ReneDescartes wrote on 05/05/14 at 18:47:54:

I believe knowing the opponents rating is an important piece of information to play optimally the game. Indeed in the 19th century most players just played the board but since Lasker? we know that psychology is also important.
I remember that in 2012 I complained about the illogical Belgian interclub-rules as I didn't get a chance to know in advance the rating of my opponent http://schaken-brabo.blogspot.be/2012/12/de-interclubfaq.html ;
Certain risks I am only willing to take if the player does not have a high rating.

ReneDescartes wrote on 05/05/14 at 17:22:28:

A new development which I recently noticed is that players just switch on their portables/tablets/iphones/.... during the post-mortem to get an immediate "final" evaluation of the critical positions. I can also do that at home and often much better so also the post-mortems are losing their interest in clubs.

For blitz I seldom go to my club. It is approximately 1 hour drive (30 minutes one way) and the best opposition is normally around 2100 fide. At home I can just switch on my PC and play for free games against FM/ IM level. Even more important is that all games are automatically saved and can be used during preparation (http://schaken-brabo.blogspot.be/2012/11/de-onzin-van-blitz.html)

However playing at home isn't ideal either. Wife and kids are continuously disturbing me during my games so often I have to wait till they are in bed which makes that I am already pretty tired.

Playchess provides all the necessary tools for creating events, tournaments,... In the Netherlands several clubs are using that platform. I believe in Italy they created their own online platform. This requests an initial investment but afterwards it is much cheaper than playchess.

Well, at my club we do have a hard core which gather during the Saturday blitz and usually goes out to eat afterwards. (we even have boards & clocks at a few pubs/restaurants!)

Thursdays became "training day" about six months ago, but only a handful seem to show up the last few months...

Maybe it's not online blitz per se that is competing with clubs, but life - after all, you can play online at home and when you close the computer there's still some time to spend with wife and kids - time you'd lose on the journey back and forward to the club... :/

Perhaps it's better to spend most time and energy on bigger/more special events?

Moving some of the club's activities to online events as some of you have suggested, could be an interesting idea - though it may require a good platform to do it, and most clubs don't have someone with the skill or time to create that. Could be a niche for some existing sites though, or do they already offer "club events" on some?

The best thing I ever got from going to a club, personally, was hearing stronger players than myself talking after or about a game.  It's incredibly helpful to hear how stronger players approach a position, what they were worried about and were trying to accomplish, etc.

Instead of fighting online chess, you can use online chess to grow as chessclub. In fact this is what today more and more Dutch clubs are doing. They offer besides a membership of their club also a cheaper tariff for chessbase membership. The next step is to organize online tournaments, online simuls, online classes,... In one of my first Dutch articles I already discussed this topic: http://schaken-brabo.blogspot.be/2012/02/clubschaak-en-of-internetschaak.html

A chessclub is still the only place where you can get meaningful ratings and/or  play games with long time controls (without engine corruption). As a chessclub this must be propagandized by also attracting people able to participate irregularly. This year I played for the first time rated games in which you could decide each week individually if you want to play, which level of opposition you prefer, rated or not and agree with the opponent which timecontrol you choose. Maximum flexibility permitting a maximum of players to participate.

Creating a band between the players:
- going together to external tournaments for playing or watching
- organize other non chess related activities: eating, ...

Now if a club really wants to grow then you need to have some volunteers willing to demonstrate the game at schools and organize youth lessons so interested students can begin at a lower level.

Some free lectures or game analysis/discussions by stronger players would probably go very far, though of course you have to find someone willing to offer their services.  I'm thinking of something akin to what they do in St. Louis, though for most clubs anyone rated 2200+ would probably be good enough to help the vast majority of members.   

In my opinion, you don't really need a GM to do something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69TK-VSUaek

and I imagine that's a very big draw for players.

There have been sociological studies in the US tracking the demise of bowling leagues around the country. Basically, the loser in this great social revolution where every community can exist virtually online is the old fashioned community of people who band together in an actual meeting place.

Bowling leagues are fighting this trend by offering cheaper food (food!), and bowling lessons for high school credit, but they still have dwindling enrollments. 

Different tournament formats and tinkering with leagues won't really address the basic issue: it's much easier to find a competitive game of chess online, regardless what level you find competitive, than in a local club. 

In order for chess clubs to survive, you need to find ways to make them feel like a community, and make it worth their social time to travel to that club once a week. It's not about the chess, it's about the community you're trying to build.

(Edited to correct a spelling error.)