EXCLUSIVE
Wyong Leagues Group will welcome its eleventh club into the fold, announcing a proposed merger with Club Blackhead which will now be known as Hallidays Sports Club. The venue, located above Black Head Beach on the coast between Foster Tuncurry and Taree, will also undergo a refit with a new kitchen to service a new restaurant, The Coast, under the proposal.
The restaurant will feature a combined Asian/Australian menu when the club reopens on 9 November. The TAB areas will also be upgraded and new ceilings installed at the venue which features two full-size greens.
“The reception we received by the club’s members, who voted enthusiastically to amalgamate, suggests we are in for a very exciting future at the club,” Wyong Leagues Group CEO Ben Coghlan said.
The proposed merger follows a branding refresh by the NSW Central Coast club across all of its venues, which now spreads as far south as Goulburn and as far north as Woolgoolga on the Mid-North Coast.
The familiar kangaroo logo used across all clubs in the group is gradually being replaced by themes to match the individual venues and their environment and is being implemented by Daily Press.
The venues include Wyong Rugby League Club, Avoca Beach Bowling Club, Bateau Bay Bowling Club, Budgewoi Soccer Club, Canton Beach Sports Club, Goulburn Railway Bowling Club, Woolgoolga Diggers Club, Safety Beach Golf Club, Wyong Bowling Club, Wallarah Bay Recreation Club and now Hallidays Sports Club.
Coghlan said the Hallidays Sports Club will enjoy the same fresh new branding as has already been rolled out at Budgewoi Soccer Club and other venues in the group which now has a combined membership of about 58,000.
“We have undertaken our first major rebranding in well over 20 years,” Coghlan said. “Whilst our existing branding has served us well over the years, we felt that the time was right for us to take a deep look at how we present ourselves in the market.
“The rebranding process has gone much further than just a new logo design, it has allowed us to really examine who we are as a Group and how we see ourselves into the future in an increasingly competitive market.
“We concluded that we should provide a distinct look for each of our properties, rather than make them a sub-brand of the group. All our venues have their own distinctive character, and our members have a strong sense of ownership. It is still their club and should be presented as such.”
While club groups are currently limited to 11 venues under one umbrella, the push is on for more as many regional clubs continue to face financial difficulty.
Read Wyong Leagues Group CEO Ben Coghlan’s exclusive interview in the Summer issue of Club Management magazine. Subscribe now.
