Merimbula RSL Club

What Merimbula RSL Club does

Merimbula RSL Club is a community-based registered club located at 52-54 Main Street, Merimbula, on the NSW Sapphire Coast, tracing its origin to the formation of the Merimbula Sub-Branch of the Returned Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen in 1946 and opening under a Liquor Licence on 14 September 1955. The club operates as a family-friendly hospitality venue open seven days a week, serving members, walk-in guests, and Sapphire Coast tourists through a multi-vertical offering that combines the Coral Sea Restaurant (an à la carte dining venue that won OpenTable Diners' Choice Awards in two consecutive months of 2024), a coffee shop, the Club Cellars bottleshop, and the Ross Jones Sports Lounge, which houses one of the largest live sports screens on the Far South Coast and operates TAB, Keno, and gaming machines.

The underlying technology stack is conventional club-industry infrastructure rather than proprietary: OpenTable powers online restaurant reservations at fixed 5.45pm, 6.15pm, and 7.15pm sittings, while operations rely on standard entry kiosks and point-of-sale systems integrated with the four-tier GEM Rewards loyalty programme (Sapphire entry, Ruby at 800 points, Emerald at 5,000 points, and Diamond at 18,000 points), which offers tiered food and beverage discounts and birthday bonuses. The club runs a structured weekly programming calendar anchored on raffles (Wednesday, Friday, Sunday), bingo (Marine Rescue, Legacy, and free sessions), Members Cash Draws, and free live entertainment every Saturday, plus a courtesy bus service operating Wednesday through Sunday that extends the venue's catchment.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of streams: gaming machine and TAB revenue, food and beverage sales across restaurant, bar, and bottleshop, low-friction subscription membership fees ($10 for one year or $25 for five years), and function/room hire. As a registered NSW club, Merimbula RSL is required to distribute a portion of gaming machine tax back into the community via the ClubGRANTS framework, channelling approximately $50,000 annually into Bega Valley projects, with $25,000 of 2025 Category 1 funding co-contributed to Sapphire Life Opportunities' free meal service. The club operates as a not-for-profit under a member-elected Board of Directors led by President Phil Cheek and Secretary Manager Scott MacLean following the November 2025 retirement of long-serving Secretary Manager Michael Mutsch.

Name

Merimbula RSL Club

Legal name

Merimbula RSL Club

Website

https://merimbularsl.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Merimbula RSL Club is a community-based registered club on the NSW Sapphire Coast operating a 7-day hospitality venue with the Coral Sea Restaurant, Ross Jones Sports Lounge, bottleshop, gaming machines, and entertainment programming that serves members, regional residents, and tourists across the Bega Valley.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality and Community Club Services

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Local Membership Warehouse Clubs (CRAEADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)

Keywords

• Registered club hospitality
• Community club services
• Restaurant dining venue
• Sports lounge entertainment
• Gaming machine operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Merimbula

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Gaming Machine Revenue (TAB): Gaming machines and Totalisator Agency Board (TAB) operations are core revenue streams for the club. The Ross Jones Sports Lounge features the largest sporting screen on the Far South Coast, driving TAB and sports betting patronage.
2. Food and Beverage Sales: The Coral Sea Restaurant (à la carte dining), coffee shop, bar, and bottleshop generate food and beverage revenue. The restaurant offers lunch, dinner, and takeaway services 7 days a week.
3. Membership Fees: Annual and multi-year membership fees of $10 (1 year) and $25 (5 years) provide recurring revenue while also driving loyalty and repeat patronage.
4. ClubGRANTS Co-contribution: The club distributes approximately $50,000 annually to community projects via ClubGRANTS, funded through gaming machine tax contributions — a requirement under NSW legislation for registered clubs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Merimbula RSL Club operates a community hospitality venue offering à la carte dining at the Coral Sea Restaurant, a bar and bottleshop (Club Cellars), the Ross Jones Sports Lounge with TAB, Club Keno and live sports viewing, and a four-tier GEM Rewards membership loyalty program. Entertainment and gaming offerings include weekly raffles, multiple bingo sessions, free live entertainment on Saturdays, and twice-weekly Members Cash Draws, complemented by a courtesy bus, free WiFi, and outdoor area. The club reinvests surplus into community programs, distributing approximately $50,000 annually via the ClubGRANTS scheme in the Bega Valley Shire.

Product overview

Merimbula RSL Club is a hospitality venue offering dining, entertainment, gaming, and community services. The core offerings include the Coral Sea Restaurant (awarded Open Table Diner's Choice Awards in 2024), the Club Cellars bottleshop, the Ross Jones Sports Lounge with TAB and sports viewing, and the GEM Rewards loyalty program with four membership tiers. Entertainment options include free live music every Saturday, raffles three nights per week, bingo sessions, and Members Cash Draws. The club also provides community support through its ClubGRANTS program and offers amenities including a courtesy bus, free WiFi, and an outdoor area. The venue operates as a family-friendly RSL club open 7 days a week, serving the NSW Sapphire Coast region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coral Sea Restaurant: The club's dining restaurant offering lunch and dinner service, winner of Open Table Diner's Choice Awards in 2024.
• GEM Rewards
• Ross Jones Sports Lounge

Products and services

• Coral Sea Restaurant

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 100 families supported weekly by the Sapphire Life Opportunities community pantry, which the club has funded through ClubGRANTS
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sapphire Life Opportunities (SLO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2025SLO received $25,000 through the 2025 Bega Valley ClubGRANTS Category 1 programme to support its free hot meal service in Merimbula. SLO provides a free two-course meal every Tuesday from 6-7pm at 78 Main Street, supporting people experiencing homelessness, hardship and food insecurity. The grant was co-funded by Club Sapphire Merimbula, Merimbula RSL Club, and Club Bega.
• Bega Valley Shire Council / ClubGRANTS ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NSW government-mandated ClubGRANTS programme allows registered clubs to distribute gaming machine tax contributions back to the community. Category 1 grants (up to $25,000) are coordinated by Bega Valley Shire Council and assessed annually. Category 2 grants are coordinated directly by the club. In 2024, the RSL distributed nearly $50,000 to community projects.
• Pambula Surf Life Saving ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPambula Surf Life Saving Club (operating patrols since 1914) runs raffles every Wednesday night at the Merimbula RSL, with draws at 6pm. The raffles raise important funds for the surf club, which encompasses patrols, nippers, cadets, competition, and out-of-hours emergency rescue.
• Merimbula Diggers Australian Football League ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMerimbula Diggers ARFC (founded in 1983) runs raffles every Sunday night at the Merimbula RSL, with draws at 5.30pm. Volunteers from the Diggers raise important funds for their Australian Football League Club through these raffles.
• Nourish & Flourish (Bega Valley Shire Council / NSW EPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNourish & Flourish is a NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Waste Less Recycle More initiative that connects food businesses with community pantries. The club signed up in 2021 and during COVID lockdown donated over 400 prepared meals to the Sapphire Life Opportunities pantry, preventing food waste and supporting the community.
• Merimbula Rock n Rodders ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Merimbula Rock n Rodders Club (founded in 1993) holds Rock n Roll dance lessons every Thursday from 7.30-9.15pm in the RSL basement, catering for beginners, intermediate and advanced dancers. They also host social dancing on the second and fourth Sundays. The partnership provides entertainment programming and community engagement for RSL patrons.
• Club Sapphire Merimbula, Club Bega, and Other Bega Valley ClubsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix registered clubs across the Bega Valley Shire (Bermagui Country Club, Club Bega, Club Sapphire Merimbula, Eden Sports and Recreation Club, Merimbula RSL, and Tura Beach Country Club) collectively co-fund Category 1 ClubGRANTS, demonstrating a coordinated approach to community investment across the region.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Club Bega: Neighbouring Bega Valley registered club and co-funder of ClubGRANTS Category 1 alongside Merimbula RSL. Provides a comparable mix of dining, bar, gaming, entertainment, and community programming to overlapping regional members.
• Club Sapphire Merimbula: The other principal registered club in Merimbula, directly co-funding 2025 ClubGRANTS Category 1 grants with Merimbula RSL. Competes for the same local members, dining traffic, gaming spend, and function bookings in the same NSW Sapphire Coast catchment.
• Tura Beach Country Club: Bega Valley registered club and the immediate previous employer of Merimbula RSL's incoming Secretary Manager, Scott MacLean (former General Manager). Comparable community-club operating model in the same regional catchment.
• Bermagui Country Club: Regional registered club within the Bega Valley Shire and fellow co-funder of ClubGRANTS Category 1. Comparable offerings (bistro, bar, gaming, entertainment) aimed at a similar coastal community demographic.
• Eden Sports and Recreation Club: Sixth registered club in the Bega Valley Shire that collectively co-funds Category 1 grants with Merimbula RSL. Operates a similar hospitality, gaming, and community programming model for a comparable small-town membership base.

Others

• Australian Hotels Association (NSW): Industry body representing licensed hospitality venues in NSW, including registered clubs. Relevant peer as the lobbying, compliance, and benchmarking counterpart to Merimbula RSL's regulatory and operational environment.
• RSL Lifecare (national RSL support services): National RSL-affiliated welfare and aged-care organisation. Not a commercial peer, but a strategic ally of the Merimbula RSL Sub Branch and a reference point for how RSL clubs nationwide structure veteran support and community programs.

Broad incumbents

• Club Catalyst (formerly Catalyst Club) — larger NSW registered club benchmark: Larger NSW registered club operating under the same regulatory and Community Club framework as Merimbula RSL. Useful benchmark for membership pricing, F&B programming, and gaming margin benchmarks, though at materially larger scale.

Regional players

• Pambula Hotel-Motel: Hospitality venue in the broader Bega Valley region offering bar, dining, and entertainment. Comparable community-facing pub model and geographic coverage, but not a registered club with gaming entitlements.
• Top Club (Tathra Beach Bowling Club): Coastal Bega Valley community club offering bistro, bar, gaming, and bowls. Similar coastal registered-club format serving a comparable small-town demographic, although smaller and more sports-focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/merimbula-rsl-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Merimbula RSL Club