Mapping the online presence of small local sporting clubs

The contribution of local (‘grassroots’) sporting clubs to their economies amounts to billions of dollars. These clubs typically rely on volunteers who use Internet platforms (such as websites and social media) to support their roles. Use of the Internet can assist these volunteers by facilitating improved information access, communication, and efficiency. Little is known about how local sporting clubs use this important information systems function. This study extends Burgess’ (2016) web presence pyramid model to examine factors leading to differences in Internet use by athletics and cricket clubs in the UK and Australia. The findings suggest that higher adoption levels of websites set up by clubs and social media and more sophisticated Internet usage are apparent in ‘upper’ level (or well-resourced) local clubs than in ‘lower’ level clubs, but with some important variations (such as interventions by sport governing bodies) that may assist smaller clubs to adopt online platforms. Guidance on using the extended model in other contexts is offered, as is advice for clubs and sporting associations looking to improve their use of Internet platforms.