British Sub- Aqua Club Financial Review
Summary of 2020
Like many organisations , BSAC was hit hard by the global pandemic . Diving and snorkelling are communal and groupbased activities , and as such were hit particularly hard by the restrictions on meeting up . Additionally , many branches lost access to their pools and were unable to train new members . Council would like to express its gratitude to the divers
and snorkellers who supported the club by renewing their membership , recognising that many people will have had their own personal challenges , both financial and non-financial . We had many offers of support from a wide range of members , and it is humbling that so many people care so deeply and passionately about the organisation . We are above all a membership organisation , and we would like to thank all of you for your support in these challenging times . Thank you .
Impact of Covid-19 and our response
While the vast majority of existing members renewed their membership , we were hit by a severe drop in new members . Lockdown measures meant that clubs could not recruit or train new members , and consequently the number of new members dropped from 4,383 in 2019 to 1,976 in 2020 . This is reflected in the overall membership trend , and fully paid-up members fell from 24,859 in 2019 to 21,594 in 2020 .
As well as a fall in new members , training pack sales were significantly down , and we were unable to run Instructor Training Scheme ( ITS ) events . Consequently , our operating income fell by 28 % from £ 1.9m in 2019 to £ 1.4m in 2020 .
When the extent of the pandemic became apparent , we reacted quickly in several ways :
■ Supporting our members by accelerating the switch to digital delivery and online learning
■ Working with wider stakeholders to facilitate a return to diving and snorkelling as soon as possible
■ Cutting costs at headquarters and elsewhere
■ Applying for additional government support
In 2020 , with the support of a fantastic team of volunteers , we successfully delivered 120 online lectures and events to 4,836 participants . This included both online lectures and also Theory Instructor Exams ( TIEs ). These have been well received and we will not only continue to deliver these in the future , but also expand our digital offering to the membership .
As well as providing support directly to our members , we also used our role as the National Governing Body to work with the Department for Digital , Culture , Media and Sport ( DCMS ) to enable a return to our sport as soon as possible . Working with the charter boat industry , inland diving sites , and BSAC Centres , we collaborated with other NGBs through channels such as the National Water Safety Forum to work together and promote Covid-safe practices in all our sports . This has been successful , and we look forward to these ways of working continuing post pandemic .
We also embarked on aggressive costcutting at headquarters and elsewhere . As well as furloughing staff , we also sadly had
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