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We know that multi-sport clubs can be set up and run in different ways; each is unique and has its own decision-making processes and structures.

We caught up with Jonathan Short, the Operations and Commercial Manager at City of Peterborough Sports Club (CoPSC), to learn more about their multi-sport club.

CoPSC have over 800 members. They offer a wide range of sports and activities and have five sections:

  • City of Peterborough Bowls Club, with eight teams playing across various leagues.
  • Peterborough Town Cricket Club, with five senior teams and a large youth section for children aged five to 19 (with an intention to grow this further).
  • City of Peterborough Hockey Club, with eight male teams, five female teams, four masters teams and a thriving youth section for children aged five to 16.
  • City of Peterborough Squash and Racketball Club, with over 180 members of all ages and abilities.
  • City of Peterborough Tennis Club, with over 500 members of all ages and abilities playing in social sessions, coaching sessions and competing in local leagues.

View across a cricket pitch to indoor and outdoor tennis courts in the distance.

Facilities

CoPSC have a wide range of facilities on a long-term lease from the council (with over 60 years remaining), which include:

  • A large clubhouse, with bar, kitchen, lounge, boardroom and changing facilities.
  • Full-sized floodlit, artificial grass hockey pitch.
  • Cricket pitch and nets.
  • Five squash courts including one glass-backed show court.
  • Bowls green with self-contained pavilion.
  • Three outdoor, two indoor and two grass tennis courts.

The facilities are used by the different sections of the club and its members but are sometimes hired out externally. The clubhouse and boardroom are used for events such as birthdays, and the local hospital uses the facilities for meetings. Around 160 workers from the local hospital pay a monthly fee to use the on-site car park.

Membership

The club's Management Council set the membership fees, to ensure fairness and transparency across all sections. Each section of the club has their own members, but a multi-sport membership is available for anyone wanting to join more than one section.

A ball and a cone inside a hoop on the floor of a sports hall.

  • Structure

    CoPSC are a limited company, officially called Peterborough Town Cricket, Hockey and Squash Club; they also have Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) status.

    They act as an umbrella organisation for each of the club’s sections. They:

    • Are a single legal entity with their own governing processes.
    • Have a Management Committee with overall legal and regulatory responsibility for the club and its sections.
    • Have one set of annual accounts covering all sections.
    • Are responsible for managing and maintaining all the facilities.
    • Offer all qualified voting members equal rights at AGMs. 

    The club has always been structured in this way, as defined by its constitution, memorandum, and articles of association. This works well as smaller sections aren’t overshadowed or overlooked and they all have equal rights, regardless of their size.

    Each section also has its own constitution to ensure alignment to the specific rules of their own sports and the overarching rules of CoPSC.

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  • Management

    CoPSC is governed by a Management Council which includes a:

    • Chairperson
    • Secretary
    • Treasurer
    • Head of Finance
    • The chair from each of the five sections.

    To complement the Management Council, each section has its own committee that is responsible for the running of its section. These Section Committees are structured similarly to the overarching management committee with a chair, treasurer, membership lead, safeguarding lead, and fundraising lead.

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  • Decision-making

    Section committees manage the day-to-day running, with the overall strategic direction and project prioritisation decided by the Management Council.

    Each section runs within limits set by the Management Council and in accordance with their National Governing Body.

    This can be challenging as there are different rules for the sections to comply with and governing bodies can provide different advice. They work through this by taking time to understand the challenges faced, being transparent, and working together to ensure compliance.

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  • Managing finances

    The Management Council oversee the overall club's finances. All funds are held in a central bank account.

    Each section has its own cost centre so their financial position can be monitored.

    Before allocating budgets each year, the Management Council look to understand each section’s requirements. However, this can be challenging, especially if there are competing requirements between different sections.

    The Management Council are responsible for the repair or replacement of any facilities or assets.

    Any remaining profit is given to each section on a proportional basis as a sinking fund. 

    The tight grip of finances is seen as a benefit because it enables key decisions to be made and shared top down, while allowing for feedback from each section to the Management Council.

    In addition to being allocated a budget, each section is responsible for raising funds, which helps to cover the day-to-day costs of running each section. These running costs are managed by each section, who are tasked with keeping all their expenditure within the set budget.

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A young girl holding a tennis racquet on an outdoor court.

Advice to other clubs

CoPSC offered these top tips for other clubs who are looking to develop, or are running, a multi-sports club:

Get the governance and finance model right. Be aware of what strategies need to be in place and work together to achieve these.
Ensure there are enough volunteers to take on the roles required, and that they have the time needed to do them.

Read our guidance for more information on how multi-sport clubs can be run.

Multi-sport clubs