CyberDarts

Darts Leagues need to be constantly promoted in order to maintain membership and grow.

No matter what size, or whether a darts organization is called a Club, Association, Orgazation, League, or just a "Group", the need for publicity is the same.

In the beginning, most dart leagues grow by simple word-of-mouth. As time goes on, flyers or posters are posted in the local bars. For many darting groups, advertising the league never seems to progress much past that point.

When membership begins to fall, recruiting becomes a serious matter, and then league officers start looking around for ideas on how to bring in new members.

First of all, Make your League Attractive!
Is playing in your league FUN? Are their too many arguments, protests, fights, confusion over rules, late stats reports, etc.? Does the league offer a variety of activities that provide a good experience to darters of all skill levels?

If the group can't get its act together and offer an attractive experience, then it will not only fail to attract new players, but many of the old ones will leave.

Get the league officers to sit down and each make a critical list of all the complaints that anyone has reported, then compare lists, prioritize the problem areas, and then methodically address each one of them. Be assured that if membership is dropping, and you hear a few complaints, there are many more that never reach your ears.

Once organizational problems are cleaned up, (and if necessary a few rotten apples thrown-out) then the process of building new membership can begin.

Here are some proven publicity ideas for your darts association:

Enhanced "Word-of-Mouth" Recruiting: Offer a reward to league members who actively talk-up and promote the league to people they meet in bars. The reward may be anything from simple recognition as "Best Recruiter", to discounts on their own membership fees, gift certificates from local businesses, or points added to their team's scores.

Quality Handouts: Members who engage in recruiting need some aids to bring in those new members. Most dart groups use a simple card or sheet of paper as a Membership Application. Instead, print up a 3-fold flyer that describes the league, when & where matches are played, and maybe a photo or two of people playing darts at a league event. Most brand new dart league recruits don't really even know what a league is, or how they are setup & run. The publicity brochure shoud also briefly describe the organization's operational structure, give the names of a few officers or other contacts. Print the membership application at the bottom of an inside page, as that is the least read area and save the outside covers for "catchy" text or graphics.

Most importantly: The brochure must explain why joining a Darts League will be a fun & enjoyable experience. Just saying that a group gets together to throw darts in bars on Tuesdays does not sound particularly interesting to someone who has has very minimal or no previous darting experience. If the league wants someone to cough up $10 to $50 to join, then it must explain what that person will get in return. That should at least be an enjoyable experience, but may include a regular printed newsletter, discounts at the local darts shop, and perhaps a trips, parties of other events. Tell people what they are getting for their time & money. Then, make certain tht they receive everything that has been promised!

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