Cooperate with schools and PE teachers to showcase your sport
The most efficient way to recruit junior players is during physical education classes or after-school programs. Long-term collaborations with schools can ensure a continuous flow of recruits into your club or association. Cooperation with schools or teachers should be a key part of your recruiting strategy if your association targets students.As a minor sport, most teachers don't know what Ultimate is, so it is important to promote what makes Ultimate special and why it is an ideal sport for schools. Generally, the education ministry defines certain sports that must be taught during PE hours, but a certain number of hours can be used for other sports.
Cooperation with schools can start with one-off demonstration practices during PE hours. It can go up to school programs with a series of practices during PE classes or as an after-school activity, which might end with a tournament among different classes or even among different schools.
When planning these collaborations, consider that in some European School Systems, the PE Classes are single-gender, so you may be able to address only one group at a time. If you plan a mixed activity, consider offering your sport as an after-school activity, where everyone can participate.
Be aware that your coaches and recruiters must be available to deliver the lessons during school hours. Develop formal training for recruiters so that more people can provide good beginner-focused training.
Make sure to have an introduction set up for your coaches or athletes going to the classes. Showcase the sport as a sport for all genders and emphasise the value of women matching players, highlighting the athleticism of your coaches/athletes, showcasing a drill with layouts, high catches, etc.
Recruiting groups is easier than recruiting individuals, but competitive kids might come on their own with proper encouragement and willingness to include their friends. To get the most out of your recruiting, be diverse and inclusive.
Create flyers with your club's information training times and the educational value of Ultimate so that kids can bring them home and discuss with the parents whether they want to join.
Advertise the social element of the sport to attract players that may be less competitive
All students start from the same basic level. There is no problem with having bored students as everything will be new and challenging. For students, there are few physical differences between the sexes at this age and therefore playing mixed is an excellent option for those under 14.
To compensate for a potential physical advantage of male-matching students over 15 years old, you can introduce special rules to ensure that everyone is included equally in the game.
Emphasise the self-referencing aspect, where children must learn to take self-responsibility for their actions like calling rule breaches or discussing calmly and respectfully and coming to an agreement.