Merimbula — The Home of Luxe Sports Lounges

Now, there is a growing number of clubs across the state pivoting from the traditional TAB area to create inviting, luxe sports lounges. 

Two member clubs in Merimbula on the NSW Far South Coast recently opened the doors to their brand-new sports lounges, diversifying from a single demographic-audience and creating an upgraded section of their club for visitors who frequent the popular tourist town. 

Merimbula RSL: Ross Jones Sports Lounge 

Merimbula RSL completed a 12-month renovation late last year to open the wildly popular Ross Jones Sports Lounge. 

The former TAB Sports Bar, which was one of the areas of the Club which hadn’t been touched in the previous renovations, was proving to struggle to attract a demographic outside of older males, leading management to look into an overhaul. 

Club General Manager Michael Mutsch told ClubLIFE that a lot of planning went into creating a space which was inclusive and would benefit the Club by welcoming both a female crowd and a younger demographic. 

“The renovation was overdue. Previously it was a TAB and billiard room area and then during COVID the billiard room turned into a storeroom, so it was obvious we had to make better use of that area,” Michael said. 

“The renovations have made it so much better, all reports from our members and guests have been very, very good.  

“It's pretty much the best area in the Club now.” 

The Club engaged with ABO Architects to brief them on creating a space conducive to attracting a female crowd — something which the previous space failed to do. Part of this strategy was referring to the area as a sports lounge, rather than a sports bar. 

They also focused on attracting a younger crowd by introducing the presence of American sports. 

“What we found is that the younger demographic was going for the American style of sports. So, we put in the big screen, and through TAB we signed up for the Sky Channels which includes the NFL, the basketball and the baseball,” Michael explained. 

“We normally have one of those games on a week to attract that younger crowd, but we have also found the feel of the area is quite conducive to those different demographics.” 

The Sports Lounge has already seen some massive crowds including a packed-out Melbourne Cup event, due to a local race day being held simultaneously. 

“The crowd that we had in here for Melbourne Cup was just absolutely mind blowing,” Michael said.  

"You couldn't get a table, and there was not much standing room left.” 

The lounge is named after a late-board member, Ross Jones, who was on the board for 23 years and was a driving force behind the Club moving to its current location. Michael also adding that Ross and his mates could always be found in the TAB area “telling yarns and jokes”. 

For clubs looking to follow suit and create a successful space like Merimbula RSL, Michael advises to consult a professional. 

“If clubs are looking at something serious like this, they need to get someone professional to give them a hand with it. We had ABO architects, who were fantastic and they listened to our brief and they got it really right.” 

Club Sapphire: Sports Lounge 

Club Sapphire currently boasts one of the most popular bars in the region. With its Asian fusion share food offering and beautiful cocktails, Kitty’s Bar is a haven for a usually un-tapped demographic — females aged 30 to 50. 

That’s why, along with the board, Club CEO Damien Foley decided to introduce an offering to complement Kitty’s, in the form of a “boutique” sports lounge. 

“The brief to the designers was to create a sports cinema feel that's a little bit blokey without being too blokey,” Damien said. 

“It's got big chunky timber tables, nice stools and a big screen that's very dominant on the wall. It’s become a really popular space, made special with plush finishings and nice carpet.” 

The sports lounge also interacts with the Club’s bowling green through a free-flowing layout. 

“We created a large window that people can sit up against, there's some bench tables against it and they can sit there and look out the window at the bowls, which is happening 20 metres away,” Damien said. 

“It’s a bit of a unique environment where the sports lounge, interacts with the bowling greens — there's a door that you can walk straight out onto our deck and that takes you down onto the bowling green.” 

Part of the reason that Damien and the board looked into the revamp of the Club’s facilities was because they were finding it hard to maintain areas of the Club which required a lot of staff, such as the cafe. They saw this free-flowing sports bar, which is serviced by the main bar, as an opportunity to work strategically around staffing issues.