Board Induction Guide: Setting New Directors Up for Success

Welcome to the board

Whether you arrived here through election by your peers or appointment by your board, you now belong to a group entrusted with the stewardship of your club’s future — and the essential community services it provides. As communities change year after year, your task is to help keep the club relevant, sustainable and focused on delivering long-term value to members.

A proper induction — ideally led by the Chairperson and/or CEO after you’ve had a chance to read through the club’s guidelines — gives you the opportunity to ask questions and get oriented before your first board meeting.

What’s expected of you as a director

As a director, you’re expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and ethical behaviour in every decision you make. In practice, this means you must:

• Exercise care and diligence in your role
• Act in good faith and in the best interests of the club
• Avoid — and declare — any conflict of interest
• Maintain confidentiality on all board matters
• Avoid misusing your position or club information
• Commit the time genuinely required to do the role well
• Keep building your skills through ongoing director education
• Help prevent the club from trading while insolvent

Because clubs operate in a highly regulated environment — spanning gambling, liquor and food service — you also have a responsibility to understand the key legislation governing the industry, including the Registered Clubs Act 1976, the Corporations Act 2001, the Gaming Machines Act 2001 and the Liquor Act 2007.

The role of the board

The board’s job is to set and oversee the club’s strategic direction, in a way that delivers long-term benefit to members and the broader community. That means providing leadership to the management team, and ensuring the club’s operations comply with its constitution and the relevant legal and regulatory frameworks.

Board responsibilities, at a glance

Outside matters reserved for members at general meetings, the board is responsible for a wide scope of oversight, including:

• Strategy — setting and approving the club’s long-term goals and KPIs
• Culture & ethics — upholding ethical standards and fostering an inclusive, effective board
• Governance — meeting in line with legislation and the constitution, approving policies, and appointing auditors
• CEO oversight — recruitment, performance review and succession planning for the CEO and other key roles
• Performance monitoring — tracking progress against goals and approving statutory reports
• Risk management — identifying and managing risks to members and the club’s reputation
• Compliance — meeting legal obligations, including responsible gambling and harm minimisation practices
• Long-term thinking — prioritising sustainable growth over short-term wins
• Financial oversight — preventing insolvent trading, approving budgets and reviewing the club’s financial position regularly

Board structure and key roles

The size and composition of your board is set out in your club’s constitution — as is director tenure. ClubsNSW recommends a triennial rule, where directors are elected annually to serve three-year terms.

Company secretary: Under the Corporations Act 2001 and the Registered Clubs Act 1976, this role is generally held by the CEO unless the constitution says otherwise. All directors have direct access to the Company Secretary for governance matters — including statutory requirements, board processes and director induction support.

Chairperson: Elected annually by the board, the Chairperson leads board meetings, sets the agenda in consultation with the CEO, inducts new directors, and acts as the primary link between management and the board.

How board meetings work

By law, boards must meet at least quarterly, though most clubs meet monthly. Before each meeting, directors receive papers for consideration and can flag general business items for discussion. Minutes are taken and shared with all directors ahead of the next meeting, and attendance is reported to members in the club’s Financial Report.

As a new director, you’ll be expected to read board papers in advance, participate actively and respectfully, and keep all board discussions strictly confidential.

Training you’ll need to complete

Within 12 months of your election or appointment, directors are required to complete:

Mandatory director training — Director Foundation & Management Collaboration and Finance for Club Boards
AML/CTF Board Awareness Oversight Training
Responsible Gambling Board Oversight Training

The Club Education Institute (CEI) runs member-inclusive and discounted courses and seminars to support this ongoing development.

Making the most of your clubsNSW membership

As a director of a ClubsNSW member club, you’ll gain access (paid or free, depending on your membership) to a range of industry resources — including ClubASSIST support, the WR HR advisory and legal service, ClubSAFE, ClubsNSW Circulars, ClubLIFE and ClubED publications, and the CNSW Industry Calendar. Your CEO can add you to the ClubsNSW membership portal to get started.

Your induction checklist

Before your first board meeting, it’s worth reviewing:

• The club constitution
• Quarterly financial reports
• Your director role description
• The current strategic plan
• The board’s structure, sub-committees and charters
• The process for annual director role review (if one exists)
• The ClubGRANTS process and current recipients (if applicable)
• The register of disclosures
• the most recent Annual Report

You’ll also be asked to sign and return to the Chairperson:

• A Confidentiality Agreement
• The Code of Conduct
• The Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy
• The Equal Opportunity Policy
• The Workplace Health and Safety Policy

Getting support

Induction is just the beginning of an ongoing governance journey.

For more information on any of the content covered here, ClubsNSW member clubs can contact ClubAssist .