Utilising major events to boost participation

It is an exciting time for our game with the FIFA Women’s World Cup in full swing.

Inevitably, when women’s sport is in the headlines, more women and girls start to consider taking up those sports.

But the key question is: how do you utilise major events to boost participation in your club? Here are our top tips:

 

Think about how people will find you online

The most likely route that people will take if they want to find somewhere to play a certain sport is to search the name of the sport online, along with where they live.

Give it a try for your area and see whether your website or social media channels come up. Perhaps you might have some budget to do some Google advertising while the major event is taking place?

 

There is also lots of guidance online around search engine optimisation (SEO), which basically means making sure your website is more likely to come up in these searches.

 

Make sure all your information is completely up-to-date

If people do find your website or social media channels, that will be their first impression of your club - so make sure it looks good.

Add some recent content to show you are active online. Make sure that any contact details are accurate and the person responsible for responding to messages from the website or on social media is prepared for more enquiries than usual - and that they respond in a welcoming, helpful manner.

 

Piggyback on hashtags

If people are discussing the events on social media, they will likely be using a particular hashtag to do so. 

It is a good idea to jump on that hashtag to promote how you can help people get involved with the sport.

Use the hashtag when talking about your club and the opportunities you can offer for getting involved in playing or in other areas.

 

Have a clear call to action

Depending where in the world you are, the major event might be taking place at a time when you are not usually training or playing matches.

If people have been inspired by a major event, you only have a limited window of opportunity to hook them in - so could you maybe have a taster session running or an open day to capitalise on this potential additional interest.

You could even arrange a screening of one of the matches so that people can come down and get a feel for the club. They won’t want to hear that their first chance to take part will be in a month’s time – so make sure you have something to offer them to ensure they don’t look elsewhere or lose interest.

 

Make it a memorable experience

People will stick with a new sport if they enjoy it, so make sure that when they come down to their first session, or your open day, you give them the best experience possible.

 

It’s an exciting time so, most of all, enjoy that more people are watching the sport you love. 

This World Cup could really accelerate the strides that have been made in the visibility of women’s football and we’re all lucky to be part of it.