Organise hat tournaments or pick-up leagues where people at all playing levels can participate
Hat Tournaments have various advantages in recruiting new players and retaining existing ones, especially during the off-season.Hat tournaments reserve a special place in the ultimate community. People register individually, so teams are not required to have a specific number of players, for example. You can meet many new people quickly, and as an organizer, you can create special rules to make the tournament more equitable (e.g. having a minimum number of women-matching players on each team).
The benefits of Hat tournaments are:
Each team has a mixture of experienced players and beginners.
The registration process has to be straightforward for everyone (give known references for the skill level selection)
It is possible to bring friends and let them try the sport since there is space for every skill level.
It is a way to offer retired players or those practising just at the recreational level to stay in the sport.
Usually, just a few players know each other, so it is an excellent opportunity to get to know other people with similar interests.
Consider different formats for hat tournaments to reach other target groups.
The setup of a Mixed Hat Tournament also brings challenges and opportunities that you have to consider.
Players with big egos might monopolize the game, and that could lead to the exclusion of others. To reduce this situation, you can consider introducing some special rules.
Communicate guidelines for appropriate treatment and language within the tournament to the participants (during the player's meeting) and where/how to report issues.
Clarify that the inclusion of all players is an essential value in the sport, and there are channels to give feedback.
Generally, create a space (in person or virtual) where players can express their feelings about random pick-up/leagues; here, they can give more detailed feedback about the collective atmosphere.
To empower women-matching athletes, consider having a tournament specifically for women-matching players, where more experienced players can bring beginners. It might be good to implement throwing sessions or short explanations between games for such events. Those contact points can create a great way to recruit new players and retain existing ones.
Referenced Case Studies
Anne has experimented with this practice mixed with Iznogood. To be tested as a women-only event