Recruiting New Players to Your Lacrosse Club

Why Recruitment Matters for South West Lacrosse

Lacrosse in the South West has quietly built a strong identity of its own. From university towns with thriving student sides to market towns and coastal communities where the sport is still finding its feet, clubs across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset and Gloucestershire are all chasing the same thing: more players on the pitch. Growth is not just about fielding an extra team. Strong numbers mean better training sessions, more competitive fixtures, a healthier social scene, and a club that can survive the inevitable dips when players move away, go to university, or pick up an injury.

Recruitment, though, rarely happens by accident. The clubs that grow steadily tend to be the ones that treat recruitment as a year-round habit rather than a frantic push every September. The good news is that you do not need a big budget or a marketing team. You need enthusiasm, a bit of planning, and a willingness to meet people where they already are.

Make the First Session Easy to Say Yes To

Taster sessions are the single most effective tool in a club's recruitment kit. The barrier for a complete beginner is not fitness or ability — it is the fear of looking silly in front of people who already know what they are doing. Design your taster session to remove that fear entirely. Loan out sticks, use soft balls, and keep the first hour focused on throwing, catching, and simple ground ball games rather than full-contact drills.

• Advertise a clear start time and a clear finish time, so people can plan around work or school runs.
• Run separate tasters for adults and juniors, and consider a women's-only or beginner-only slot if that helps people feel comfortable.
• Have two or three experienced members whose only job is to welcome newcomers, not to coach.
• Finish with something social — a drink, a snack, a chat — because people join clubs for the people as much as the sport.

Offer a free first session and a low-cost trial month. In the South West, where travel to training can already be a commitment, removing the financial risk of trying something new makes a real difference.

Build Real Links with Local Schools

School links are the most reliable long-term pipeline for junior recruitment, and they work particularly well in areas where lacrosse is not yet a household name. Approach secondary schools, sixth forms, and colleges with a simple offer: a free taster assembly, a lunchtime session, or a block of PE lessons delivered by club coaches. Many schools in the region are keen to broaden their sporting offer beyond football, rugby, and netball, and lacrosse fits neatly alongside them.

Practical steps that tend to work:

• Contact PE departments directly by email in the spring term, when they are planning the next academic year.
• Offer to run a one-off festival or a six-week after-school club, with club members helping out.
• Ask teachers which pupils might enjoy it, then send home a simple flyer with training times and a contact name.
• Invite families to a club open day so parents can see the pitch, meet the coaches, and ask questions.

Universities and further education colleges are just as important. Student retention is high while term is running, so a visible presence at freshers' fairs, sports fairs, and campus social media groups can bring in a steady stream of new players each autumn.

Use Social Media Without Overthinking It

You do not need a polished content strategy. You need to be visible and human. A club Instagram or Facebook page that posts twice a week will outperform one that posts nothing. Show real faces, real sessions, and real moments — a first goal, a muddy training session, a team photo after a match.

• Post training times and locations in the same format every week so people can find them quickly.
• Use short clips of beginner-friendly drills to show that newcomers are genuinely welcome.
• Tag local schools, community groups, and sports pages so your posts reach beyond your existing followers.
• Ask members to share posts to their own stories — personal recommendations travel much further than club accounts.

Keep the tone friendly and local. Mention the town, the pitch, the pub afterwards. People are looking for belonging, not just a sport.

The Simplest Win: Bring a Friend

Word of mouth remains the strongest recruitment channel in grassroots sport. Formalise it. Run a "bring a friend" week once a term, where existing members get a small incentive — a free session, a club hoodie entry into a draw — for bringing someone new along. Make it clear that the friend does not need any kit or experience, and that the session will be pitched at their level.

Ask current members directly what would make them more likely to invite someone. Often the answer is simple: not wanting to feel responsible if their friend struggles. Reassure them that the coaching team will look after newcomers personally, and that nobody will be thrown into a full drill on their first night.

Keep the Newcomers You Recruit

Recruitment is only half the job. A club that brings in ten new players and keeps two has a problem. The first four weeks are critical. Assign a named buddy to every new member, check in by message after their first session, and make sure they know exactly what to bring and when to arrive the following week.

• Follow up within 48 hours of a first session with a friendly message and the next training date.
• Publish a simple kit list — trainers, water, shin pads — so nobody turns up underprepared.
• Celebrate progress publicly, including beginners' milestones, not just match results.
• Ask new members what nearly stopped them coming back, and act on the answers.

Across the South West, the clubs that grow are the ones that make the first step feel easy and the second step feel inevitable. Taster sessions, school partnerships, honest social media, and a genuine welcome will do more for your numbers than any expensive campaign. Start small, be consistent, and the pitch will fill up.