"There is no industry anywhere in Australia that is more involved in the everyday life of Australians than the club industry," Clubs Australia Chairman, Peter Newell OAM, said (2012). Since the late 19th century, clubs have provided entertainment for people from all generations, with all different hobbies and interests. However, some have a pre conceived idea that clubs are generally for the older generation and they are also viewed negatively because of the unsavory combination of alcohol and gambling. Only a very small percentage of the guests can't drink responsibly. Out of the 34,000 members at Southside Sport and Community Club, only 1% of these members suffer/suffered from gambling issues (Damian Boyce, 2015). It is evident that clubs hold a positive impact on the local community. Clubs offer economic support, a social setting, easy accessibility, jobs and affordable meals to the community. Clubs are a non-profit organization, which can be defined as an institution where money earned is distributed to either a charitable, cultural, educational, political, social welfare, sporting or recreational organization and does not provide a benefit for any individual member or person (Australian Government Legal Database, 2012).
Clubs are a non-profitable organization; therefore, they can provide economic support to various facets of their local community. Many clubs offer community benefits such as grants to successful applicants, for example, Southside Sport and Community Clubs offer grants between $250 and $4000.00 for organizations in the local area (Southside Sport and Community Club, 2015). According to Clubs South Australia (2011), the first ever national study of the Australian club industry reveals that registered clubs make an annual economic and social contribution of almost $10 billion to the Australian community. The business community benefits financially in that the resources and produce utilized by clubs are acquired from community organizations and businesses.
