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Club membership · a practical guide

How to increase club membership

To increase club membership, make it easy to try the club, make joining simple and the price clear, give existing members a reason and a way to bring friends, and keep the people who join through their first season.

This guide is for sports, social and community clubs, and members’ clubs. It covers ten ways to attract members, the rules worth knowing, and how to keep the people you recruit.

Ten ways to grow →Questions to ask club members →

Club membership

01/ How to attract members to your club

How to increase club membership: ten ways.

WayWhat to doWhy it works
1. Open sessionsA regular taster, open day or bring-a-friend night, with someone assigned to welcome newcomersPeople join clubs they have already enjoyed
2. A simple join pageOne page with what each membership includes, the total price and a short form that works on a phoneEvery extra step loses applicants who were ready
3. Member referralA personal code or invitation members can share; recognise or reward the member when a friend joinsFriends bring friends who stay
4. Beginner pathwaysA course, a beginners’ group or a buddy for the first monthNew members need a way in, not just a timetable
5. More membership optionsJunior, family, social, off-peak or flexible memberships alongside full membershipDifferent people want different amounts of the club
6. PartnershipsSchools, workplaces, universities and local groups that can send groupsOne relationship brings many potential members
7. Local search and mapsAn up-to-date listing with times, prices and photosPeople look for clubs near them first
8. Visible membersMember stories and photos on your site and social channels, with permissionProspects want to see people like them
9. Follow-upContact every taster attendee within days with a clear next stepInterest fades quickly without an invitation
10. Ask whyAsk new members why they joined and leavers why they leftYou learn which of these is working for your club

Our planning guidance for clubs, not a ranked list of proven results. Choose two or three you can run well.

02/ The opportunity

More people are being active.

In England, fitness activities reached 15.3 million adults, up 921,000 in a year, according to Sport England’s Active Lives survey (official statistics). Many of those people are not yet in a club. The question for most clubs is not whether there is demand, but whether the first visit converts.

03/ Rules worth knowing

Three rules for club membership offers.

Community amateur sports clubs. A registered CASC must be open to the whole community, may have different classes of membership such as junior or playing and non-playing, cannot charge more than £31 a week, and must offer help to people who cannot pay above £10 a week (HMRC CASC eligibility). HMRC’s detailed notes say these provisions must be clearly advertised, not hidden in the rule book.

Advertised prices. Quote the total price, including any joining fee members must pay (CAP Code, section 3).

Referral emails. The ICO says you cannot rely on the soft opt-in for refer-a-friend emails, and asking members to forward a pre-written email can make you responsible for it (ICO guidance). A code members share however they like avoids the problem.

04/ Keeping new members

Growth is joins minus leavers.

A club that recruits forty people and loses forty has not grown. The first season decides whether a new member stays: give them a friend, a regular slot and a reason to come back.

Ask new members what they joined for with questions to ask club members, and track who stays with the member retention tracker. Gyms and health clubs can go further with gym member retention.

  1. 01
    Week 1

    Welcome in person

    A named person, a first session, an introduction.

  2. 02
    Month 1

    A regular slot

    A group, a team or a class they belong to.

  3. 03
    Season 1

    A reason to stay

    A goal, an event, a role.

  4. 04
    Renewal

    Ask, then renew

    What did they enjoy; what would they change.

Dan Keegan, Founder, Membership Quest and GTM Quest

Written by Dan KeeganFounder, Membership Quest and GTM Quest · GTM Quest ↗

05/ questions

Increasing club membership FAQs.

How do you increase club membership?

Run regular open or taster sessions with someone to welcome newcomers, make joining simple with a clear total price, give members an easy way to bring friends, offer junior, family or social options, partner with schools and workplaces, follow up every visitor within days, and keep new members through their first season.

How do you attract members to your club?

Let people try the club before they commit, show members like them on your website and social channels, keep your local listing up to date with times and prices, and ask existing members to invite friends. People join clubs they have already enjoyed and where they know someone.

What are some ways to increase club memberships quickly?

A bring-a-friend session, a short-term introductory membership and a follow-up message to every recent visitor are the quickest to run. Make sure the price is shown in full, joining fee included, and that someone is ready to welcome the people who come.

Can a sports club charge different membership fees?

Yes. HMRC allows a community amateur sports club to have different classes of membership, for example by age, waged or unwaged status, or playing and non-playing, as long as membership is open to the whole community, fees stay below £31 a week, and help is offered above £10 a week.

How many members should a club have?

There is no single number: it depends on your facilities, sessions and volunteers. A useful test is whether new members can still get a regular slot and a welcome. Grow to the point where the club experience holds, and add sessions or volunteers before adding more members.

Grow the club, keep the feel

Recruit members who stay.

We help clubs and members’ clubs plan recruitment and first-season retention together.

Book a call →

06/ related

Keep exploring

/club-marketing-services

Club marketing services

When you want help running it.

/questions-to-ask-club-members

Questions to ask club members

Find out why they joined.

/membership-growth

Membership growth

The wider growth guide.

/membership-drive-ideas

Membership drive ideas

Campaigns to test.

07/ sources

Every claim, and where it came from

  1. HMRC — Register as a community amateur sports club: eligibilityUK government guidance
  2. HMRC — Community amateur sports clubs: detailed guidance notesUK government guidance
  3. CAP / ASA — UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, section 3UK advertising code
  4. Sport England — Active Lives Adult SurveyUK official statistics (England)
  5. ICO — Complying with the PECR electronic mail marketing rulesUK regulator guidance