How to start a league down under style…
this is an article off of Australia’s Flying Disc Assoc. website…
How to make your own league
Piers Truter
Dave was fed up with driving up from the beaches to St Leonards to play frisbee. Actually it is probably more accurate to say that Dave was fed up with driving home at 11pm after being in the St Leonards Tavern. Regardless, instead of complaining, Dave went and started his own league in Manly.
Let me go on record as saying that Dave has done a fantastic job and the success of the new league is a testament to his determination and vision. Eight teams of 10-12 players, only a dozen of the players had ever played before. Each team has an experienced player to teach and lead them. The league plays on a Thursday night and now is generating men?s and women?s teams to play at Nationals. The finals of the league were held last night and there was a sizeable crowd to watch the game. One of the teams in the finals even pulled out a zone defence (to the consternation of the other team).
Having followed Dave?s efforts with interest, it seems to me that the actual process of starting a league and recruiting 100 new players is actually quite simple. If you are organised and you can get the assistance of a dozen mates (and you have the energy to see it through) you too could avoid the late night drive home from the frisbee pub.
You see what Dave did is this;
1) He went out and organized some fields with the local council.
2) He made some flyers and started handing them out at the ferry, on the bus, in the street, basically anywhere he could in Manly. He got his friends to help him hand them out.
3) He talked up the league to anybody he met while playing Sunday ultimate on the beach.
4) When council had a sports day he arranged to have frisbee as part of it right on the main beach in Manly.
5) Once he got the players to the oval with frisbees he ran some basic training, then put them in hat teams and had a mini league.
6) He cut a deal with the Fishos, so that they stayed open on a Thursday night to quench the thirst of the frisbee players. (This was genius).
7) At the end of the hat league, teams formed and a full on proper league started.
None of this was very complicated. All it needed was motivation and organisation. And let me say that the Manly league is the best fun league in Sydney. So hats off to Big Dave and if you find yourself grumbling on Frisbee night because your drive home is so long, talk to Dave, follow the recipe and you could be drinking at your local watering hole in no time.