Here's an idea for doing something good for Ultimate for anyone with some time on their hands and easy computer access.
Many leagues (and tournaments and clubs) have been using the AFDA registration system for several seasons (if not years) now.
So why not spend a bit of time going through all those lists of past registrations, and make yourself up a list of all the people who have left your League in the last few years.
Then contact them (email would be easiest and often leads to a conversation). Tell them the League is still going, and when they can next most easily get back into it. If they don't want to come back, ask them why they left and what changes would attract them back.
Collect some stats as you go. Sure - lots of people have good reasons - they leave town, they get injured, etc. Maybe there are a lot of people who left for a particular reason that can be changed. Maybe there are a lot of people who would come back for a particular reason.
Let your League Director know you're doing this, and let them know how you go.
One of the things we could do better as a sport is retain players. For most of the 'hard core', life without Ultimate is unthinkable. But for most mortals, its probably not that difficult to ease out of Ultimate, particularly if the regulars don't seem to notice or care or try to get you back.
A polite email out of the blue, saying that you remember them playing but noticed they'd stopped, and that you'd love to see you back for the next season coming up, or would love to know what else might attract you back, may well grow Ultimate more effectively than many other things we do.
4 comments:
I'd guess there must be at least 60 people who've played BPL in the last four years who aren't playing it now.
You'd only need to get 20% of these to come back and you've got a 6th team.
Maybe before next season we'd get five volunteers, and divvy contacting people up - maybe by the team they used to play for.
I think that BPL could have been 6 teams this season without any further recruiting. There are 78 people rostered for the season, which could be 13 per team, but some teams have 15-16 people on their roster for 1 game per week. Any more than 11 there on a night is too many I think, not enough game time. Maybe 16 for a Nationals tournament, but not for one game. Maybe a roster cap needs to be brought in. 14 maybe?
Now now i think you have to allow dojo 20 so that they can get seven on the line each week.
At last - a sensible comment from Jangles!
Actually, the various BPL captains agreed a few seasons ago that the roster cap should be removed, primarily to assist the UQ teams with getting enough players on the field during exam periods and holidays and such like.
It may also have turned out to be of assistance to certain teams populated by people whose level of commitment may not be quite as high as others...
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