Orford Sailing Club saves 70% of admin time and digitises its training programme with Sailia

About Orford Sailing Club

Nestled on the Suffolk coast, Orford Sailing Club is a friendly, family-oriented club with a long history of encouraging local sailing. From dinghy racing to cruiser sailing and children’s training programmes, the club runs a packed summer calendar supported by volunteers and instructors.

Like many community sailing clubs, Orford relied on paper forms and email chains for training administration. Members would print booking sheets, fill them in by hand, and post or email them to the club secretary creating delays, errors, and a growing mountain of paperwork.

The Challenge

Running training courses on paper made sense decades ago but as participation grew, so did the admin.

The club’s main challenges were:

• Time-consuming admin: Managing bookings, payments, and forms manually created weeks of extra work for volunteers.

• Difficult access to information: Instructors couldn’t easily see participant details or check which forms were complete.

• Manual payments: Reconciliation was slow and often confusing, increasing the risk of missing income.

• GDPR risk: Paper systems and email attachments made data compliance difficult.

The club needed a secure, digital system that could streamline operations while remaining simple enough for volunteers to manage.

The Solution

Orford Sailing Club implemented Sailia, transforming its entire training programme into a streamlined digital operation.

Key improvements included:

• Online booking system: Members and guests can now book training courses online, no paperwork, no delays.

• Instant instructor access: Instructors have real-time visibility of who’s booked, contact details, and waivers, all from their phone or laptop.

• Integrated payments: Course fees are paid securely online, automatically logged and reconciled for the treasurer.

• GDPR compliance: Sensitive data and waivers are stored securely within Sailia, reducing compliance risk.

• Live reports: Club leaders can monitor bookings, revenue, and attendance from anywhere, in real time.

The Results

The switch to Sailia has been transformational for Orford:

• 70% reduction in booking admin time.

• 80% faster payment reconciliation for the club treasurer.

• Instructors empowered with instant access to schedules and client details.

• Better member experience, with fast, paper-free bookings and automated confirmations.

• GDPR-secure operations replacing outdated manual processes.

Testimonial

“It was quite a last-minute decision for the club to partner with Sailia, but it’s been a highly successful one. The customer service is excellent, and feedback from members has been really positive. We’d recommend Sailia to other centres however big or small.”
- Miranda, Chief Instructor, Orford Sailing Club

Why Orford Sailing Club chose Sailia

• Built for RYA clubs: Designed to simplify multi-instructor, member-based training operations.

• Massive time savings: Volunteers and treasurers now spend a fraction of the time on admin.

• Professional experience: Members enjoy a seamless, digital journey from booking to participation.

• Secure and future-ready: Modern data protection, digital waivers, and automated reporting.