The best way to ensure your local waters stay open for riding and to have fun with like-minded people is to set up a local club. HIPWC is a great example of how a club should work and MIke FarIa has some sound advice for those of you starting out.

The Six Steps on how to launch a pwc club...

The HIPWC Committee share their experiences on what they have learned during their three year journey to launch and manage a PWC club.

Clubs are an excellent way to get like-minded people together, who have a common interest and who want to spend more time on the water. Clubs also have the ability to project a larger and wider “voice” in the community, so being part of a club helps promote and protect your sport.

These six steps are to encourage those who are thinking about setting up a club to actually do it, whilst offering some support to those who may have just started a club and who need some encouragement to stay motivated.

ONE. Elect A Committee

You will need to have at least three people who are committed to working together for the common cause. This is a key element as being on a club committee can be a thankless task, and you will need to be able to work together through tough times. In our experience, especially in the early days, when you need to make decisions quickly, it helps if those decision makers are local to one another as well. Try and stick to the convention of a Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary as this helps when you need to talk to banks, harbour authorities and the RYA, mainly because they will recognise and appreciate your club structure.

TWO. Choose A Name

Not a simple as you would first think. This will be your “brand” and you will need to be comfortable when you come to market it on websites and in magazines and make sure it conveys what your club is all about. If we had called our club the “Hayling hard-as –you- like Harriers”, would it have been so easy to talk to the local harbour authority about our objective to promote safety? Probably not. Also, would people know what type of club we were just from the name?

THREE. Define Your Unique Selling Point

Why should members join your club? If you can put your club in a unique position you have a better chance of recruiting and retaining members. During our first ever meeting, we worked with the local harbour authority to obtain discounted jet ski permits for our club members. Other clubs have worked with slipway owners and local councils to provide services which allow their club members some sort of additional perk. This is an excellent way to enhance your club offering and to entice members to join.

FOUR. Agree Your Government

This is not deciding whether or not you prefer Nick Clegg to David Cameron, instead it’s all about agreeing your rules for how the club should be managed. This normally takes the form of what’s commonly known as a Constitution. In our experience don’t bother writing your own. Talk to other clubs and adapt theirs. Using this best practice will save time and there really is no point in re-inventing the wheel. As your club becomes more experienced you can develop your constitution as you see fit.

FIVE. Recruit And Retain Your Membership

You don’t have a club unless you have a membership, it’s as simple as that. You will need to think about planning events (the lifeblood of a good club) and try to develop a flagship event of your own. We have our Dawnbusters event and others have large charity events, and there are plenty of other examples. You will need to advertise these events, so writing a good website and letting the RYA, PWP and Jet Skier magazine will help. Over 50% of our membership is recruited via our website so do not underestimate the power of this media. A good event’s programme will not only help with recruitment but it will be essential retaining your membership as well.

SIX. Have Fun

What is the point in going to all this time and effort if, at the end of the day, you don’t have any fun? get out regularly with other members to ride in company, you will benefit from their experience and have confidence to travel further afield in numbers. Take picnics, set up camps and barbies. Play together.

The major issue for us was who should be involved and who were the right people to do the job. If you can get this foundation right the rest of the jigsaw fits nicely into place. Don’t be afraid to utilise other peoples ideas, (ask them first though) as the best ideas we had were in often someone elses. Always talk to someone who has been there first, other clubs and the PWP are a great resource, and develop your network by talking to as many people, organisations, companies and suppliers as you can. They are so willing to help. Be sure to check out: PW Club development resources:www.pwpulse.co.uk

So what’s stopping you now?