The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are fast approaching. Scheduled for the 26th July until the 11th August 2024, the sports and athletes and all of those interested in watching and commenting on it will come to the forefront of our newspapers, televisions and radio stations. This provides sports with a wonderful opportunity to capitalise on the increased interest.

Sailing is often a successful sport for Australia, winning 8 Gold Medals and 5 Silver Medals over the last four Olympic Games. This means sailing receives additional attention and coverage due to is high medal winning capability.

In conjunction with the Australian Olympic Committee, Australian Sailing will be running promotional campaigns in the lead up to and during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Please keep a look out for further communication on these and how your club can participate.  

In preparation for this once in every four year opportunity, below are 5 ways your club can prepare to benefit from the Olympic Games. Ultimately these are geared towards increasing participation and membership for your club. 

1. Check through your website, socials and communication channels and update club contact details and general information on the club and provide information about how to participate and become a member. Be sure to make the information jargon free, simple and as concise as possible. If you have a generic email or phone number make sure you plan to have someone responsive during and around the Olympic Games period. 

2. Consider running a Discover Sailing Day during or shortly after the Olympic Games. Promote this early and through your socials and encourage your members to share across their socials. Imagine the impact, if every current member recruited just one new participant/member. Consider sending invitations about your Discover Sailing Day to your local schools, universities and post on any community notice boards. Remember to share with your local MP and councillors. They have great community connections and will often attend to boost their own publicity. Win, win. 

3. Update your introductory offers and again make sure they are jargon free, simple and concise. These may include afternoon social sails, SailPass, Discover Sailing Experiences, learn to sail programs or even information sessions. Ensure the events are created early in the revSPORT events platform, aligned with the relevant template and promoted to members to share. Consider running an Olympic’s promotion – 'bring a friend for free', '25% discount on learn to sail courses' etc. 

4. Host an Olympic live site or viewing party. Invite members, guests, friends, families, the community, MP’s and councillors. Organise to have a commentator who can explain what is happening on the TV (this may need to be a recording) and add useful information. Perhaps combine with a club information night and provide information on how to get involved with sailing at your club. Myth bust the perceptions of exclusivity, costly and timely and leave them with a simple fact sheet on how simple it is to go for a sail at your club.  

5. Run a specific campaign. A fundraiser, a membership drive or a local advocacy case. With the heightened interest in sport, local news providers are keen to connect the glitz and glamour of the Olympics with local hero’s or topical issues affecting local sports clubs. Clear concise communication is key and involving your network or members and stakeholders will amplify the messages and assist in gaining traction. Think lease renewal issues, a small club that needs to double its members to secure its future, your local young gun who has recently return from state or national championships, or possibly your life time member who is still actively sailing/volunteering at a ripe old age. The spotlight is on sport so lets make the most of it. 

These are just a few ideas, you may have others, or a successful case study on how your club has leveraged the Olympics or another local event to boost the awareness of your club and grow participation and membership. If this is the case, we would love to hear from you. It would be great if you could share these with your local Australian Sailing team so that we can share with other clubs who may also be able to replicate and benefit.  

If your club is interested in activating itself during the Olympics and you would like the support of your local Australian Sailing team members, please contact your local General Manager or Club Support Officer. We are here to help.