RUNNING THE HOOPS FOR NEW MEMBERS!
By John Sayce
Like many other clubs, Mumbles Croquet Club faced an all too familiar problem in 2025 – our playing numbers were falling steadily. Not surprisingly the op7on of a recruitment drive was favoured over a sharp increase in membership fees! One member in par7cular took it upon herself to speak to nearly everyone in her social network. So it was that at the start of the season she had persuaded 18 people to have a go at some taster sessions on the lawn. It would be good to report that we had a proper schedule organised but, in truth, we only added the coaching input at the last moment! Although we didn’t keep very accurate records, we do know that at least 13 from the 18 a8ended at least one session. A'er 2 sessions of coaching and an opportunity to play with exis7ng members, a ques7onnaire was given out and 14 have been returned. It is good to report that there was a very posi7ve response to 4 statements, namely About basic coaching; Understanding the game; Playing a game; and Members’ welcome. The lowest score was understanding the game, probably because we failed to specify whose responsibility it was! When asked to rank the 4 statements in order of importance for new members, there was now a clear winner – Coaching, followed by the Members’ welcome. When asked how the experience might be improved here are some quotes: ‘Newcomers might feel under pressure playing with some established players as we don’t want to let them down’. ‘Playing with experienced players was very helpful’ ‘Explana7on of the Club’s 7metable’, for coaching, events etc. It is thrilling to record that we now have 16 new members of our club (14 female, 2 male). This seems to be a very high conversion rate from first interest to membership, possibly because most newcomers were already part of an established social network. So it is perhaps no surprise to find that these ‘newbies’ are a reflec7on of the exis7ng membership, being all white and over 60 years of age. What can we do to make us more representa7ve of our community? We’d love to know how other clubs have managed to become more inclusive.
www.croquetengland.org.uk | 29
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