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Afternoon one and all.
I’ve been doing a little bit of thinking. Dangerous I know, but hey it’s taken me a while (and a few chats with Mr Pope).
This is a bit long winded, but stick with me?
It seems that Dek has begun to fall into a bit of a rut, folk either don’t have the time, or are looking to see if others are going to go for it before they commit.
Numbers are likewise dwindling leaving teams hard to form for the weekend. And interest is obviously waining.
So what’s the answer? What are the main issues? And how do we address them?
I’ve had a little think and the main issues, to me, fall into the categories of;
- More numbers are needed
- Ongoing competition is needed
- Structured team building is needed
So how exactly do we address these issues? I have a few ideas…
More Numbers are Needed
Numbers have dwindled to a point where if one or two of the “regulars” can’t make it, the game is off.. thus we need to bolster the numbers in order that we are back to the “first 10/12 people with names down” or even to where we’re having 3 set teams and a “mini league” (but that’s jumping ahead).
How do we get these numbers?
Promotion. Promotion doesn’t have to cost anything and it doesn’t need a great deal of time.
Most of us, if not all, have some form or DekHockey t-shirt or Hockey shirt.
We also have people who are involved with the Vipers in one form or another. Including Lynchio/Freak on the electronic projector?
Could we organise a designated Vipers home league game, combine efforts and make the baying public aware of DekHockey and what it’s about?
Would it be possible to gain an agreement with the club for an announcement or two at various points of the game/period breaks along the lines of..
“If you would like to try your hands at hockey, but can’t skate, why not give Dek Hockey a try? For more information see the guys from the NE DekStars in the Foyer during the period breaks”
Pope Highlighted that there is an area of the Foyer that is always empty? Would the Club/Arena be in agreement for us to commandeer a small area and have a small scale “tap about” with pucks and sticks.
People will come down, take interest, we even let the odd one join in, take their e-mail address and ask if they’d be interested in giving DekHockey a go?
Following that we contact folk mid week by e-mail telling them the time to be at the lightfoot centre and we have an “open day”?
The regulars show up, we pay our usual £3-£3.50 and we spend one Sunday session holding open rolling games for anyone new who shows up. We have enough equipment to put a few people out there at a time, even if we sit it out at times. The new ones don’t pay on their first go, but we pay our usual amount to secure the court. We coach, keep the enthusiasm and craic up, and do our best to enthuse the new folk.
You’ll find that maybe 20% of people return? however I’d say it would be enough to bolster the numbers enough to sustain DekHockey week on week.
Ok, once we’ve got the folk, what then?
Ongoing competition is needed
To get folk coming back week on week, the best way is to develop some friendly competition. This doesn’t mean designated teams.
It can mean, however, a points system.
It is of course open to discussion, but we would record Goals + 1 assist. Points for each, but goals counted per player.
We keep a competitive table
1 point for a goal
1 point for an assist
1 points if you are on the winning team
As such if you work to a win, you gain points regardless if you score or not.
You could make it 2 points per person for a win, and you could reward netminders by giving them points for a shut out, or for conceding less than 4 goals?
But how simple or complicated you make it is up to ourselves.
Recording points is easily policed. If we have a ref, it takes 10 seconds for them to jot it down.. or someone on the sidelines.
Even if that doesn’t happen, it is easily discussed on the forum after a game, I’m certain after games everyone here knows how many assists or goals they got in the game. It’s simply a case of jotting it down on the forum. For example.
The result of that would give –
DWD, Leafy, Redwing 2 points
Lynchio 3 points
Frank, MarkyMark, GRF and Freak, 1 point
There’s little chance of people “claiming points” because we’re all in the game, and we all know/see how points are scored and by who. So it is self policed!
This leads to open competition. It will allow people to develop their own points scoring.. drive them to make the next game so as not to slip behind in their points tally.. and allow us to see who influence the games. All for a bit of craic.
Team Structure
This is far down the line, but if our promotion and recruiting is successful, it may lead us to developing 2 or 3 “set teams”… this would allow us to have an ongoing series or a mini 3 team league. (granted I think for a team we would need 7 people to account for folk not being able to make it.
This would come together after a draft and maybe allow us to have “3-month seasons”, before rejigging the teams.
This is far down the line, but again its all based on the promotion?
-----
This is of course all just the ramblings of a bored Irishman, however I think with a little bit of promotion and a restructuring of our systems.. Dek could take off again and we could end up with regular competitive games and a lot of good fun.
I welcome your thoughts, arguments, ridicule.
Paddy
I’ve been doing a little bit of thinking. Dangerous I know, but hey it’s taken me a while (and a few chats with Mr Pope).
This is a bit long winded, but stick with me?
It seems that Dek has begun to fall into a bit of a rut, folk either don’t have the time, or are looking to see if others are going to go for it before they commit.
Numbers are likewise dwindling leaving teams hard to form for the weekend. And interest is obviously waining.
So what’s the answer? What are the main issues? And how do we address them?
I’ve had a little think and the main issues, to me, fall into the categories of;
- More numbers are needed
- Ongoing competition is needed
- Structured team building is needed
So how exactly do we address these issues? I have a few ideas…
More Numbers are Needed
Numbers have dwindled to a point where if one or two of the “regulars” can’t make it, the game is off.. thus we need to bolster the numbers in order that we are back to the “first 10/12 people with names down” or even to where we’re having 3 set teams and a “mini league” (but that’s jumping ahead).
How do we get these numbers?
Promotion. Promotion doesn’t have to cost anything and it doesn’t need a great deal of time.
Most of us, if not all, have some form or DekHockey t-shirt or Hockey shirt.
We also have people who are involved with the Vipers in one form or another. Including Lynchio/Freak on the electronic projector?
Could we organise a designated Vipers home league game, combine efforts and make the baying public aware of DekHockey and what it’s about?
Would it be possible to gain an agreement with the club for an announcement or two at various points of the game/period breaks along the lines of..
“If you would like to try your hands at hockey, but can’t skate, why not give Dek Hockey a try? For more information see the guys from the NE DekStars in the Foyer during the period breaks”
Pope Highlighted that there is an area of the Foyer that is always empty? Would the Club/Arena be in agreement for us to commandeer a small area and have a small scale “tap about” with pucks and sticks.
People will come down, take interest, we even let the odd one join in, take their e-mail address and ask if they’d be interested in giving DekHockey a go?
Following that we contact folk mid week by e-mail telling them the time to be at the lightfoot centre and we have an “open day”?
The regulars show up, we pay our usual £3-£3.50 and we spend one Sunday session holding open rolling games for anyone new who shows up. We have enough equipment to put a few people out there at a time, even if we sit it out at times. The new ones don’t pay on their first go, but we pay our usual amount to secure the court. We coach, keep the enthusiasm and craic up, and do our best to enthuse the new folk.
You’ll find that maybe 20% of people return? however I’d say it would be enough to bolster the numbers enough to sustain DekHockey week on week.
Ok, once we’ve got the folk, what then?
Ongoing competition is needed
To get folk coming back week on week, the best way is to develop some friendly competition. This doesn’t mean designated teams.
It can mean, however, a points system.
It is of course open to discussion, but we would record Goals + 1 assist. Points for each, but goals counted per player.
We keep a competitive table
- Code:
Player Played Goals Assists Won Points
1 point for a goal
1 point for an assist
1 points if you are on the winning team
As such if you work to a win, you gain points regardless if you score or not.
You could make it 2 points per person for a win, and you could reward netminders by giving them points for a shut out, or for conceding less than 4 goals?
But how simple or complicated you make it is up to ourselves.
Recording points is easily policed. If we have a ref, it takes 10 seconds for them to jot it down.. or someone on the sidelines.
Even if that doesn’t happen, it is easily discussed on the forum after a game, I’m certain after games everyone here knows how many assists or goals they got in the game. It’s simply a case of jotting it down on the forum. For example.
Whites 3
DWD – Lynchio
Lynchio (UA)
Leafy – Redwing
Reds 2
Frank – MarkyMark
Freakshow – GRF
The result of that would give –
DWD, Leafy, Redwing 2 points
Lynchio 3 points
Frank, MarkyMark, GRF and Freak, 1 point
There’s little chance of people “claiming points” because we’re all in the game, and we all know/see how points are scored and by who. So it is self policed!
This leads to open competition. It will allow people to develop their own points scoring.. drive them to make the next game so as not to slip behind in their points tally.. and allow us to see who influence the games. All for a bit of craic.
Team Structure
This is far down the line, but if our promotion and recruiting is successful, it may lead us to developing 2 or 3 “set teams”… this would allow us to have an ongoing series or a mini 3 team league. (granted I think for a team we would need 7 people to account for folk not being able to make it.
This would come together after a draft and maybe allow us to have “3-month seasons”, before rejigging the teams.
This is far down the line, but again its all based on the promotion?
-----
This is of course all just the ramblings of a bored Irishman, however I think with a little bit of promotion and a restructuring of our systems.. Dek could take off again and we could end up with regular competitive games and a lot of good fun.
I welcome your thoughts, arguments, ridicule.
Paddy
(slow day at work)
.
