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The Ultimate PLAIbook

The Ultimate PLAIbook

by Scott McKechnie

Sports Technology

Season 1

The Most Organised Club You've Never Heard Of: The Anatomy of a High-Functioning Machine

Deacon Manu's rugby journey is a remarkable one - from a university student eating instant noodles to captaining Fiji at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, by way of the Chiefs, the Māori All Blacks, and more than 15 years as a professional player. Today, Deacon is a world rugby educator, Chairman of the Pacific Rugby Players, and a senior leader at Dulwich College in Singapore. In this episode, host Scott McKechnie sits down with Deacon to bring his elite-level experience back to the grassroots game. They discuss what a brilliantly run community club actually feels like, why "connect before you correct" is a leadership principle every volunteer coach needs to hear, why so many clubs get stuck in administrative noise instead of the 20% of actions that create real impact, and how COVID has quietly affected a generation of young athletes. They close with Deacon's view on the single most important thing club leaders should invest in this year: genuine connection.

The Real ROI of Great Club Management

The Real ROI of Running a Sports Club (It's Not What You Think) ROI in community sport isn't just about money – it's the time you get back, the culture you build, and the community you hold together. In this solo episode, PLAI founder Scott McKechnie delivers a frank, practical breakdown of what separates well-run grassroots clubs from ones that are one bad decision away from serious trouble. Drawing on insights from his recent conversation with global sport leader Kelly Reynolds, Scott covers governance, cash flow, legacy events, club culture, and the hidden talent sitting in your member base right now. Key topics covered: Why governance protects clubs – and what basics every committee needs in place Right people, right roles: the committee mix that actually works Revenue vs. cash flow – why big numbers at the AGM can mask real financial risk Fixing payment collection: systems that work on autopilot Legacy events – when tradition becomes a financial liability Kindness as a strategic advantage: the micro-moments that keep members (or drive them away) Talent mapping: how to find the skills already hiding in your club community Whether you're a club manager, treasurer, head coach, or committee volunteer – this episode will challenge how you think about what your club is really building. 🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sFQdYstr-Ug 🚀 Join the PLAI 3.0 Waitlist: https://www.getearlyaccess.plaisport.com/

The ROI of Great Club Management

What does it actually cost a sports club to get governance wrong? More than most realise. In this episode, Scott McKechnie sits down with Kelly Reynolds - a sports governance expert with board-level experience across Golf Australia, elite women's sport, and high-performance rugby - to unpack what separates thriving clubs from those quietly dying. They go deep on the uncomfortable truths most club leaders never confront: cash slippage, poor governance, toxic personalities, legacy thinking, and why passion alone has never been enough to run a sustainable club. In this episode: Why wealthy clubs end up on the verge of bankruptcy - and what governance has to do with it The "revenue is vanity, cash is sanity" principle every club treasurer needs to hear How to build a skills matrix for your committee (and why a room full of passionate members isn't enough) The hidden ROI of great club management — and why it has nothing to do with money Why participation is rising but the number of clubs is falling — and what that means for grassroots sport The survey strategy that generated over $1 million in additional revenue Why the clubs that are standing still are the ones that are dying Actionable takeaways for club leaders: How to run a member survey that actually drives change Light-touch governance that protects your club without over-engineering it Where clubs are really losing money - and how to stop it How to transition leadership without losing momentum Whether you're a volunteer admin, club committee member, coach, or league organiser — this one is for you! 🎙️ The Ultimate PLAIbook Podcast is brought to you by PLAI - the subscription free, all-in-one sports club management platform trusted by clubs across 175 countries. JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR EARLY ACCESS TO THE BRAND NEW PLAI CLUB MANAGEMENT APP, LAUNCHING AUGUST 2026... WAITLIST LAUNCHES 18 MAY, JOIN HERE: https://linktr.ee/PLAI_links

Inside The PLAIbook: Sport is the Hook, but Community is the Glue

Episode 5 of The Ultimate PLAIbook is LIVE: Sport is the Hook, but Community is the Glue. This is our second Inside the PLAIbook founder monologue, where Scott McKechnie goes deeper on one of the biggest truths in grassroots sport: people may join for the game, but they stay for the feeling. Following ⁠Episode 4 ⁠with David Jones (former General Manager of Singapore Cricket Club), Scott unpacks why some sports clubs feel electric and alive while others feel cold, transactional and forgettable. He gets into the real mechanics of club culture: onboarding, volunteering, role models, family inclusion, staff culture, communication, technology, burnout, succession planning & the tension between tradition and modern expectations. This is not a fluffy conversation about “community” as a nice idea. It is a practical, disruptive look at what actually builds belonging inside a sports club - and what quietly destroys it. In this episode: Why community is one of the biggest competitive advantages a grassroots sports club can build - and how poor onboarding, weak role models & bad communication quietly destroy it. How modern clubs can re-engage busy families through micro-volunteering, better systems & technology that protects community instead of replacing it. Why burnout, over-reliance on “super volunteers”, weak succession planning & a lack of kindness are holding too many sports clubs back. If you run, lead, coach, support or care about a community sports club, this episode will challenge how you think about retention, culture, leadership & what your club actually exists to do. If you’re brave enough to hear the truth about your sports club, you’re in the right place. Subscribe to The Ultimate PLAIbook for honest conversations on sports club management, community sport, grassroots sport, club culture, volunteer burnout, youth retention, sports leadership, governance, communication, membership & sustainability. #TheUltimatePLAIbook #CommunitySport #GrassrootsSport #SportsClubManagement #ClubCulture

Sport is the Hook, but Community is the GLUE

In Episode 4 of The Ultimate PLAIbook, Scott McKechnie sits down with David Jones, General Manager of the Singapore Cricket Club, to unpack one of the most important & least understood drivers of success in community sport: community itself. Because while sport may be the thing that first brings people through the gate, it’s community, culture, belonging and connection that make them stay, contribute, volunteer & build something meaningful over time. Together, Scott and David explore why some clubs feel like a second home while others struggle to create loyalty, why volunteerism is declining, how poor onboarding damages culture & why kindness, clarity and strong communication are no longer “nice to have” in modern grassroots sport. This is a raw, honest & practical conversation about what really holds sports clubs together in 2026 and beyond. In this episode, we discuss: Why community matters more than ever: post-COVID fragmentation, declining volunteerism & the reality that sport brings people in, but belonging makes them stay. What actually builds a strong club: great onboarding, visible role models, kindness, clear communication, smart use of technology & micro-volunteering that makes contribution realistic for modern families. What quietly breaks culture: entitlement, poor standards, weak integration between performance & community, leadership teams that underestimate the influence of staff, coaches & senior members on long-term retention & growth. If you’re a club president, chair, secretary, treasurer, committee member, coach, director of sport, captain or volunteer, this episode will challenge how you think about what your club really is - and what it could become. If you’re brave enough to hear the truth about your sports club, you’re in the right place. Subscribe for more honest conversations on sports club management, community sport, grassroots sport, club leadership, volunteer burnout, club culture, governance, communication, membership & sustainability. Disclaimer: At the time of recording in December 2025, David Jones was serving as General Manager of the Singapore Cricket Club. He departed the role in February 2026 following a three-year tenure and no longer holds the position.

The Problem with Annual Membership Models (and what might work better)

Community sport looks simple from the outside. Matches on weekends. Parents on the sidelines. Kids in kit. Volunteers making it happen. But behind every session is a complex balancing act of several factors such as time, money, expectations, governance, culture and sustainability. In this episode, we sit down with Corentin Balmet and Toby Rakison to unpack what’s really happening inside grassroots sport right now. We explore: • Why volunteer-led clubs are under more pressure than ever • The hidden operational weight carried by a small handful of people • What actually drives sustainable growth in community sport • The tension between tradition and modernisation • Why culture alone isn’t enough to future-proof a club • And how leadership at grassroots level needs to evolve This isn’t a surface-level conversation about participation or passion. It’s an honest look at the structural realities facing clubs today, from financial pressure to governance gaps, from burnout to long-term planning. We talk about what separates the clubs that stagnate from the ones that adapt and why clarity around ownership, accountability and margins is no longer optional. Community sport remains one of the most powerful equalising forces in society. But if we want it to survive and thrive over the next decade, the way we run clubs needs to catch up with the world around us. If you’re a club leader, volunteer, coach, committee member or simply someone who cares about the future of grassroots sport, this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more conversations on community sport, sustainability, and the systems that power clubs behind the scenes.

Inside The PLAIbook: Cash Poor, Time Poor, People Poor

Cash poor. Time poor. People poor. This Inside the PLAIbook episode unpacks the themes from our recent discussion with Prantik Mazumdar and turns them into a practical action plan for community sports clubs. We go deeper into: • Knowing your numbers and stopping revenue leakage • Building sustainable margins as a non profit • Moving to 12 month subscription models • Reducing admin through centralised systems • Reclaiming volunteer time through automation • Rebuilding community through intentional leadership If you run, support or volunteer at a sports club, this episode is designed to help you build something stable, scalable and genuinely enjoyable to be part of. Because great club management is not just about spreadsheets. It is about how it feels to walk through the door.

Cash Poor, Time Poor, People Poor: How Are Sports Clubs Meant To Survive In 2026?

Community sports clubs do vital work, but many of them are quietly struggling. In this conversation, Scott sits down with Prantik Mazumdar to unpack a hard truth most clubs avoid: sport may be community-driven, but it is still a business. When clubs don’t treat it like one, volunteers burn out, money leaks through the cracks, and organisations slowly disappear. Drawing on decades of experience across sport, entrepreneurship, and technology, Prantik and Scott explore why “not-for-profit” thinking can actually hold community clubs back, how many clubs unknowingly lose up to 14% of their revenue each year, and the real reasons volunteers burn out, along with how technology can give them valuable time back. They discuss why understanding your numbers matters just as much in sport as it does in startups, how clubs can build sustainable revenue through memberships, merchandise, digital tools, and micro-sponsorship, and why emotion, access, and community are some of a club’s most underutilised assets. This is not a theoretical discussion. It’s a practical and honest look at how community sports clubs can survive, modernise, and grow without losing their soul. Whether you’re a club committee member, coach, volunteer, parent, or someone building in sport or community spaces, this conversation will challenge how you think about sustainability, money, and leadership. A special thank you to Singapore Cricket Club for generously hosting this conversation and providing the space to bring these important discussions to life.