The latest iteration of the BSAC Strategy has been released, with the updated five-year plan set to focus on establishing BSAC as the ‘go-to’ community for divers and snorkellers.
The BSAC Strategy 2025-2029 has been compiled following extensive industry-wide research and feedback from clubs and members. It builds on the progress of the previous five-year plan – which saw targeted campaigns and club initiatives to support recruitment and secure BSAC’s position in the marketplace.
BSAC Vice Chair Yasmine Thorn, who has led the strategy development, said that with the watersports sector as a whole continuing to face significant challenges, BSAC will now re-focus on increasing engagement, participation, training and value for both new and existing members.
Yasmine explained:
The economic climate is such that people generally have less disposable income to spend on hobbies. This has shifted the mindset of both members and potential new members; many people are less likely to make long-standing, regular commitments, preferring to opt in and opt out as they go.
BSAC will also work with other organisations in the watersport sector to share ideas and research on the current economic challenges to allow for more informed decision-making.
Yasmine continued:
What we now need to focus on is keeping our members around and making BSAC a community that they want to remain in, but also one that is valuable for them to be part of.
Strategic advances
The new strategy focuses on stabilisation and enhancing the existing membership offer, increasing support for clubs and creating new avenues for diver training. Yasmine said:
This will help us to reestablish a ‘normal’ that our members are happy with and one we can then build upon.
Amongst the strategy 2025-2029 initiatives designed to support clubs and members will be a review of the Instructor Training Scheme to make it easier for instructors to qualify and then teach courses to meet the varying demands of members.
We don’t want (or need) to reinvent the wheel, but BSAC needs to move with the times and so there may be some changes and some new things on the horizon. So, do try out new initiatives released to support clubs and be open-minded to changes. And let us know if there is something you or your club needs.
The new BSAC strategy 2025-2029 was presented to members via an online prelaunch event last month. With additional online strategy events now in the pipeline, Yasmine hopes more members and clubs will come forward to share their own ideas:
We were pleased to see that many of the members who attended the strategy event felt that we were making useful strategic decisions to bring about BSAC’s success. We plan on running more member sessions to inform strategic decisions throughout the next few years and look forward to hearing from more new and familiar faces!
You can view or download the strategy document at bsac.com/strategy
