NSWBA Strategic Review - Update

We have just concluded our survey phase!!  And thank you very much to those who have participated.  We had an outstanding response and feel confident that you have given us the input we need to plan for the future of Bridge in NSW over the next five years.

Congratulations to the winners of the draws:

Winners from the Affiliated Club Survey respondents are: Newcastle Bridge Club and Mollymook Bridge Club

Winners from the NSWBA players’ survey are:  Eva McNaughton, Jacky Gruszka, John Vernon, Rick Lu, and David Rushton

The Process So Far

The insights gathered during the first phase (the Discovery phase) of our strategic review, involving a significant number of one-on-one interviews and stakeholder focus groups, were informative, wide-ranging and at times confronting.  Those insights were then used to design the questions in the online surveys, allowing us to quantify and verify the views that had been shared in the discovery phase.  It was interesting to see how many people agreed with the opinions expressed in the first stage.

What had clearly emerged from the first stage of this review, and was confirmed in the second/survey phase, was the enormous disparity of views amongst NSWBA stakeholder groups.  They had one thing in common – all felt that their needs and priorities were not adequately addressed by the discussions and actions of the Council of the NSWBA.  There was a feeling of disconnection and many expressed views suggesting some stakeholders received preferential treatment over others.

Results of the Survey

Whilst not comprehensive, some of the themes that emerged were :

• Clear feedback that a majority of Affiliated Clubs believe they are not being consulted or heard
• The appropriateness of the Goulburn Street premises was questioned – from Affiliated Club land and from SBC membership – with the message to ‘renovate or relocate’ as a minimum
• A loud and clear message that more communication with all of our stakeholders is required but particularly with Affiliated Clubs. Better communication may have fostered more understanding that the NSWBA activities for which the affiliation fees are currently used (many of which were ranked as good or satisfactory) are not what clubs are actually looking to the NSWBA for.  Clubs want much more assistance in marketing and promotions and teaching support.  It is in this light that we come to the next interesting finding …
• The need for a state body was put under the spotlight in the context of ‘which of the State functions does/should/could the ABF take care of’ in a more centralised model
• A range of strong yet somewhat contradictory views regarding developments around online bridge versus face-to-face, from players, clubs, cities, and regions

In summary:  This shows a fairly low level of satisfaction with the performance of the NSWBA from all groups of stakeholders.

What is next?

Armed with your candid feedback and the survey data that underpins the findings we are scheduling a full day workshop with representatives from all stakeholder groups to define purpose and objective of the NSWBA, as a state body and/or club, and what strategic and operational plans we need to define to ensure our mutual success and the future of the game we all love.

This workshop will take place before the end of the year, and we will be sharing a comprehensive report, detailing findings from the discovery and survey phase, our vision moving forward and our strategic plan to achieve our defined objectives.  Stay tuned!