This week Jon Butler takes his cue from an excellent CommuniGate site called the York Pool League to highlight how sports clubs can benefit from having their own free web site

THE York Pool League site has been created by Steve Bradley, who has made sure there is everything on-line for both players and supporters alike who want to know the latest news and scores from their local leagues.

The site is so well put together that when I spoke to Steve I was surprised when he told me he had limited computer experience. "The best thing about CommuniGate is that I am no computer wizard, but it is so easy to use. If I had to build a website without CommuniGate I would not have known where to start, but I have really enjoyed building up my site and I now have more and more people visiting it, even from as far away as America," Steve said.

Pool is the second biggest indoor participation sport in the country, according to Steve, who admits it is taken very seriously in the local leagues where things get a touch competitive.

The stakes are getting higher, as a young man from Keighley recently won £10,000 in a high-profile competition.

"I am finding that people are coming on to the site desperate to know their league position and I keep all the records up to date. I have 40 to 50-year-old men who would never have thought of using the Internet, using their kids' computers to find out what's going in our leagues. I think all clubs and leagues should use it."

Other site owners have been praising the ease of using CommuniGate.

Paul Hepworth, of Holgate, York, has created three sites on CommuniGate to publicise the activities of York's Poppleton Road Memorial Hall, its associated amateur drama group the Oakline Players, and the Cyclists' Touring Club, which deals with the local activities of a national pedal cyclists' organisation.

Poppleton Road Memorial Hall has a range of regular activities and room hire facilities.

For Paul, CommuniGate offers an alternative means of attracting "hits" from potential hirers. Other local arts groups can hire the hall and its stage equipment, for rehearsals and performances. Costumes can also be hired, for external use.

Oakline Players use CommuniGate to advertise play readings, performances and to seek that rare species, the male actor. Paul said: "We currently need one forty-something-year-old man, for our November production Kindly Leave The Stage. CommuniGate has given us another avenue to advertise this need."

So if you think you fit this role, you can email Paul via any of his sites.