Clubs Should Feel Like a “Home Away from Home” says Industry Stalwart

The NSW club industry is facing strong headwinds, but the sense of community will ensure clubs are still operating a century from now.

That’s the opinion of industry veteran Peter ‘Nugget’ Negus, who has bid clubs a fond farewell after decades of service across multiple venues.

“We provide a safe environment — we do entertainment, we help sporting groups, we provide good food, and if there’s any problems in the club, where people cause issues, we move them on,” Nugget tells the ClubLIFE Podcast in an episode released today.

“So, I think what you’ve got to do is make people feel when they come into the club… that it’s a second home away from home, and whenever you’re doing that in any club, they’ll always keep coming back.

“Clubs will still be around in 100 years’ time, without a doubt.”

Nugget retired in 2022 after 17 years as Secretary Manager of Club North Haven, although he’s kept his toe in the water since through some consultancy work.

The start of his career was spent learning the ropes under the tutelage of publicans, before crossing over to the club industry for 19 years where he ran several clubs, including Cowra Bowling Club, Bathurst RSL Club and Bathurst City Bowling Club.

As he now prepares to embark upon more fishing expeditions and spend more time with his family, Nugget is confident about the future of the industry — but says it’s going to be a hard slog for smaller clubs.

“I think the cost of everything has gone up so much and for a lot of small clubs this is very tough,” Nugget tells the ClubLIFE Podcast.

“They’ve got to try and increase their income streams to keep pace with the cost of goods going up, and for a lot of smaller clubs they can’t cut this, they can’t cut that… it’s very tough for them.”

He points to the increased cost of beer as a particular pain point which is hurting a lot of hospitality venues, particularly small clubs.

“The CPI is crucifying the whole industry… two increases in February and September, the Government needs to look at that, especially for smaller clubs,” he says.

“A lot of them aren’t going to survive and it’s great that a lot of clubs come in and take them over as an amalgamation because it’s tragic when you see a club go under, no one wants to see a club go under.”

Click on the link below to hear the full interview with Peter ‘Nugget’ Negus in the sixth and final episode of the ClubLIFE Podcast for 2024, which is also available via ClubLIFE.com.au, Apple, Spotify and wherever else you get your podcasts.

The ClubLIFE Podcast will return with more episodes in 2025. If you have a suggestion regarding who might make an interesting guest for a future episode, get in touch with the team by emailing [email protected].