RECENTLY I engaged in a Twitter conversation in relation to clubs forgetting their bread-and-butter activity of playing cricket in favour of having function rooms that are regularly full.

The argument was that cricketing matchday attendees were down on previous years and clubs needed to look at improving on this rather than hosting christening, engagement and birthday parties.

This could not be further from the truth.

All clubs should be aiming to maximise their revenue streams because they are all not-for-profit organisations that rely on membership subscriptions, sponsors, bar sales and functions.

Through providing great off-field opportunities and a welcoming atmosphere the clubs are working to be a focal point of the community, not just for today but for future generations.

Tottington St Johns had more than 5,000 people attending their “Big Day Out” recently.

There was no cricket watching involved, purely residents going to the club to enjoy a day of music on the ground.

Bury last week held a Ladies Day, and it was great to see pictures on social media of the pavilion full of ladies enjoying themselves while the cricket was going on.

Walshaw regularly host functions – such as fashion shows – which bring women from outside their current membership into the clubhouse.

It is all part of a plan to grow their brands so people who are not members of the club may in the future become involved.

Of course, every club would love to make each matchday more appealing and follow the structure Woodbank had with the T20 Finals Day two weeks ago, but that would involve a large volunteer effort and substantial yearly outlay that cannot guarantee success, especially in previous years with the poor weather we have had.

This year the weather has been exceptional so far and clubs will have benefitted from this on matchdays, which is an added bonus, but this must not stop them utilising their club facilities to the best of their ability to engage with the wider community.

Family fun days, music festivals and the like will provide substantial financial boosts for a number of clubs in the borough.

Sure it is a hard slog to put on functions like these but clubs should not be discouraged from testing the water and trying new things away from the cricket.