperienced players coached and how is the success of coaching assessed and how is coaching developed?

9. What value do you see in exploring these ideas further by linking up with other clubs?

10. Describe any practical support with any of the issues raised by these questions from which your club will benefit (e.g. further training in social media, access to photos)? If so, what do you see these needs to be?

Further Information: The CA runs a scheme called "Croquet Matters" which allows clubs to analyse their current position in a number of areas and then create development plans. Participants discuss stem questions and categorise their answer to each. e.g.

1. Does your club have a plan for identifying, engaging and working with local organisations?
2. Would you describe your club as inclusive?
3. Does your club understand all the different marketing options available to promote your club? Do you adapt your communication method for your target audience?

Clubs wanting to use Croquet Matters to further discuss these, or other topics, should contact their Federation Development Officer.