Could angling be on the verge of a 21st Century transformation? Whether it’s new films and podcasts, digital technology, or projects looking years into the future, the months ahead represent a huge opportunity for renewal – and we have the talent to make it happen!
Compare the situation today to where so many clubs, fisheries and tackle companies were just 10 years ago and the difference is startling. From a world of hand-written tickets, creaking memberships and meetings at the local pub, we now have digitally-savvy clubs and fisheries with big ideas. Meanwhile, the online world crackles with podcasts, forward-thinking projects, and tackle and ticket sales at a click!
You don’t need to be some kind of Nostradamus to see things moving in the right direction, whether it’s junior angling, digital engagement or progress on tackling predation and angling bans.
Nor is this just because the sport is becoming better organised and more tech savvy: it’s because we now have the people with the drive and ability to get things done. Clubmate alone has gone from innovative start-up to industry standard, giving hundreds of angling groups the tools to thrive in the 21st Century.
Even the most traditional clubs are now signing up and reaping the benefits. The ongoing task for us all, though, is now to build upon this. This is precisely why we must throw our weight behind the change-makers, the people who don’t just have big hearts but big ambitions, and a quality that angling has lacked for far too long – a fresh sense of professionalism.
