The Minister of Economy and Labour, the Hon. Jason Hayward, JP, MP, joined the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) for the graduation of the second cohort of its Sports Club Business Planning Incubator, highlighting the importance of strengthening the business capacity, financial management and long-term sustainability of Bermuda’s sports clubs.
The graduation and Business Plan Showcase Dinner, held on Thursday, 3 September at Devonshire Recreation Club, marked the completion of ten business-planning sessions delivered from May through September 2026.
The four graduating clubs were Devonshire Recreation Club, Somerset Bridge Recreation Club, Pembroke Hamilton Club (PHC), and E Sports Bermuda.
In his remarks, Minister Hayward congratulated the participating club executives and recognised their commitment to voluntarily dedicating their evenings and weekends to the programme while balancing their professional, personal and club responsibilities.
“Bermuda’s sports clubs hold some of the most valuable community assets in this country: fields, kitchens, halls and gathering spaces,” said Minister Hayward. “But maintaining an asset and running a sustainable business are two different disciplines. This Incubator was designed to close that gap.”
The Minister highlighted the practical outcomes achieved through the programme. The four clubs entered the Incubator without current written business plans or up-to-date financial statements. Upon completing the programme, they had both in place, along with costed revenue strategies they had already begun to implement.
Minister Hayward explained, “A club with a credible plan and clean financial records can sit across the table from a bank, a funder or a sponsor and be taken seriously”.
The programme also included site visits to each participating club, allowing the clubs’ business plans to be tested against the buildings and grounds where they will be implemented.
With the completion of the second cohort, eight clubs have now completed the Sports Club Business Planning Incubator, with 21 sessions delivered across the two cohorts.
Minister Hayward also highlighted the tangible results achieved by graduates of the first cohort, noting that more than $55,000 in grant funding has already been converted into facilities and equipment. The results demonstrate that sports clubs are an important part of Bermuda’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and that sound business planning can help community organisations strengthen their operations and access opportunities for growth.
“This is entrepreneurship,” said Minister Hayward. “Our national entrepreneurship strategy, The Bermuda Entrepreneurship Blueprint, sets out to build a stronger base of small and medium-sized enterprises. Sports and recreation is a real part of that picture, one of the largest sectors on BEDC’s register of entrepreneurs.”
The Bermuda Entrepreneurship Blueprint, developed jointly by the Ministry of Economy and Labour and BEDC, includes identifying skills development and access to financing among its five areas of focus. The Sports Club Business Planning Incubator supports both objectives by equipping clubs with business-planning skills and helping them develop the financial information and strategies needed to pursue funding and other opportunities.
Minister Hayward thanked the Department of Sport and Recreation for its support and funding, which made the development grants and programme delivery possible. He also acknowledged BEDC, Fusion 4 Business, the guest presenters and other specialists who contributed to the programme.
He also thanked Chelsea Warren and William Spriggs of BEDC’s Economic and Cooperative Development Unit for their work supporting the clubs throughout the programme.
“Government’s role is straightforward,” said Minister Hayward. “We work to create the conditions in which Bermudians and Bermudian organisations can succeed: funding, skills, guidance and access to capital. The work itself belongs to the clubs.”
In closing, Minister Hayward encouraged the graduating clubs to move from planning to implementation and to continue reviewing and strengthening their business plans as their organisations grow.
“To our four graduating clubs, you have done the planning. Now comes the implementation. Congratulations to each of you and thank you for what you give to your members and to your communities.”
