How do you get people to join clubs?

RayCun

04072511 wrote: »

Really find this vest thing quite outrageous!

As soon as the sun comes out I start wearing a vest, club race or not, but look around at any road race - at the people who aren't in clubs already but we would like to attract into clubs, as per the thread title - and you'll see that

Most of the non-club runners are wearing t-shirts rather than sleeveless tops. The ones wearing singlets, even the non-club runners, are to be found towards the front of the race.
Very few women, apart from those in clubs, are wearing sleeveless tops.
There are a fair number of people wearing club vests with t-shirts underneath.

All of which suggests that a lot of people prefer t-shirts to vests, and associate vests with speedy runners.

It's not a big deal, but it was a constructive suggestion at least. If offering a training t-shirt instead of a vest gets people to join clubs, hooray. If not? Nothing lost.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Pisco Sour

RayCun wrote: »

As soon as the sun comes out I start wearing a vest, club race or not, but look around at any road race - at the people who aren't in clubs already but we would like to attract into clubs, as per the thread title - and you'll see that

Most of the non-club runners are wearing t-shirts rather than sleeveless tops. The ones wearing singlets, even the non-club runners, are to be found towards the front of the race.
Very few women, apart from those in clubs, are wearing sleeveless tops.
There are a fair number of people wearing club vests with t-shirts underneath.

All of which suggests that a lot of people prefer t-shirts to vests, and associate vests with speedy runners.

It's not a big deal, but it was a constructive suggestion at least. If offering a training t-shirt instead of a vest gets people to join clubs, hooray. If not? Nothing lost.

Do you have any other suggestions?

It's absolutely mad. There's plenty of slower runners in my club and none of them seem to mind wearing a vest.

How would I get people into a club? Well it would have to start at the top, and an interclub competition that caters towards not only to the elites and sub elite, but the average Joe would need to be set up. Something akin to the AV Shield which we have in Victoria. If such a competition existed people would be more willing to get involved in track and field regardless of age and ability, and the clubs would be able to use this competition to boost numbers. However with the way the economy is at the moment, it is not the number one priority for use of low funds. Hopefully in the future though. Will take time but it can be done. If it can be done here then it can be done in Ireland.

robinph

04072511 wrote: »

Really find this vest thing quite outrageous!

Don't.

It is merely a suggestion of a reason that some people may have for not joining a club and vests being part of that image that puts them off.


Next suggestion for people to pull apart please...

robinph

04072511 wrote: »

How would I get people into a club? Well it would have to start at the top, and an interclub competition that caters towards not only to the elites and sub elite, but the average Joe would need to be set up. Something akin to the AV Shield which we have in Victoria. If such a competition existed people would be more willing to get involved in track and field regardless of age and ability, and the clubs would be able to use this competition to boost numbers. However with the way the economy is at the moment, it is not the number one priority for use of low funds. Hopefully in the future though. Will take time but it can be done. If it can be done here then it can be done in Ireland.

How is an interclub competition of benefit or appealing to people that are not currently in a club?

Love the idea myself and it's great competing against our neighbouring clubs in various events, but I'm already in a club. That kind of thing will help to get people trying events that they wouldn't otherwise do, but I'd expect the only customers for it to be those already well involved with the club.

Pisco Sour

robinph wrote: »

How is an interclub competition of benefit or appealing to people that are not currently in a club?

Love the idea myself and it's great competing against our neighbouring clubs in various events, but I'm already in a club. That kind of thing will help to get people trying events that they wouldn't otherwise do, but I'd expect the only customers for it to be those already well involved with the club.

It might get people who are doing road races, by themselves, into joining a club to try out different events. Who knows, maybe there is a significant chunk of people who run the Great Ireland Run each year who would like to run a 200m race or a steeplechase, but they don't because it is just not as accessible as it could be.

MrCreosote

Bring the 10k fun-run attitude to track distances- push it as say a chance to do a timed 400m or 1500m, but noncompetitive i.e. no seeding/heats/finals/trophies. Just a nice pat on the back for taking part.

And if clubs are keen to get families in, the best time for all inclusive training sessions is Saturday afternoon. 2pm on- tarquin and iseult will have done their polo training and flute lessions, and can either be fobbed off on the grandparents or brought along. Sunday is too close to the working week to work. Forget about midweek sessions for this group

Pisco Sour

MrCreosote wrote: »

Bring the 10k fun-run attitude to track distances- push it as say a chance to do a timed 400m or 1500m, but noncompetitive i.e. no seeding/heats/finals/trophies. Just a nice pat on the back for taking part.

I'm finding your promotion of non competitive athletics/running curious. You don't have to be fast to be competitive. There's lots of slow runners down here, but while they wont be winning anything any time soon, they want to improve their times, and want to beat those peers of theirs who they think they should be beating. They score points for their club to help their club qualify for the finals. There has to be an element of competition in order for somebody to strive to get faster and fitter. If somebody isn't interested in improving and be even the slightest bit competitive (regardless of standard) then I don't see the point in joining a club. Would be easier just to find other like-minded people and just do a "meet and jog" type thing.

Somebody who shows up to run a 800m or whatever and doesn't care in the slightest about his/her time would be like some lad at centre back not giving a toss whether his team wins or loses.

MrCreosote

Maybe noncompetitive is the wrong word, non elitist is better maybe. The point is that nearly everyone I've run with (myself included) would love to know how fast they could run a 100m/400m/1500m on a track. But they don't want the hassle of lining up, or the risk of looking like a fool trotting in 100m behind everyone else.

So they are competitive in terms of wanting to run as fast as they can, and if the bug bites maybe improving their times, but not enough that they're prepared to take the risk of looking like an eejit.

Track fun running is the great untapped well of recruits for athletics clubs. I know you've got a sweet set-up in Aussie, but that isn't the case elsewhere.


And no vests!

RayCun

There are the GOAL miles at Christmas. I don't know how many people do them, or if you'd get more or fewer people to run on a different day.

robinph

They probably don't yet realise that they want to be competitive though, so you have to ease them into the idea by saying that being part of the club is fun, social, you'll improve your running...and then we'll get you entering some races for us as well. The people that are mad for racing people are probably already in a club, it's the rest that you want to recruit.

And for the point that is no doubt coming back in response to that about why would a club want people that are so slow as to be non-competitive. Last week we had a W55+ team wining a national championship medal, it included one of the slowest runners in our club who was also the second from last finisher on the day. Everybody counts and even the slowest runner can be vital to a team or club getting a result. That is the message that needs to be put out that athletics is a very inclusive activity.

Pisco Sour

MrCreosote wrote: »

Maybe noncompetitive is the wrong word, non elitist is better maybe.

Now this I agree with. But elitist is an attitude, rather than a definition of performance standard in a club. There's a hell of a lot of elites down here, but the elitist attitude you don't see to any sort of massive degree. Stephen Cain, the Australian Decathlon champion, after he won the State Decath Champs last month made a huge deal about my PB, my clubmates PBs and indeed everybody elses performances at that decathlon, and deflected attention away from himself anytime one of us would congratulate him. This is a guy who is over 7800 points, and if it wasn't for a recent cruel injury would have had an outside shot of making London 2012.

There are lots of guys who would smoke me in a race by 30-40 metres, but they are always offer encouragement, and congratulations where warranted, and I never get the impression that they are anything other than happy that there are slower people competing in the same meets as them, and in fact simply being around these guys has brought me on in leaps and bounds! You learn loads from being around the best guys. I can't see why somebody wouldn't want to avail of something like this.

There's always going to be a few d1cks who are up their own ars*s, but in my experience anyway, this is few and far between.

mal1

I was at a race at the weekend and a runner from a club was shouting and slagging his mate for starting at the back with the 'joggers'.

This is a reason why people don't join because we all come across plonkers like this at races.

robinph

04072511 wrote: »

There are lots of guys who would smoke me in a race by 30-40 metres, but they are always offer encouragement, and congratulations where warranted, and I never get the impression that they are anything other than happy that there are slower people competing in the same meets as them, and in fact simply being around these guys has brought me on in leaps and bounds! You learn loads from being around the best guys. I can't see why somebody wouldn't want to avail of something like this.

There's always going to be a few d1cks who are up their own ars*s, but in my experience anyway, this is few and far between.

We know this because we are in clubs, the challenge is communicating that to everyone else who isn't.

lway

MrCreosote wrote: »

Bring the 10k fun-run attitude to track distances- push it as say a chance to do a timed 400m or 1500m, but noncompetitive i.e. no seeding/heats/finals/trophies. Just a nice pat on the back for taking part.

Surely with the Olympics coming up this gives clubs the perfect opportunity to market something like this.

I'm not a member of a club (my nearest AC has a Fit4Life group i'm considering joining but no track running) but the chance to run 100, 400, 1500 meters accurately timed and the chance to compare my time to the Olympians in a fun kind of way would be very appealing to me.

Maybe even run a 400M, get some advice then run it again and (hopefully) see an improvement might let people know that a bit of coaching would improve their times so they might then join.

thirtyfoot

lway wrote: »

the chance to run 100, 400, 1500 meters accurately timed and the chance to compare my time to the Olympians in a fun kind of way would be very appealing to me.

As luck would have you may get the chance, on the very same track also.

PVincent

Hi. I just wish to add my views to the debate about joining clubs . The story about the club I am on (Bros Pearse AC ) started in January 2009 when I persuaded a number of fellow workmates and friends to come along and train with me on a Tues/Thurs , as they prepared for the Chicago Marathon. We also stuck up a few leaflets in local shops . I always ran in this club as my kids were there and I trained myself at the same time . With this little bit of impetus we suddenly had about 10 people training together . And it stayed that way until the marathon in September of 2009 which all of the people who trained with me completed successfully and some in very respectable times . So that group were hooked and stayed , but we found it difficult to attract other people. We occasionally picked up the odd person/parent but ot was very slow . We managed to get a few more the following year when I got more fellow employees doing the Dublin Marathon in 2010 , to come and train with us . So now we were up to about 18/20 . Consciously we decidd to change the name to Knocklyon Runners , we set up a Facebook site , we advertised locally in the schools, in the evening classes brochures , Meet and Train notices in the Herald etc …The words athletics club did not appear anywhere and suddenly we were getting a lot of enquiries . So by January 2011 after the snow , we were now getting 25 people training . The word spread and to cut a long story short we now have about 75 members and sessions are attended by a minimum of 40 runners .
I make no apologies for being pushy and every time we were out running we were shouting out the name of the club . We constantly told our story to anyone who listened . We always said to anyone enquiring that it was a group for all standards , and we could cater and manage the beginner , the jogger , and the experienced runner . I have lost count of the number of people we have picked up by telling them who we are when we are out running . Of course you win some , and you lose a lot as some people , including some of the members , think I am a lunatic . Another important factor is that certainly in Knocklyon we are visible during the winter on Stocking Lane every Tuesday and again on a Thursday on the Firhouse Road. This has added to the enquiries . And in the summer again we are highly visible in a busy location in Cherryfield Pk , competing for space with Ballyboden St Endas GAA club.
However you can make all the plans to grow a club and advertise it etc , but perhaps the most crucial aspect of attracting members is what you are doing for the athletes . Your training sessions must be good, they must be well run, organized , and everyone must be catered for . I like to think that this is the area that we have focused most of our energy on .
Every Tuesday during the winter on a super location for hill training that is Stocking Lane ( well lit , wide cycle track) , we have had a different session almost every week .. Despite the tough sessions , we have a brilliant time , with the whole club encouraging each other and no one group hindering each other . The same happens on a Thursday with our speed sessions . It is this fantastic atmosphere that sends our runners away from a session with the good news story and that is now how we are attracting new members on a weekly basis , and we are now getting them from other running clubs . Most recently we picked up a girl who had only done Boot camps ( I shouted at her when we were out running ! ) and after the Great Irl run ,I will report back on her progress . Its kinda of a watch this space story !
I think if anyone had a look at our Facebook site under Knocklyon Runners , it would give you some clue as to what we are building . We are very much an Athletcis Club now and whilst the name Bros Pearse AC is now very much back as an adult club, Knocklyon Runners will remain as an intrducer for us . We are now running our club with a proper committee , we have new singlets , we will have training tops , we have a newsletter . We have so many plans to keep the club vibrant and growing . It will take some time for us to be competitive but WE WILL get there . This year we entered the Intermediate CC as a team ( the first Bros Pearse team in 30 years) and we hope to have a senior and master teams in the Raheny Relays . Our girls are ready to get stuck into the Meet and Train leagues .
Contrary to whatever views some people have expressed about fun runners , I happen to believe that we are doing a huge service for the sport of Athletics. We have got fun runners , and joggers into the sport and they continue to improve and prosper and bring their kids into the sport and our juvenile club , , we have given good runners who were never in a club a new vision of the sport , we have reactivated a number of lapsed runners into the sport again ., we have managed to take some fitness fans , boot camp fans into the sport .
These things don’t happen overnight or without effort , but thy are well worth spending time on. They are now very much part of the sport today . Of course we have attracted some good quality runners and we actively are trying to forge links with triathlon clubs which is a another source of top quality runners .
Some of our ideas for further development include a ’Park Run’ on Knocklyon , an Athletics Fun Day with things like Try the High Jump, Shot Putt ,Javelin ,How fast can you do the 100metres etc
　
So those are my thoughts on attracting people to clubs !