Welcoming New Parents to your Club

Sailing is one of the few activities that can be done as a family together reaping many benefits for both children and parents. 

Learning to sail is one of the most satisfying and fulfilling activities a child can do. As well as positively impacting physical and mental health, outdoor activities like sailing and windsurfing have also shown to have broader benefits for children including building independence, creativity, teamwork, resilience, determination, communication, and confidence; providing youngsters with the attributes to help them succeed in life.

Research has also shown that by parents becoming involved in their children’s sport helps children stay longer in sport. By engaging with parents, Sailing Clubs could also gain potential new members and volunteers that can help out at the club and even become lifelong members and your new committee members. 

For a parent new to Sailing, it can be quite daunting enrolling a child in Tackers or taking the next step on the pathway after Tackers. New terminology, an unfamiliar environment, new people, and rules all can make that first step across the club threshold daunting and stressful for many parents. Ensuring the first experience for parents and families is as positive as possible is key to the parent and child returning to your club. 

Providing information about the club, its values, the training program the club offers and what is expected of the child and parent goes a long way to alleviating this stress. Pairing new families with existing families at the club as buddies, can also help a new family feel welcomed. Many parents especially new to sailing will feel nervous about asking questions so it is essential that clubs provide as much as information as possible in clear, easy to read formats on the club’s website and Facebook page. It is a good idea to also have a FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page and a glossary of abbreviations and sailing terms available to new parents. 

Australian Sailing as part of its suite of resources to help clubs, has developed an editable ‘Welcome Handbook for New Parents’ which clubs can amend to include details about the club’s values, training program and club events and information. 
A big thank you to Largs Bay Yacht Club in South Australia for sharing their handbook which this guide is based upon and to the National Club Pathway Working Group that provided valuable feedback. 

Please use and amend the Handbook template as you like we have also included an example of how a club has amended the Handbook to suit their club needs. 

You can find the Handbook template and example on the Participation Hub on Australian Sailing’s website here.

Australian Sailing has also developed a Power Point Presentation Template for Clubs which contains information for parents new to the club or existing parents whose children are entering the next stages of the sailing pathway. 

Clubs can amend the presentation to include their own information about the club’s training programs, participation programs, what is expected of parents, club values, training schedule and information about key events. 

The presentation should be given at the start of the season to parents (new and existing) after training or racing, or one evening during the week and used as a networking opportunity for new and existing parents to meet each other. 

It is beneficial to have members of the instructing and coaching team at the presentation evening, along with key people at the club so that parents can put a name to a face. If the club focuses on a particular class, it is also beneficial to have the coach of that class present training information and key dates specific to that class. 

It is also useful to list any key dates and events so parents can put these in their diaries and any days the club needs volunteers or state that there will be a roster sent out, so parents are aware of the time commitments for the season. A code of conduct if the club has one for parents and children, is useful to have available for parents to read and sign on the night, in addition to information on how the club is promoting a child safe environment. 

The Welcome Guidebook for New Parents and editable Power Point presentation for Parents and Parent Code of Conduct Template can all be found on the Participation hub on the Australian Sailing website and at the following link: https://www.sailingresources.org.au/participation/participation-planning/

For more information and support please contact your nearest Club Support Officer here.