Promoting Your Program

[novakm]

I often see posts on these boards about low participation numbers on our teams and how we can combat that.  My goal over the last couple years and in the near future is to promote our program as much as we can.  The more people that get interested in your program, the better.  Below are a couple ideas that have worked for us in order to promote our program and get seats in the stands for dual meets. 

1.  Facebook and social media accounts.  I know kids are drifting away from FB, but it is still a big hit with the parents.  It is an easy communication tool and very effective at spreading a message or photo.  The key with FB and other social media is pictures...

2.  One of my managers uses my personal camera (DSLR and a nice lens...must be someone you trust) to take great photos of each match and tournament.  That is her job the entire season.  No one else on the team is allowed to touch that camera.  We then post 5-10 photos from each tournament and dual on our FB page.  I try to spread out the photos among the wrestlers throughout the season so everyone gets exposure.  It's really cool seeing parents share photos of their sons/daughters to their personal page.  Again, this increases exposure.

3.  Clothing!  When we get our order flyers, we don't just pass them out to the wrestlers and their families.  Every staff member in our district gets a copy and we open it up to all students.  I'd say 25-30% of our clothing sales each year are from staff members and students.  The wrestlers like seeing their math or social studies teacher wearing a wrestling shirt throughout the year.

4.  Clothing...again:  A couple years ago, we purchased cheap yellow tee shirt with "Creek Wrestling" on the chest.  We gave every single teacher, bus driver, cook, office lady, teacher, administrator, etc. in our district one of these shirts.  It cost us roughly $500 to do this and it was well worth it.  I split up the employees for each wrestler and gave each wrestler had a printed schedule of all our home meets and hand delivered a shirt to each of the employees. They then personally invited them to the meets.  The AD allowed us to let all staff members into the first meet of the year for free.  We had a large number of yellow shirts in the stands.  It was pretty cool.  Four years later, you still see those yellow shirts in the hallways and around town.

5.  More clothing.  This year we ordered another set of 200 tees (Graphic Edge charged us $3.50 a tee).  We gave one to every member of our pep band.  It was a surprise to them and it was like Christmas when I walked into the band room one morning to hand them out.  We have roughly 50 members of the pep band.  I gave out another 25 tees to all employees who were new and did not get the yellow tee shirt from the previous email.  The rest were given away at our first home meet of the year.  We advertised it as the first 100 fans coming into the meet would get a free tee.  We actually had people lined up waiting to get in an hour before the meet.  It was pretty cool.

6.  A cool schedule poster.  We make a schedule poster early on in the season and hang it up around town and in the school.  The kids really like seeing themselves on it.  This is our poster from this season.  https://www.facebook.com/JohnsonCreekWrestling/photos/a.639444476091643.1073741847.543785348990890/1162285610474191/?type=1&theater

Obviously these are only a few things we do, but I'm curious to see what others do.  The one thing I want to do this upcoming season is to get several sandwich style boards and print posters saying "Home Meet Tonight" with some cool photos and logos to set up around town. 

What are ideas that have worked for your program?

Thanks

MN

[Ghetto]

Twitter has gotten us a bunch of coverage. I tweet right at the booster club, and they retweet my stuff.

I like the cheap t-shirt idea. We will give them out to staff at all three schools.

[littleguy301]

clothing, clothing and more clothing!!!!!!!!!

Social media is a great tool and hopefully someone has it in the club to use (guys like me, no social media but this forum)

One thing is that being involved with wrestling,,,,,put on a happy face and be pleasant no matter what the questions is or how interesting the situation is.

promote good sportsmanship, especially with the "upper" wrestlers. nothing more in my eyes that brings in kids is that stud of the grade or an upperclassmen that is cool and will interact with those newies or the younsters

[NutsoWrestlingMom]

One thing our program does that has been effective has been coordinating some "social responsibility" events with our duals.  Early in our season, we've had our annual "Pinning Down Hunger" event, where spectators get in free if they bring a few items to donate to the local food pantry.  We heavily advertise this event on social media ( the Athletic Department has accounts on Facebook and Twitter), send flyers home with the students, and promote during daily announcements at school several times.  The wrestlers each get a t-shirt advertising the event that they wear to school that day and before the dual that evening.  Those shirts are also available to spectators at the dual, with a portion of proceeds also going to the food pantry.  Folks love to come out and cheer the team, knowing they are also supporting a worthy cause, and many return for other events.

Later in the season, we do another fundraiser supporting the American Heart Association.  Same concept - the boys get special red American Heart Association t-shirts, which are also sold to the public to raise funds, along with a portion of the spectator admissions.  Lots of advertising to raise awareness, etc.

I also agree with the comments about using social media.  Our AD takes care of posting to our Facebook and Twitter accounts, and as our "team mom" the past few years, I send him results from every weekend tournament along with pictures (team picture, podium pics of place-winners, etc).  All our dual results are always posted as well.  It generates more interest in the program, and the guys love having their achievements recognized.  Our AD also follows the local prep sports coverage and shares a link to any news stories on our team.  Parents, friends and family members love to see media coverage on their favorite wrestlers, and it brings them out to see what the excitement is about.  Unfortunately, this may be sorely missed in the years to come, in light of the cutbacks by the local NOW online media outlets.  Steve Tietz was amazing at covering wrestling in our area, and his stories were shared over and over by wrestlers and proud fans.

I love the idea of a cool schedule poster with a team picture on it!  I'd like to see our program try that!

[Troy Grindle]

Some greats ideas!  I really like the t shirt idea with all of the school employees.

[padre]

Great ideas....

If you have a local newspaper and school newsletter and are able to write articles and send in pictures it really helps.

[aarons23]

Sad how this thread died at 1 page and the thread about reducing weights is still going after 8 pages. .....for the millionth time.  There should be more interest and excitement about building the sport....not reducing it.

[bigG]

It gets hard to promote a sport that is hard to understand to newcomers from the git-go. Add to the perpetual rule changes, and cutting, and wrestling is on its last leg, sadly. I think we need to be more active in insisting we get some rules and stick with them. I also think OT should be wrestle until one gets a takedown. I like having college bounds rules; but with every change we lose potential fans who might not fully understand some things to begin with. I notice this when I sit with non-wrestling friends who can appreciate the rough and tumble nature of the sport; but can't possibly care enough to have me explain every aspect of the scoring. When I look at it with outsiders eyes it is kind of foolish. Then, we have Folk/FS and Greco. 'Nother can o' worms.

I'd just like for wrestling to define what a takedown is and stick with it. All this cylinder silliness isn't doing wrestling any favors.

[aarons23]

College out of bounds rules would be great....I have noticed on the east coast most of the youth tournaments follow college rules.  I also believe OT should be simplified.  Someone should have to actually score a point...not defend and get awarded a point.  Passivity in greco/freestyle is dumb the way it's called....to judgemental for a refund and puts one wrestler at a disadvantage while the other just defends until their opponent forces something.

[wrastle63]

Think the biggest way to promote the sport is follow the PSU mantra and make it fun. It sounds silly but if the kids are having fun, they will like what they are doing. If they like what they are doing they are probably going to get better.

[MNbadger]

" I also think OT should be wrestle until one gets a takedown."

YES, YES, YES, YES!  I have advocated for this forever. 

[aarons23]

" I also think OT should be wrestle until one gets a takedown."

YES, YES, YES, YES!  I have advocated for this forever. 

I'm ok with it not being a takedown....just that it's points actually scored. 

[FinalWord]

I've just ordered 1,000 T-shirts promoting 11 weigh class system!

[aarons23]

I've just ordered 1,000 T-shirts promoting 11 weigh class system!

Lol...you probably wasted your vote on Bernie also.

[Jimmy]

Thought this was a non political site!