By Nathan Hirsch & Symon Perriman
If you have read our last two posts in FanWide’s Guide to Starting and Growing a Fan Club in your Sports Bar then you are ready for the big moment — officially creating or finding your local fan club. You’ve picked the best league and identified a few target teams. But just before you just directly ask the fan club chapter to host their events at your bar, we want to coach you up on the different organizational structures for collegiate alumni associations and professional sports fan clubs to help you increase your chances of landing your first fan community.
Finding a College Sports Fan Club
If you want to focus on college teams, you will want to seek the approval from the alumni association to be an officially sanctioned event. You can be unofficial, but you won’t have the help or backing from the school, making it much harder to find alumni in your area.
The easiest route is connecting one with of your regular patrons that is an alumnus of the university, and asking them for an introduction to the local chapter president. If there is not already a chapter in your area, then ask the alumni association if you can start one. Be prepared that they will almost always require someone with an affiliation to their institution to manage this new community and honor their traditions. This customer-alumni can also be a valuable promoter by telling his college friends about your spot, giving you free word-of-mouth marketing.
If you can get an introduction to the local lead of an existing chapter, offer your place as an additional spot for their events. Just be cautious to not come across as too aggressive. Once you build some trust, you should offer to host a watch/viewing party for one of their non-sports community events (like an alumni happy hour), and give them generous specials for their business.
If there is no local chapter near you, then you may need to contact the university’s alumni association, which you can find online. If you get the chance to run an event for the school, make sure you get listed on their alumni website and FanWide.com as the university’s official host in your area.
Becoming a game watch party host is possible in any state if you find the right school or professional team. Below is a map which ranks the states based on the number of sports fan clubs events from 2016 through 2019, according to FanWide.
Source: FanWide
Attracting Pro-League Fan Clubs
Fan club chapters for professional sports can usually be approached more casually, as pro fan clubs are generally organized by the fans themselves. This decentralized model requires less effort to create a new chapter in a city. You can also ask your regulars which teams they like to try to get them to participate.
However, there are some teams that do centrally organize their fan club chapters and may require you to submit a formal application. Consequently, be sure to search for any official fan clubs and their requirements online. It may only make sense to do this if your city doesn’t have a chapter already. One thing you’ll want to keep in mind is that if you join an official program, then you’ll have to accept the terms and conditions which can range from an annual fee to displaying the team’s banner.
Now let’s say that your city already has a chapter you are interested in, but you cannot find a direct introduction. Connect with them through social media or their website, and ask the chapter leader if the group is currently happy with their location. If you can genuinely offer a better gameday experience with discounts or other perks, then shoot them an offer. But be careful that you do not upset your fellow neighborhood bar operators by poaching their guests, as the fan club leader may use that as leverage to get a better deal with their current host.
What If You Can’t Court a Local Fan Club?
So, what if you weren’t able to woo that fan club away from the other bar, don’t know which other teams are available, or just don’t have time for that? No problem, FanWide.com can help you with all of this! FanWide’s business is helping bars and fan clubs find each other. FanWide’s members also share opportunities with each other so they do not need poach each other’s fan club chapters. FanWide has the world’s largest fan club database with information about every alumni network and fan club chapter to help you find the best match in your city!
These tips should help you understand the best way to launch your own fan club chapter or approach an existing group. Remember to understand the key differences between college and pro teams, and make sure that you do your research. Learn about the existing fan club chapters by hearing their challenges, and approach them if you can give them a better gameday experience.
Now that you’ve found your fan club to host, we will next give you some marketing tips to help you grow your chapter.
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