Toronto's Ultimate Club (Case Study Sample)

Toronto Ultimate Club
Student's Name
Institution
Problem Statement
The Toronto Ultimate Club has been experiencing slow growth in membership. The Toronto Ultimate Club’s main duty is to offer leagues in the Toronto area to grow the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. The membership stopped declining after the club launched a two year strategic plan, but the club’s general manager was still not impressed with the rate of growth. The club is a not-for-profit organization and it was losing its share of the market to clubs operating for profit. The club has to come up with a plan to increase membership growth rate and avoid losing its market share to competition from clubs operating for profit.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Popularity of the sport: The ultimate “Frisbee Football Sport” is recognized internationally due to its high social nature and high level of athleticism involved in the sport. There are leagues for all levels including elite-level touring leagues, competitive leagues, and novice recreational leagues. The Toronto Ultimate club can capitalize on the popularity of the sport to recruit more players and increase membership.
Home-Base fans: The Toronto Ultimate Club was founded in Toronto in 1980 by a group of players interested in the sport. The fact that the city of Toronto is the club’s fan base gives it a competitive advantage over other teams. It has an esteemed reputation for offering the best quality ultimate sport. The team should capitalize on its achievements to attract more members.
Variety: The Toronto Ultimate Football Club has a wide range of competitive and recreational players. Those not interested in competitive supports can join the club to participate in creational activities for fun or leisure. The presence of recreational sports is thus a bonus for the club that can be used to recruit members who engage in spots for fun purposes.
Member loyalty: Most of the clubs’ members are strongly supportive of the club's mission and are highly loyal to the club. Many of them had been playing with the same friends for over five years. The club should capitalize on member loyalty by coming with initiatives to encourage members to renew their membership.
Weaknesses
Lack of diversity: Most of the club’ members are Caucasian, and most of them are couples. The club should encourage membership diversity by recruiting people from minority races. It should also make the club’s environment more amicable for singles. Singles usually have a lot of free time on their hands and their massive numbers could boost the club’s membership growth rate.
Low renewal rates: Over 500 club members fail to renew their membership annually. Some of the members have played with the same peers for over five years. It is apparent that the club lacks initiatives to retain existent members and recruit new members. It should come up with rewards for membership to give existent members an incentive to renew their membership.
Compulsory membership: Team players have to have an active Toronto Ultimate Club membership to participate in the tournament. The requirement to have an active membership may discourage some players from becoming members. The club should consider offering free try-out periods.
Over-dependence on volunteers: As a not-for profit club, Toronto Ultimate Club depends too much on volunteers. Unfortunately, volunteers cannot do everything since some activities require specialized expertise. The club should seek for more support from politicians and the community so as to have funds to pay specialized personnel.
Opportunities
Diversification of Sports: Toronto Ultimate club should expand its portfolio and start offering other sports such as soccer, hockey, dodge ball, volleyball, and basketball. If it offers more sports, it will be able to attract new members.
Attract young people spending time indoors: The club should start indoor sports and games to attract the demographic group of young people who prefer spending their time indoors.
Recruiting members from minority groups: Toronto is one of the most cosmopolitan multinational cities in the globe. There are several untapped cultural groups including people of South Asian and Chinese descent. Minorities are currently under-represented in the club. More minorities should be recruited to increase membership.
Use of Social media: The power of social media sites has grown phenomenally over the years. The club should use platforms such as Twitter and FaceBook to advertise its services and attract young and hip members to the club.
Threats
Competition for for-profit clubs: U