Writing Your Club History
1) What is club history?
A club history should contain a record of all of the important events and achievements that have happened over the lifetime of the club. The written history document will provide an overview of where the club has come from since its inception and make note of the key people involved in establishing it. Often, club histories are written for a major event, such as a significant anniversary of founding the club.
Go to top
2) Is there a need for a documented club history?
For a club, the benefits of having a documented club history include:
- Interest/curiosity value for members, the local community or media;
- Encouraging a sense of tradition within the club;
- Understanding where certain policies or processes came from;
- Giving members a sense of belonging to an enduring organisation;
- Generating extra pride in the club;
- Generating ideas that may help your club;
- Demonstrating longevity to attract new members/volunteers, etc.
A written history of your club can be very valuable for your local community as well. Often, a community’s regular events and traditions are based around an established sports club, such as a bowling club, or cricket club, and many of the relationships that guide the community forward have been established thanks to people’s involvement in their local sport or recreation club.
Go to top
3) What does a club history look like?
Your club history may take a number of different formats – there are no strict rules! The most important thing to remember when writing your own club’s history is to make it relevant to the people who may be reading it.
Most club histories show the passing of time in date order – with some breaking this down by decade, and others selecting club highlights in chronological order.
Many club histories include photos and other images that can demonstrate the history of the club easily, without using too many words.
Here are some good examples of different types of club histories.
Go to top
4) Developing your own club history
Here’s a useful guide to help get you underway with creating your club history.
Step 1: Set some boundaries
The first step in developing your club’s written history is to clarify the scope of what you want documented – in other words, working out how much your club wants to know about its past. Carefully scoping the size of the history means that the project can be broken down into small, manageable tasks and avoids wasting time.
Research can take a lot longer than you think. Your club will need to delegate a person to co-ordinate the research efforts. This doesn’t mean that they will have to do the whole thing – just be in charge of organising the project and assigning tasks where needed. This will ensure that the work is spread around and everyone is given an opportunity to contribute.
Areas to consider for research could include:
- When/why was the club founded?
- Who was involved during the start of the club?
- What were the names of the first members?
- Are any of the original members (or their family) still part of the club?
- How many original members were there, and how many members are there now?
- What did the first membership subscription cost?
- Were there any requirements for becoming a member, and what membership categories existed?
- Where were the original club facilities located? Have the club facilities moved since? If so, why?
- What facilities existed then and now?
- What contests/club champs events have been held, and who won them?
- Have club members represented the region or country? If so, who, when, how many times, what events and how did they perform?
- What awards/honours have been presented to the club?
- What awards/honours does the club present to members?
Step 2: Dig for information
Here’s where you roll up your sleeves and do the research! You’ll need to find as much information as possible about your club over the years. To ensure accuracy, it’s a good idea to cross-check and verify information where possible.
Try to find photos or other images (such as newspaper clippings and posters) as well – as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, plus photos and other images can add real interest for the readers.
Whilst undertaking your research, you should consider using a number of differrent sources. A source can be a person, an organisation, or a document. Here are a selection of sources that might be useful for you:
Step 3: Get it on paper
Now that you have done your research, it’s time to get on with writing your club history. This will take time to craft, so it’s important to be organised.
Collate all your research into one place - create an outline of what areas you are going to cover and then fill in each section one by one. Be careful about including sensitive or debatable information - try to stick to the facts.
It’s also a good idea to get your work edited at the end of the project by someone who has not seen it before, and has a good grasp of writing and grammar. This will ensure that the writing is well structured, readable and is free of grammatical and spelling mistakes.
Go to top
5) Using your club History.
What a shame it would be if you went to the trouble of creating a great written history of your club, and then no-one ever saw it!
Get out there amongst your club members and show them what you’ve found. You might consider a special edition printed copy for an anniversary event, or putting it on your club website so you can update it over time. Don’t let it gather dust in a folder at the back of your club’s office.
Get in contact with your local media (local community newspapers or radio stations) and let them know about anything interesting or unique that might interest the local community – remember, free positive publicity is great for attracting members to your club. For more information on managing the media, please click here to visit the marketing and promotions area of Club Kit.
Go to top
