Yachting Australia wants to know what YOU think

1:15 AM Tue 27 Sep 2011 GMT

'Yachting Australia' .

Yachting Australia is asking for members of the sailing community to take part in an online survey designed to assess how Australians perceive the sport of sailing. This means YOU, the cruising sailor.

No doubt there will be many racing sailors making comments, but these days many clubs are finding that their cruising divisions are growing exponentially while racing languishes, so your opinion is important.

The results will assist in the development of future programs to increase participation in the sport at clubs around the country.

Yachting Australia, with the support of the Australian Sports Commission, has commissioned the sports and entertainment consultants, gemba, to conduct key research which will provide an improved understanding of consumer attitudes to sailing and boating in Australia.

'This is an exciting project and is a key priority for our sport,' Ross Kilborn, Yachting Australia's recently appointed Sport Development Director said.

'Many of the clubs are telling us that the most important challenge they face is how to increase participation and membership. This research will look at the behaviours and preferences of those already involved and look at the barriers to entry.

'It will also target those already involved and those that are not yet participating regularly,' he said.

The research will assess what opportunities there are to attract more people to the sport and includes reviewing existing entry level programs and assessing the opportunities for additional programs and initiatives.

Based on research findings, gemba will assist in the development of an entry level program strategy and related brand positioning, as well as advising on how relevant stakeholders might become engaged with strategy.

The survey takes between 15 and 20 minutes to complete and can be accessed via the following link: iquestion.completemr.com/Q205444/ .

Any queries on the survey should be directed to Craig Blatch on 02 8020 6550.

For more information visit www.yachting.org.au

Access the survey at: www.yachting.org.au/newsletter/newsletterDisplay.asp?ID=4635

by Craig Heydon, Yachting Australia/Sail-World