USA Swimming is proposing a stark enhance in dues paid by member golf equipment starting within the 2025-26 season.
The nationwide governing physique is proposing golf equipment pay a further $155 yearly, from $70 to $225, which might mark the primary enhance in annual dues since at the least 1990.
The extra sizable change comes for first-year golf equipment, which must pay $700 for his or her first three years, a 900% enhance, below the proposal.
A rise to $250 yearly for golf equipment starting in 2021 was proposed in 2019 however didn’t come to fruition as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.
| Annual Charge | 1990-2024 | Proposed change |
| 12 months-round golf equipment | $70 | $225 |
| New golf equipment | $70 | $700 for first three years |
Word that these numbers don’t embody the annual $50 price golf equipment pay LSCs. In whole, year-round golf equipment would have a $275 annual price and new golf equipment would pay $750 for his or her first three years of existence.
In USA Swimming’s Board of Administrators assembly in April, suggestions for membership membership price modifications had been introduced by Ira Klein with the target of utilizing the elevated charges to pay for elevated membership visits and in-person nationwide occasions.
The proposal can also be listed in USA Swimming’s Proposed Laws for 2024, set to be voted on at its Annual Enterprise Assembly in September.
The proposal notes that for brand new golf equipment, USA Swimming workers “might decide decreased charges for brand new golf equipment primarily based on outreach membership and, or geographic isolation.”
In 2023, USA Swimming reported it had 2,579 year-round golf equipment. At that quantity, the income for USA Swimming from dues paid by golf equipment would see a rise of $399,745, from $180,350 to $580,275, yearly, if the proposal passes (not together with first-year golf equipment).
Within the proposal for the elevated membership dues, USA Swimming outlined the outcomes of a coach’s survey taken throughout the 2022-23 season. Coaches known as for the next modifications:
- Extra visits from USA Swimming to LSCs
- Alignment with LSCs on serving golf equipment
- Extra membership visits to number of membership sizes
- Extra listening to coaches at native stage
- Extra recognition of golf equipment (particularly these producing at an age group stage)
- Common conferences in LSC with coaches and LSC Boards
- In-person coach training
- Embody coaches in decision-making course of, each in-person and broad grassroots participation
- Assist when golf equipment are dealing with important challenges round services, board modifications, and so forth.
The uptick in membership dues comes to offer elevated providers, with the proposal additionally noting the additional $155 per membership helps modify the annual charges for inflation.
The “elevated providers” will embody:
- A rise in LSC/membership visits ($150,000 funding)
- Investing within the Membership Excellence Program mannequin ($150,000)
- Growing the USA Swimming app performance for coaches ($120,000)
- Elevated monetary help for house coaches at USA Swimming camps ($45,000)
- Serving to new golf equipment discover success ($30,000)
- Offering further teams-in-crisis providers ($30,000)
The overall funding of the six proposed elevated providers totals $525,000, suggesting new golf equipment may present someplace within the neighborhood of $125,000 in elevated income.
If finally handed, the dues enhance would start September 1, 2025. The elevated service packages could be piloted via August 2025 earlier than being totally carried out within the 2026 membership 12 months.
The proposal for elevated membership charges comes after USA Swimming noticed a 4.61% decline in membership in 2023, shedding an approximate 18,000 swimmers. The membership retention charge of 68.9% was the bottom on document since 2019.
USA Swimming has struggled because the pandemic, together with shedding $17 million in belongings in 2022.
USA Swimming’s Annual Enterprise Assembly is scheduled for September 26-28 in Denver.
