meganium45
Active Member
OK, here we go guys, I am going to take a crack at the ever present question that is eating at us all....what does it take to make a successful league? Why do some leagues succeed and others fail? What can we as gym leaders/helpers/game supporters do to make our league the best it can be???
I am not going to claim to have all the answers. I am going to claim to have successful strategies at attracting and keeping younger players interested in the game, both at the casual and competitive level.
I take pride in my younger groups, because my younger groups become my older groups, and there are always little brothers and sisters, and the cycle continues.
Key 1 for League...have a good group of assistants/Leaders/helpers that are going to be able to, Frankly, run the league without you. This is ESPECIALLY true of us League leaders who are TOs and find ourselves away from our leagues for weeks at a time running and attending major events. Most of the time you will have a parent who plays who is willing to step forward. How do you determine if the person is good? One MAJOR requirement I have is energy toward the game. Do you want the parent who sits back, plays, is nice enough, but is not outgoing, or do you want the Mom/Dad who may not be that good a player (or they may be REALLY good), who is outgoing and talks to all the players and knows the attendees all by name....you guess.
Key 2 - make the players feel a part of the group. This is for parents AND kids. Talk to the parents who bring their kids up. Make sure to be aware of your "fringe" leagues who may be nervous and not want to initiate a match on their own. As LL, I try to sit and play with every player in my league at least once every few months. This includes the great players, and the casual player, and especially the new players. There is nothing more invigorating for a new player then to get to play against the Gym Leader, especially if they have a shot at beating the gym leader (I usually use theme decks against new players). When playing a new player, or any player, don't insult them and feel you have to let them win...sometimes a great game that is lost is better than a game that a player wins, and does not feel that their opponent was playing their hardest. You can gauge when you need to give a player an ego boost with a win...we have all done it, but I would prefer some feeling of pride be developed when a player knocks off the gym leader legitimately....and what a great time to give out an previous year's badge, or old extra promo cards, then when a match finishes against you...win or lose, the player feels that they have won something...and always talk to them during the match...ask why they like Pokemon, who their favorite is, and after your match, and marking their books (the GL in our league is always a Premiere Trainer), get them going on their next match. Always be mindful of the players who are "slipping" out of your group. Not everyone is going to be liked necessarily, but they should always feel that they are a part of the group...
Key 3 - hook 'em all! Get the parents to play. They know they want to (most of 'em), they really do. Getting the parents to play turns it from a kid time, to family time, where they can come and play together. The parents won't always play, but having a few that do will really increase your attendance, and make it very easy for them to bring their friends, when friends know than John's mother is staying anyway.
Key 4 - Friendly atmosphere. When you walk into your league, is the store inviting? Do you have tables to play at? Does it look like fun? Are the kids obviously having a good time? Sometimes we have to give up our playing and enjoying the leagues ourselves in order to keep the leagues energized...goes with the turf...that's where the big Professor bonuses come in!!!
Key 5 - Major events. Let your gang know about the PreReleases, Cities, States, and Regionals near them! Showing up at these events makes life a LOT of fun for the Poke players! 10 packs of a BRAND NEW SET at a preRelease! WOW!!! Did you see Jeff win at cities and get that cool medal! Wow! I can beat him at league sometimes!!! The funnel gets built into OP! It just does.
Key 6 - Tourneys. We all have competitive players who want to win the major events. They need to be catered to. Some of these people are considered bigger than the game...and should be looked up to. Weekly or monthly (optional) tourneys are a great way for players to play against the "big guns" and test their mettle. These do not all have to be sanctioned, but most good players will want them to be. Just make sure that the players are playing for fun, as well as to win...Winning at all costs turns a positive experience sour.
Key 7 - Keep it lively. I encourage Team play (2 players versus 2 players) because it gets the kids interacting. Creates opportunities for better players to hook newer players under their wing...and for older players to stretch their playing abilities. Funny Team names...are also cool...Our gym is the home of Team Rocks (OK, my 3 year old came up with that one), Team Drunken Monkeys, and Team Furry Kitten Snuggle (a couple of 22 year olds who have used that name for years). Unlimited, while it sounds like a great idea, is usually a disaster, where better, older players will just crack out the Slowkings, Sneasels and Clefables and whip up on players who have never seen those cards before.
Key 8 - Personal Connection. High fives, hand slaps, verbal encouragement, win or lose, is a key to making a welcoming atmosphere. I go so far as to give new players bonus cards if I mess up their names after the first day!!! Even for those I know, I mess up at least once so they get bonused! It shows you are focusing on not only them coming, but on knowing who they are. My favorite question is how is it going? I ALWAYS follow it with, are you having fun? Win or lose, they should be having fun. True, an 8 game losing streak is not necessarily fun...but, hey, then why don't you team up and play 2 on 2 with John (who just beat you) and take on Tim and Jeff? Toss a few promos as incentives, and AWAY WE GO!!! Make sure the new players GET a league book, understand the league book and use the league book!
Key 9 - Older players. Keep your older players interested. Keep them going to main events, have them run league in your absence (or presence) and make them feel important. Our league in St. Peters, MO would have died a LONG time ago without my older core...who are now seen as some of the best judges in the NATION!! I got lucky, and we all have older players who just want to play...those are fine too, but at some point the older players will either filter away from the game, or realize the game is bigger then just them winning, and if they look more than just to their own winnings, they can get a LOT more out of the game!
Key 10 - new player rewards! Make it a bonus for new players to come and play! Our current "bonus" is a bonus pack of cards for both the new player and the friend bringing them!! Sounds expensive...but it really works. Most stores will give you a break if you use packs in this way...ask your local retailer. I personally just toss them out of all of the leftover product I have from past events...but not all of us are willing to take that hit...even promo cards, whatever you can do....just make it some reason for the players to want to make the league grow! They want to bring their friends to play, some of them just need a little push!!!
I will edit this as I come up with even more to put in this outline, but read it, disagree with it, comment on it, so we can all use this as a brainstorm in making our leagues the best they can be!!!
Vince
I am not going to claim to have all the answers. I am going to claim to have successful strategies at attracting and keeping younger players interested in the game, both at the casual and competitive level.
I take pride in my younger groups, because my younger groups become my older groups, and there are always little brothers and sisters, and the cycle continues.
Key 1 for League...have a good group of assistants/Leaders/helpers that are going to be able to, Frankly, run the league without you. This is ESPECIALLY true of us League leaders who are TOs and find ourselves away from our leagues for weeks at a time running and attending major events. Most of the time you will have a parent who plays who is willing to step forward. How do you determine if the person is good? One MAJOR requirement I have is energy toward the game. Do you want the parent who sits back, plays, is nice enough, but is not outgoing, or do you want the Mom/Dad who may not be that good a player (or they may be REALLY good), who is outgoing and talks to all the players and knows the attendees all by name....you guess.
Key 2 - make the players feel a part of the group. This is for parents AND kids. Talk to the parents who bring their kids up. Make sure to be aware of your "fringe" leagues who may be nervous and not want to initiate a match on their own. As LL, I try to sit and play with every player in my league at least once every few months. This includes the great players, and the casual player, and especially the new players. There is nothing more invigorating for a new player then to get to play against the Gym Leader, especially if they have a shot at beating the gym leader (I usually use theme decks against new players). When playing a new player, or any player, don't insult them and feel you have to let them win...sometimes a great game that is lost is better than a game that a player wins, and does not feel that their opponent was playing their hardest. You can gauge when you need to give a player an ego boost with a win...we have all done it, but I would prefer some feeling of pride be developed when a player knocks off the gym leader legitimately....and what a great time to give out an previous year's badge, or old extra promo cards, then when a match finishes against you...win or lose, the player feels that they have won something...and always talk to them during the match...ask why they like Pokemon, who their favorite is, and after your match, and marking their books (the GL in our league is always a Premiere Trainer), get them going on their next match. Always be mindful of the players who are "slipping" out of your group. Not everyone is going to be liked necessarily, but they should always feel that they are a part of the group...
Key 3 - hook 'em all! Get the parents to play. They know they want to (most of 'em), they really do. Getting the parents to play turns it from a kid time, to family time, where they can come and play together. The parents won't always play, but having a few that do will really increase your attendance, and make it very easy for them to bring their friends, when friends know than John's mother is staying anyway.
Key 4 - Friendly atmosphere. When you walk into your league, is the store inviting? Do you have tables to play at? Does it look like fun? Are the kids obviously having a good time? Sometimes we have to give up our playing and enjoying the leagues ourselves in order to keep the leagues energized...goes with the turf...that's where the big Professor bonuses come in!!!
Key 5 - Major events. Let your gang know about the PreReleases, Cities, States, and Regionals near them! Showing up at these events makes life a LOT of fun for the Poke players! 10 packs of a BRAND NEW SET at a preRelease! WOW!!! Did you see Jeff win at cities and get that cool medal! Wow! I can beat him at league sometimes!!! The funnel gets built into OP! It just does.
Key 6 - Tourneys. We all have competitive players who want to win the major events. They need to be catered to. Some of these people are considered bigger than the game...and should be looked up to. Weekly or monthly (optional) tourneys are a great way for players to play against the "big guns" and test their mettle. These do not all have to be sanctioned, but most good players will want them to be. Just make sure that the players are playing for fun, as well as to win...Winning at all costs turns a positive experience sour.
Key 7 - Keep it lively. I encourage Team play (2 players versus 2 players) because it gets the kids interacting. Creates opportunities for better players to hook newer players under their wing...and for older players to stretch their playing abilities. Funny Team names...are also cool...Our gym is the home of Team Rocks (OK, my 3 year old came up with that one), Team Drunken Monkeys, and Team Furry Kitten Snuggle (a couple of 22 year olds who have used that name for years). Unlimited, while it sounds like a great idea, is usually a disaster, where better, older players will just crack out the Slowkings, Sneasels and Clefables and whip up on players who have never seen those cards before.
Key 8 - Personal Connection. High fives, hand slaps, verbal encouragement, win or lose, is a key to making a welcoming atmosphere. I go so far as to give new players bonus cards if I mess up their names after the first day!!! Even for those I know, I mess up at least once so they get bonused! It shows you are focusing on not only them coming, but on knowing who they are. My favorite question is how is it going? I ALWAYS follow it with, are you having fun? Win or lose, they should be having fun. True, an 8 game losing streak is not necessarily fun...but, hey, then why don't you team up and play 2 on 2 with John (who just beat you) and take on Tim and Jeff? Toss a few promos as incentives, and AWAY WE GO!!! Make sure the new players GET a league book, understand the league book and use the league book!
Key 9 - Older players. Keep your older players interested. Keep them going to main events, have them run league in your absence (or presence) and make them feel important. Our league in St. Peters, MO would have died a LONG time ago without my older core...who are now seen as some of the best judges in the NATION!! I got lucky, and we all have older players who just want to play...those are fine too, but at some point the older players will either filter away from the game, or realize the game is bigger then just them winning, and if they look more than just to their own winnings, they can get a LOT more out of the game!
Key 10 - new player rewards! Make it a bonus for new players to come and play! Our current "bonus" is a bonus pack of cards for both the new player and the friend bringing them!! Sounds expensive...but it really works. Most stores will give you a break if you use packs in this way...ask your local retailer. I personally just toss them out of all of the leftover product I have from past events...but not all of us are willing to take that hit...even promo cards, whatever you can do....just make it some reason for the players to want to make the league grow! They want to bring their friends to play, some of them just need a little push!!!
I will edit this as I come up with even more to put in this outline, but read it, disagree with it, comment on it, so we can all use this as a brainstorm in making our leagues the best they can be!!!
Vince
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