Growth of judo in Auckland.
I think I need to be clearer about the growing the number of clubs and would like to make the following points:
1. This policy platform is based on defining a role for the AJA and NZJF. The role of these organisations is not about attracting individuals. Instead this is the role of clubs and instructors. The role of the AJA is to support clubs by:a. Promoting Judo i.e. raising the profile of the sport as a whole (An interesting question. How many media releases has the AJA circulated in the last year?)And why we had a defunct expensive web page and the AJA President did nothing about it.b. Maintaining competitive standards. The AJA runs competitions pretty well. Tournaments are technically compliant and are generally pretty well run. This is an important job because it is what separates us from BJJ we have a well administered programme of competitive activity that feeds into the international arena.c. Maintaining technical standards. If you want to teach judo you need to be a registered club.
2. Clubs are the entity that should be recruiting individuals. The AJA should be supporting clubs. If they supported clubs better and encouraged more clubs to start the QED more people would play Judo.
3. There is a simple economic argument for focusing on developing new clubs. The hard fact is that Judo needs money. The current retention focus essentially creates a sinking lid. Players drift away and the current clubs plod on and the AJA’s revenue remains consistent or falls slightly. Starting a new club requires at least 10 players (by the AJA constitution) every new club that is registered therefore returns at least $ 200 per annum ($ 168 club registration plus the capitation) . This isn’t a lot but for an organisation (the AJA) with an annual income of about $ 4-5,000 it is significant i.e. start five small clubs and the AJA has created 20% increase in annual income.
4. Further to supporting new clubs a large part of my argument is that we need to professionalise instruction. The fact is that we have 481 registered players in the Auckland Region.[240 juniors,56 youths and 124 seniors]At last years NZ JUDO champs we had 8 female seniors/youth and 40 youth/seniors entries.PATHETIC
About half of them are concentrated in four professional clubs. (You need at least 100 players to be survive financially and a couple of NZ clubs are around the 200 mark) Imagine if the AJA actually (shock horror) made it easier to start a judo club. At the moment our club can register because Jackie has her Level 1 Coaching Certificate that she did over the internet. It’s a bit silly really. Imagine if instead of paying IT Geeks to write e-learning packages we paid instructors to start new clubs. Instead of my wife saying “why are you always wanting to waste your time going to judo” she would be saying “get off your bum and start a club at Devonport,or Pukekohe and get that junior class going”. I can name at least six areas in Auckland which are socially economic upmarket area that would and should have clubs;Walkworth,Albany,Birkenhead,Devonport,Ponsonby,Onehunga,remurera,and Pukekohe red denotes that they have clubs in the past. Look at Judo NZ club web site[you wont see much on the AJA as its three years out of date.]and you can find heaps club instructors listed , why are they not encouraged to start their own club .The AJA has the money [$44,000] pay them for the 1st year , we have the mats , lend them the mats and in the meantime apply to pub charity to pay for them .YOU GROW OR YOU DIE5. With BJJ we need to open ourselves to this opportunity. I lobbied often to let BJJ players fight in Judo contests and vice-versa. We have the little old ladies. All sports need administrators they need the ‘boring’ little people that will get up at 530 in the morning run the weigh, spend the day listening to Ben how few judoka there are on the mat as they pack up the mats when the competitors have gone boozing. When BJJ guys come to a judo contest they are blown away by how well organised we are. This is our competitive environment BJJ is too cool they get all the ‘tough’ guys and girls but it is not supported by a group of referees, organisers and administrators . We need to capitalise on this. If BJJ fought in judo contests we could achieve the following:
a. Increase the number of competitors [from 40 in the last NZ championships to ????]
b. Expose BJJ guys to our higher level of organisation making them more likely to come over to judo
c. Improve the standards of both
6. Letting BJJ players enter our tournaments will need some leaps of convention i.e. not worrying about whether a patch is 100mm X 100mm instead or 100mm X 150mm. Perhaps we should just say as long as the suit is legal who cares what colour?
7. MMA, we need to train Judo guys to win MMA tournaments.
8. BJJ have approached Uni Judo club asking if they can attend the next AJA referees seminars. Say yes and take their money , why not they get something and we get something. 9.Judo clubs sell themselves and their product too cheap, BBJ charge $40 pw.They work on the basis if we are expensive we must be goodAJA Club Development Director.Rick Littlewood
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