Quality facilities and resources are essential to your club’s sustainability. They shape how members feel about their experience and contribute to a strong club culture.

Here, we provide information for club managers to understand what assets to protect, how to do it and where to find support.

Why protecting assets matters

Your club’s assets include:

• buildings and grounds
• equipment and signage
• digital tools and data
• intellectual property
• people and knowledge.

Protecting these assets helps your club:

• stay financially secure
• reduce risk and liability
• maintain member trust
• plan for the future.

Key actions to protect your assets

To manage your club’s assets effectively, you should:

• keep an up-to-date assets register
• create a maintenance and renewal schedule
• set aside dedicated funding for repairs and upgrades
• ensure you have adequate insurance
• install security measures (eg, locks, alarms, cameras)
• use clear and consistent signage
• develop a long-term asset management plan.

Insurance: what you need

Every club should have insurance that matches its size, activities and assets.

Common types of cover include:

• public liability – protects against injury or damage claims
• contents insurance – covers equipment and furnishings
• committee indemnity – protects committee members from legal claims
• loss of income – covers disruption to club operations.

ACC provides accident cover, but you may want additional protection for volunteers and members. See ACC for more information.

Protecting digital and intangible assets

Your club’s brand, data and systems are valuable. Protect them by:

Intellectual property (IP)

• Register your club name, logo and domain
• Consider trademarking key brand elements
• Keep copies of official documents and history

Data security and privacy

• Store member data securely
• Limit access to sensitive information
• Follow the Privacy Act 2020 and have a clear privacy policy

Cybersecurity

Use strong passwords and antivirus software

• Protect email and financial systems from hacking
• Back up important files regularly

Agreements and people protection 

Clear agreements help prevent disputes and protect your club’s reputation.

You should have:

• volunteer and staff agreements outlining roles and responsibilities
• a code of conduct for all members
• succession plans to train future leaders and preserve knowledge

Risk management and emergency planning

Regular risk assessments help you spot problems before they happen.

You should:

• review risks at least once a year
• document hazards and mitigation strategies
• create an emergency response plan for incidents like fire, theft or injury  

Sport NZ – Health and safety for clubs

Financial controls

Protect your club’s money by:

• separating duties (eg, one person approves payments, another reconciles accounts)
• using secure banking systems
• keeping clear records of income and spending

Sport New Zealand resources

Facility management manual

Sport NZ – Finance policies 

Find out more

Aktive – Facilities toolkit