10 steps to starting successful youth bowling leagues

Starting and running youth bowling programs – providing opportunities for young people to have fun bowling and learn to bowl well – takes commitment and effort, but is essential to the long-term success of a bowling center and the health and growth of the sport. Use the following 10 easy steps to guide your way to a great youth bowling program!

1. Study your market.

Talk to kids, school representatives, park and recreation agencies, your local USBC association manager and bowling center managers in your area to find out as much as you can about your potential youth bowler market.

Questions to consider:

• How many people age 18 or younger live in your community? How many children age 5 or younger? (You can check U.S. Census data online for counties and cities within your state at quickfacts.census.gov.)
• Are there other bowling centers in the vicinity that offer youth bowling leagues? If so, what days and times do they schedule their youth leagues?
• Does any center in your area offer youth scratch leagues? If so, are they set up as qualifying events for the United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships?
• Is there an organized Pee Wee Bowling Program available in your community? Do any centers offer introductory bowling camps or learn-to-bowl classes for school-aged kids?
• What schools are within a five-mile radius of the bowling center where you plan to conduct your youth league? Are any within easy walking distance?
• What weekday hours are normal school hours for grade-school-aged kids in your area? What are the normal high school hours?
• What other youth recreational activities are available in your community? Do they have a set schedule for meeting days and times?
• Do other specific community activities for children have a strong tie to a particular day and time of the week? (For example, in some communities, schools and churches have agreed to reserve Wednesday evenings for religious education classes, so schools schedule their after-school extra-curricular activities on other day

2. Identify your customers' needs and how you can satisfy or exceed them.

From your market study, consider the information you've identified. You may have heard kids give some of the following reasons why they aren't involved in a bowling league yet:

"I want to play, but I don't know how."
If your community has a significant number of children under the age of 5, a Pee Wee Program may be a successful way to literally grow your youth bowling customer base.

Did your research show any existing opportunities for school-aged kids and teens to learn the sport in a fun, non-threatening setting where the emphasis is not on competition but rather on enjoying the experience? Consider organizing bowling camps using the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America's Coach It Up! program or USBC's Bowling Rocks! program, or participating with teachers to provide In-School Bowling opportunities using BPAA's Bowlers Ed program.

"I can't find a league that fits my schedule."
Saturday mornings are often earmarked for youth leagues at bowling centers. Compare nearby centers' youth league schedules to see if you can offer an alternative… perhaps a league that starts an hour later than your competitors or in the afternoon (for kids or parents who want to sleep in on Saturday) or a youth league that meets on a different day, such as Sunday afternoon or Tuesday or Thursday early evenings.

"I like my regular handicap league, but I'd also like more of a challenge."
If other nearby centers only offer youth handicap leagues but your area has some high-average youth bowlers, a youth scratch league may be a welcome addition to local youth bowling opportunities. Select a scratch league day and time that won't conflict with existing youth handicap leagues and you can draw youth bowlers from a variety of other leagues and centers. Add value to your youth scratch league by making it a USBC Junior Gold qualifying event and/or a USBC Sport Bowling league.

"I'd like to bowl with my friends."
If you have one or more schools within easy walking distance of the bowling center where you plan to conduct a youth league, you may want to consider running after-school leagues for grade-schoolers and high-schoolers. Using the school day schedule information you discovered in Step 1, estimate an appropriate amount of time for kids to get to the center after their classes end and add some before-league practice time to determine when after-school leagues could meet. Pick a day of the week that wouldn't conflict with Scouts or other common after-school activities to attract bowlers from a nearby grade school.

"I can't bowl on Saturdays, I have other commitments."
For early evening or after-school youth leagues, select a day of the week that won't conflict with other popular extra-curricular events (like Friday-night football games).

"I play sports for my school and I can't be in another league during my school sport's season."
Short-season leagues tied to the timing of school semesters, starting a week after semester classes begin, could allow for multiple consecutive leagues with more kids joining as their friends talk up the fun they have bowling. This also would allow for kids who play other sports to bowl during their other sport's off-season. If your area has high school bowling, set short-season leagues as practice leagues before the school bowling season and after the school season as work camps to make next year's team.

3. Develop a plan.

Based on the needs of your potential customer base, develop a plan to meet one or more of these needs. Write down your specific goals. Look ahead to Steps 4-10 and note how you will use these steps to make your plan a reality.

Get your center management on board to support your efforts, even if it means additional staffing or having the center open for business at a time outside of "normal" hours.

A written plan of action helps to define exactly what you hope to accomplish, what additional resources the center may need to provide, and what additional business may be expected. Remember, the detail of your plan and the follow-through to fulfill that plan are crucial to the success of your youth programming.

4. Determine some basic info.

In your plan of action, you already have determined a customer need and developed an overall plan to meet or exceed that need. Now it's time to get down to specifics.

What day and time will your new youth league meet? How many weeks will the league run? What clever, catchy or memorable name could you give your new youth league that will be attractive to potential league members? Will your league offer trophies or scholarship awards? What will the weekly fee be, and should the cost of USBC Youth membership be worked into that weekly fee or collected outright at the beginning of the league?

When considering day and time specifics, draw on the information you discovered in Step 1 but also look ahead to Step 5 to consider coaching staff availability.

Develop your youth league rules. As information is determined, fill in the blanks in the USBC Youth League Rules document that is included in the USBC League Operations Handbook.

The USBC League Operations Handbook offers a wealth of information to help launch successful leagues, so obtain a copy from your local USBC association manager. Follow the handbook's advice now and as your youth league gets underway.

Get started on your USBC league certification. Blank forms can be obtained from your local USBC association manager. Contact information for the local USBC association manager can be obtained from USBC's Membership/Awards team at (800) 514-BOWL, ext. 3151, or e-mail. Certifying your youth league will provide your new youth bowlers with the opportunity to compete in the local USBC association's youth tournament, and allow you to conduct an easy league level qualifying event for the Pepsi USBC Youth Championships. More than $300,000 in scholarships are awarded at the state level of this competition.

5. Line up your coaching help.

Great coaching is the hallmark of successful youth programs and each youth league should feature the assistance of at least one USBC certified coach.

What makes a great youth coach? Bowling knowledge, the ability to relay that knowledge in a friendly, supportive manner and the commitment to work with young bowlers on a regular basis are key.

BPAA's Coach It Up! program offers a good start in training center staff and volunteers how to offer helpful coaching advice. People certified as USBC Level I coaches have been trained, tested and approved to instruct new bowlers on the basics of the game, including safety issues and developmental considerations to remember when coaching children. Further coaching training and certification also is available from USBC.

Where can you find potential coaches for your youth league? Take a good look around! Consider all center staff, not just front desk personnel. Do any of the lane mechanics or snack bar personnel have great interpersonal skills? Is the center management willing to extend paid hours for coaching and/or cover the cost of coaching certification? If not, would management be willing to recognize volunteer coaching hours with free practice time and other youth coach recognition, such as coaching shirts, snack bar credits, or pro shop gift certificates for volunteer coaching services over a defined time period? Is the center willing to cover the cost of USBC Registered Volunteer program background checks on adults who serve as youth league coaches?

You can identify potential volunteer youth coaches and ask them to get involved. Volunteer youth coaches may be found among the center's adult league bowlers. Perhaps you have a senior league where bowlers are on a fixed income; some of these bowlers may welcome the chance to help young people in exchange for the center paying their weekly senior league fees or providing free practice time.

Parents of your new youth league bowlers also may be potential coaches, even if they have not yet received specific training in the sport. Coaches assistant training offered by USBC could get these potential youth league coaches off to good start, and further training to be certified as USBC Level I coaches could be offered to parent coaches who stay with your program from season to season. Parent coach volunteers could be solicited after conducting your new league's Parent Orientation (see Step 7).

Another possible source of coaching for your youth league would be any USBC certified Bronze, Silver or Gold coaches in your vicinity. These adults are very well qualified to provide coaching assistance and make their living (or at least a portion of their living) by providing bowling lessons. They may be willing to provide a tip of the week or other small formal lesson for your league in exchange for the opportunity to advertise their private or group lesson services to your league members and their parents.

6. Publicize your program.

There are many ways to get attention and potential bowlers for your new youth league.

Paid ads in local newspapers can reach a broad audience, but free publicity also may be available if you submit news of your league opportunity to the paper's community calendar and sports sections.

Fliers can be displayed in the center and distributed through schools to reach students and their families. (Schools may be more willing to do this if your league opportunity is presented as a certified program of the USBC – a non-profit organization offering youth programs – rather than a commercial ad from a bowling center, so seek the cooperation of your local USBC association in your publicity efforts.)

Look to your business neighbors as potential partners in your publicity efforts. Day care centers may be willing to display or distribute fliers on Pee Wee Bowling opportunities. Locally-owned grocery stores may agree to place fliers in their customers' bagged groceries to help your promotion efforts, especially if you can offer some extra incentive or opportunity for the grocery manager or its customers.

A special sign-up event at the center or a nearby school or shopping mall could allow families of potential youth league bowlers to ask questions and get to know league organizers in person. Look for existing events that you could use to provide a platform for your sign-up event. Perhaps you could rent a table or booth space at a local community business fair or a grade school's carnival night to get your message seen and heard by large groups of potential customer families.

USBC offers free promotional brochures that can help your sign-up efforts. "Youth Bowling – The Cool Sport" is a colorful 16-page pocket-sized pamphlet that features the varied benefits and opportunities available to young bowlers. Determine the number of brochures you'll need and request your free shipment by contacting USBC's Bowling Information Center at (800) 514-BOWL, ext. 3161 or e-mail and ask for item MK0002.

The bowling center that will host your new league may be willing to run a youth membership drive in partnership with your league sign-up event. Membership drives typically offer extra benefits as a "thank you" to kids who join the league and pay a sign-up fee. USBC Youth membership dues, paid team entry into the local USBC association's youth tournament, a specific number of free practice games, and other items may be included in the membership drive sign-up fee.

USBC offers several low-cost items that could be used as sign-up premiums to kids who join your new league through a membership drive. The latest assortment, available Aug. 1, 2006, includes a terrycloth sweatband, towel, iPod holder, backpack with pockets and a single ball bowling bag. View the USBC Youth program's new membership drive items in the USBC Store on bowl.com and order online, via mail using the USBC Extra Catalog Order Form, or by phoning the Bowling Information Center at (800) 514-BOWL, ext. 3161.

7. Kick off your program with a Parent Orientation session.

You've made your plans, lined up some of your coaching help, publicized your new league offering and had a terrific response to your sign-up efforts. It's time to start the league with a Parent Orientation session.

Busy families appreciate receiving details of their child's recreational commitments and opportunities up front and in writing, but there's still nothing better than face-to-face interaction. Hold a Parent Orientation meeting on the first day your new youth league plays. Be sure you have included notice of this meeting in your promotional fliers, ads and sign-up materials.

Your Parent Orientation meeting offers a chance for families of your youth bowlers to get acquainted and learn more about your program's opportunities and expectations. Names and contact information for the league organizer and key bowling center personnel should be provided in writing, along with a full league play schedule, dates when the league will conduct its Pepsi USBC Youth Championships qualifying tournament, any special league celebrations or promotions, and dates of the local USBC association's annual youth tournament. Include a statement of the weekly league fee, instructions about how to submit the fee and what would happen if fees are not paid, per the youth league rules.

The USBC Youth program's Parent Orientation Program Handbook contains valuable information you can share with your league parents. Goals of a USBC Youth bowling program, the physical, social and psychological benefits of bowling, and a list of the usual progression of fundamental skills are included in the handbook. It also contains a parents' code of conduct and a sports parent checklist to help well-meaning grown-ups support their child's involvement in ways that are beneficial for the child, parent and the league.

Order low-cost copies of the Parent Orientation Program Handbook by requesting item MC0003 from the Bowling Information Center at (800) 514-BOWL, ext. 3161 or order online through the USBC Store.

Once league parents meet each other and understand their roles in supporting their child's involvement, some parents may wish to become even more involved with the program by serving as a league coach or forming a parents' booster club. Booster club parents typically help with fund-raising projects, raising money for specific goals such as paying the entry fees for each league member to participate in the local USBC association's annual youth tournament.

During the Parent Orientation meeting, encourage parents who may be considering a role as a volunteer coach by offering training assistance through USBC Coaching programs. Don't be shy – if you need volunteers, ask!

Hint: When parents volunteer as coaches, have them assist youth league members who are bowling several lanes away from the coaches' own children. Kids may pay more attention to someone new that they see as a league authority figure and may be less embarrassed by image concerns, while parent coaches may concentrate on delivering sound coaching advice without feeling the need to monitor and comment on their own children's behavior. A written lane assignment duty list for your league coaches will help everyone get the attention they need.

8. Keep your program fresh and fun.

Now that your league is up and running, be sure to submit your completed USBC League Application and forward all USBC Youth member dues to your local USBC association within 30 days of the start of your league. Use the USBC League Operations Handbook to help identify the requirements of running a certified youth league and use the various blank forms within the handbook as master copies of award applications when your bowlers roll games that meet accomplishment criteria.

Report qualifying scores and request your bowlers' USBC Youth awards promptly, so your young bowlers can receive their awards in a timely manner. When awards are ready to be distributed, present them to the bowler in front of the entire league membership. A good time to do this is just before a weekly bowling session begins. Use the bowling center's public address system so everyone can hear and cheer about your bowlers' accomplishments.

Special events can be conducted during regular weekly league sessions to help keep your youth program fun and exciting. Decorations, treats, costumes, themed music selections and fun competitions have been used by successful youth program organizers to develop special events centered around holidays or just to break the routine, especially during longer-season leagues that run from fall to spring.

For example, a league organizer could hold a "Hawaii Day" during the middle of winter and decorate the center with pictures of palm trees and bright suns. League organizers and coaches could wear tissue paper flower leis and grass skirts, and Hawaiian music could be played over the public address system. Inexpensive participant prizes, such as dollar-store sunglasses and more paper leis, could be distributed to league members as they arrive at their assigned lanes.

"Beat the Coach" day has proven to be a popular special event held during regular youth league sessions. Coaches can either bowl a game with league members or bowl ahead of time and announce their score that the kids would try to beat. League members with handicap scores that top the coach's score would earn bragging rights and "I Beat My Coach" emblems. Program organizers may purchase the emblems, which are available at a nominal charge, through the USBC Store or the Bowling Information Center at (800) 514-BOWL, ext. 3161. Award them in a grand presentation at the conclusion of the "Beat My Coach" competition.

Organizing special events is a perfect way for your Parent Booster Club to get more involved, but the league organizer has final say on any special event plans. Bowling center management also may need to be consulted regarding specific plans.

USBC's Youth Leader Training Series offers a free Web seminar titled "101 Ways to Promote Youth Bowling." This seminar and its free handout include many ways to present more fun and competitive opportunities within and outside the league setting. Find out more about USBC's free Web training and resources.

9. Publicize the accomplishments of your youth bowlers.

As youth bowlers develop their skills and have fun in your program, let the community know of their success and enjoyment.

Your area newspaper may have a sports roundup section where local sports scores and accomplishments are noted. The paper also may have a neighborhood news section that might run photos of some of your special league events. Read your local papers and note what sections or columnists may be receptive to bowling news and human interest stories.

When providing news information to local media, cover all the basic journalism questions: who, what, when, where, why and how. Include your contact information so reporters can reach you and ask any other questions they may have.

Let the United States Bowling Congress know of your youth bowlers' accomplishments, too! USBC Youth members receive copies of US Youth Bowler magazine, and league officials can submit player highlights and photos to the magazine's High Five section via e-mail or U.S. Mail to US Youth Bowler, Attn.: High Five, 5301 S. 76 th St., Greendale, WI 53129.

Open bowl customers and adult league bowlers are important audiences right in your host bowling center. Establish a youth program display within the center, include photos from your league events and update the display frequently with your young bowlers' accomplishments.

One successful youth program director developed a youth scholarship award display in her center, which included photos of youth league bowlers who earned scholarship awards participating in local tournaments and a running tally of their scholarship awards earned during the current bowling season. In addition to offering recognition for the league bowlers, the display provided other benefits. As a result, adult league bowlers in the center contributed to the league's fund-raising efforts to cover travel expenses to scholarship tournaments, and open play customer families were made aware that even young children can earn scholarship funds through bowling.

10. Maintain your current youth league customers and attract new youth bowlers.

You have researched the local youth bowling market, identified a market need, developed a plan to fulfill that need, and followed through by publicizing your program and providing quality coaching as part of a youth bowling program that includes great communication with parents, bowling center patrons and the general public. Since you've done such a great job, it may be easy to become complacent, sit back and lose your focus on meeting your youth bowler customers' needs.

Listen to and solicit comments from your youth bowlers and their parents. People may be reticent to complain about things that they fear might be thought of as inconsequential, but if they feel you are willing to listen they may offer some good suggestions for improving your service.

If someone feels their bowling skills aren't progressing fast enough, offer additional coaching help.

If any of your bowlers are absent from your regular league session, follow up by phoning them at home to see why they didn't show. Tell them they were missed and you are looking forward to their return.

If a bowler drops from your youth league, find out why. Address any issues that may have contributed to their decision to leave. Invite them back so you can show that any problems have been resolved.

Remember all of that attention you paid to communication and publicity that got your league off to a successful start? Keep it up!

If you offer consecutive short-season leagues, spend as much attention on planning and publicizing the later leagues as you did with your initial leagues. New bowlers could decide to join at any time, if they know about your program's opportunities.

Providing quality programming and service will help keep your league members coming back, season after season.