Recruitment/Rebuilding

Question
Hi Nick,

We are looking to recruit and rebuild our team at COAST. What are some ideas or opinions you might have to recruit more women players to COAST?

Thank you.


www.myspace.com/coastwrfc

Answer
G'day Lynnie

Give my best to the girls. I used to come out a few years ago to assist Chris with the forwards before a baby and work got on top of my time.

I guess I would start with the goal of your recruitment drive. If it is a short boosting of skilled players to beaf up the next season or two or if you are looking long term: the next 5-10 seasons.

Either is fine and sometime a mix is needed. Set out clear goals and then work on an agreed plan with mile markers to tick off along the way and assigned duties to each task. Accountability also: a pitcher skull for the team mate who misses deadline (or something worse).

If the you are going for a big impact injection of talent you may want to network a little to see if good players at other clubs are dissatified and might want a change. Alternatively you may get on the phone and look to attract players from overseas.

Another thing to do is via networking and a page on the website - offer a "relocation package" to good players from out of state or college grad's who would like to move to the warmer climbs of SoCal. Assistance with a job, a place to stay while setting up, a social network in place etc. If someone is going to move you may as well make it to you.

Netowkr and post recruitment with clubs and colleges in New Zealand, England, Ireland etc. The seasons are opposite and you could get a solid college age club player from NZ etc who might be open to come up and have her summer vacation in SoCal. You would need to be able to offer a place to stay, maybe a job and little a wip around for beer money to attract a half decent player with the means to get herself up here. If the budget allows you can go the whole hog and pay for a flight and some "boot moeny". If you go that route do a lot of research on the player.

What ever you do make sure you research the players; call coaches and clubs to make sure the teams on their resume check out. Then check that the coaches and clubs check out.

If you looking for a long term rebuild the way to go is get in a lot of younger rookie players and invest in coaching. Be ok with a season or two of classical "rebuilding" (read "more losses than wins") and focus on a good up-beat coach who can bring a high level of skills and strategy training while keeping moral up. This may require some cash as well. Of course the same amount of research needs to go into it.

The other things to do is get social. Many well planned and "marketed" social events of an eclectic nature. Get a buzz going. Many BBQ's, Dinners, Parties, Social tournaments, Summer touch rugby tournaments. There was a Kiwi gal who asked me about a team to play for and I recomended her to you guys. My point is that the team should have a landing page on your web site dedicated to new players and recuitement with a plave for them to enter an email address for you to get in touch with them.

Get the club into charities, city and local evens, get a visable spnser - a resterant, pub etc and get the team picture up on the wall.

Basically exposure in every way possable. Look to college and highschool sports that would transistion to rugby easily: lacrosse, soccer, field and (some) track.

Feel free to ask me for a number to call and I can go over with you a bunch of ideas in person. My contact details may even still be in the clubs' records.