The way a club looks and feels isn’t just about aesthetics – it’s about purpose. With competition from nearby pubs and hospitality venues only increasing, clubs are rethinking their fitouts to ensure their design stacks up. The goal? To create modern, welcoming spaces that keep the local community engaged while broadening the member base and appeal to new demographics.
According to Andrew O’Connell, director of Altis Architecture, clubs are increasingly gravitating towards medium to smaller-scale renovations that are multi-space and community focused, such as food and beverage upgrades, sports bar additions, as well as the introduction of or enhancement of function facilities, cafe spaces, kids’ play areas, and street activation. Additionally, he points that clubs are making greater use of natural light and freshening up their colour palettes to create lighter and brighter spaces.
“In previous years, clubs may have prioritised gaming-focused renovations, which still are very relevant,” he said.
“However, the shift has seen a huge uptake in members, food and drink sales, events, and general engagement with venue. Further, clubs have needed to attract and adapt through design to a more gender diverse market, with the focus on inclusivity.
“Additionally, clubs are looking at different uses for each space, paying consideration to the day and night economy. Increasingly, we are seeing clubs now competing with a larger hospitality market – pubs, bars, restaurants – and needing to develop in that respect.”
Honouring history
One club that has embraced this approach is Moorebank Sports Club – affectionally known as Sporties – in Sydney’s southwestern suburb of Liverpool. The club worked with Altis Architecture on its $6 million renovation to modernise the venue and pay homage to its ties to the local army barracks. Moorebank Sports Club CEO Jeff Gibbs said having a clear theme was key to the project.
“We rebranded our restaurant to Lighthorse because the club sits on an old army barracks ground, and the Lighthorse regiment trained on our sporting field 100 years ago. Of course, the Holsworthy army base is still really close to us,” he explained.
“Despite being a sports club, we have a strong association with the defence force, and when we explained the history of the site to Altis, it informed their design decisions.”
According to Altis Architecture director Dominic Fedrigo, the club’s goal was to create a more cohesive venue that reinforced its identity as a warm and welcoming community hub.
“Historically, areas of the club were frequently refreshed; coming out of Covid, the club identified that a broader refurbishment would enable them to continue to serve the membership,” he said.
“The project focus was to update and unite the venue. Various past refresh projects had contributed to a lively environment, however the identity of the warm, friendly and much-loved community hub was unclear in the spaces themselves.”
To honour the club’s history, the design incorporates subtle yet significant military-inspired elements. There are hues of blues and browns throughout to reflect the local military colours, for instance.
“The new design echoes the formality and repetition of military life – brass, leather, canvas materiality creates a familiar and an ordered base to the design,” Fedrigo said.
With new hospitality venues emerging in the area and local competition heating up, Sporties made a deliberate decision to raise the bar with its fitout.
“We were really dedicated to making sure that it was of a higher standard,” Gibbs said. “We didn’t spare any expense when it came to quality. It’s always been a policy to do a refurb every four years … but typically when we do that it’s a light touch. The last time we did it, we installed carpet tiles, rather than proper plush carpet. We didn’t make any drastic changes to the ceiling – it was always a paint, patch and tiling job. You can do that successfully for a million dollars, but this time we spent $6 million because we wanted everyone walking in and thinking, ‘Wow’.
“When people walk in, they want to see it. They want to see that brick is real brick … I think authenticity is important. You want people to have a really good quality experience because it is so competitive now.”
Beyond aesthetics, the renovation of Sporties was also about functionality. The club introduced a new sports bar with two large screens, which Gibbs claimed are “some of the biggest in southwest Sydney”, along with a gelato bar and expanded seating areas.
“We wanted to bring people in, but then we had to think about what to do with them once they were here,” Gibbs said.
With no option to expand the physical footprint due to development restrictions, the club had to get creative with its design to maximise capacity.
“Design themes always change. Last time, it was about creating nice, cosy spaces. This time, we demolished those cosy spaces with banquette seating and opened up the place up. That allowed us to fit in more seating.”
Since completing the renovation, Sporties has seen a significant uplift in patronage.
“Our club is full. We’ve just gone through one of the busiest periods of the year. We’re doing about 1,000 meals a night. Our food sales are 38 per cent up and our bar is up 24 per cent. We’re experience such huge numbers,” Gibbs shared.
However, the club’s biggest challenge now isn’t attracting people – it’s accommodating them.
“Car parking is the problem. We have 600 spots … and they were all full. The club was pumping inside; you couldn’t fit more people in,” he said.
“It’s just a shame because the opportunity cost is there.”
While the club has recently acquired significant land for future development, a masterplan is still in the works. In the meantime, Gibbs is confident that the latest renovation will serve the community well for years to come.
“This was our last hurrah before the next big step, and I really like what we’ve done with the look, style, and theme. At this point, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
This is an excerpt from Club Management Autumn. To read the full story, see below.
