What’s the best way to draw attention to your youth football league’s registration process?
Make it a happening.
Make it different from the other sports that prospective players will attend. And, most of all, make it memorable.
That’s exactly what the Boise Optimist Youth Football League has done over the past few years. By teaming up with the white-hot Boise State University football team, the Boise youth football league creates an absolutely can’t-miss experience for its players at registration time.
Not everyone has the cool blue turf and a Division I college football team whose popularity continues to ascend. But you might have an accommodating small college or even high school program that would work just as well.
Here’s how Jerron Moore and the Boise Optimist League gets the most out of their registration dates:
First, everything your league does with registration should be done during the school year. Waiting until summer is too late. “You have to do it while the kids are still in school,” Moore said.
Moore’s troops mail an individual letter to each player who registered the previous season. Taken from the league’s database, that process is basic enough.
Next, the Optimists send their football parents into the community. Parents are assigned to the school in their area and posters and fliers are distributed at the school. “We also ask each school to put it in their morning announcements and any kind of newsletter that they will be sending home to the kids,” Moore said.
Finally, Moore and the Optimists execute the “Wow!” factor.
The Bronco Experience allows the Optimist League to hold a registration drive prior to the Boise State spring football game in April. As part of the day, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. youth players are allowed onto the blue turf at Bronco Stadium. The Boise State players then provide clinics and instruction at stations that include running, passing, receiving, blocking, etc.
“Our job while the kids are out on the field with the Boise State players is to keep the parents away,” Moore laughed. “They think that’s a good time to get some autographs. But we do keep parents off the field so that it’s all about the kids.”
At around 5:00 p.m., when the BSU players head inside to prepare for their 7:30 p.m. scrimmage in front of 10,000 fans, Optimist youth football personnel go into action with early signups for fall football.
“It’s our biggest registration event and it gets a lot of publicity,” said Moore, whose group hosted 4,100 youth football players in 2007. “The kids get excited about it. It’s the only time they’ll ever get to step on the field, and it’s a great way to start our registration. We signed up 600 kids at the game last year.”
After the April event at Boise State, May serves as the primary registration month. Optimist personnel are on hand three Saturdays and on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on various weeks throughout the month. Registrations are held at the field house of the Optimist football field complex. A late signup is held in July.
“We give the parents plenty of opportunity to get us into their schedule,” Moore said.
But nothing tops the Boise State partnership.
“We’ve been with Boise State for five years, and have done the Bronco Experience for the past three years,” Moore said. “We’ve always done sign-ups around the spring game, but to get their players out their working with the youth players has really kicked up the registrations a notch. The main thing is to do the registration while the kids are still in school. That’s the only way to reach all of them.”
Whether it’s the new coach on the high school varsity team or the long-tenured mentor at the local college, get them involved. It’s clearly a win for everyone involved.