So it seems that everyone is enjoying their summer break by going on vacations, hanging out with friends, partying, or working; but I find it near impossible to keep my mind off of how much I miss playing dodgeball.
The most consistent thing that crosses my mind besides playing is about how I can help my club expand and become more prominent not just in our own league, but on Towson’s campus as well. I understand that advertising our clubs are the best way to keep our teams alive and getting better and better, but what is the best way, if there is a best way at all, to go about this?
Knowing that every school has different policies about club sports, I’ve come up with a few possibilities that could help anyone from a seasoned veteran leader looking to seal their legacy within their school’s dodgeball club, or a newcomer as many teams will have this year. Some of these solutions may seem trivial but they can do a surprising amount for your club.
1. Putting posters up around campus
One of the biggest problems Towson Dodgeball faces is that most people on campus just don’t realize our club exists. The best way to fight this is by putting signs up around campus to let people know that yes, we do in fact exist.
2. Campus newspaper
I’ve learned that a surprising amount of campus populations read their campus newspaper for a multitude of reasons. How can this help? By putting your team in the newspaper it shows that you have connections on campus and that your not just an intramural sort of league.
3. Word of Mouth
I talk about the NCDA all the time at work. It helps me ingratiate myself with customers, and it also expands general knowledge of our league. The more we reach parents of soon-to-be college students, or the students themselves, the more we plant the idea of them thinking about dodgeball as a serious consideration when contemplating what club sport to join. It also just helps put the league name out there and gets more people on our Youtube page.
4. Host an intramural tournament
Towson’s Campus Rec service department host intramural dodgeball tournaments almost every semester, and I’m sure most of campuses do as well. This is a great way to pick up community service hours and get to know more people around campus.
5. Never underestimate the power of Greek Life
Fraternities and Sororities are usually the one consistent thing on every campus you visit. These people host parties, work a lot of campus events, and are a great tool to get your club name out there. Whether you joint host a party, or host a dodgeball tournament for fraternities to compete in, your club is putting itself out there, while giving itself the opportunity to scout for new talent. While frats and sororities are a big time commitment, one of our best throwers (#4 Luke Search) is fraternity member and has managed to balance frat life with dodgeball pretty well so far.
6. Talk to bigger clubs at your school about how they expanded themselves.
Clubs life lacrosse, baseball, rugby, among many others normally have a lot of members because of roster necessity. To fill out their rosters they need to find a way to attract incoming freshman and transfer students to their club. Some of the methods they use could work for your club as well.
While it may not seem the biggest deal to advertise your school’s dodgeball club, the longevity of the NCDA as well as your individual team depends on the little details each member puts into things such as advertising.
