Think about what you need for a game. The first things that come to mind are the players, coaches, referees, a field and equipment to play a football game. But having a great football game that functions seamlessly will require much more than this. You need more than a field, you need those crisp painted lines, the Friday night lights, the booming announcer and the smell of burgers wafting over from the grill. Which reminds you- who’s got the Gatorade for the kids?
One of your most important assets will be behind-the-scenes, but since you aren’t running an NFL team, you don’t have the budget to hire everyone you need. This means that you will need volunteers from your local community. Here is how you can get people to help out:
Use the connections you already have
Before you start reaching out to the whole community for volunteers, consider the people who you are already connected to. Recruiting teachers in faculty meetings is a great place to start, but you shouldn’t stop here. Students love getting involved and doing something with friends-especially if it means they can get closer to the action, or maybe even put it on their college resume. Ask for student volunteers who want to be a part of the action.
One of the largest resources at your disposal is your players’ parents and friends who are already galvanized with excitement for the season’s football games, and probably show up anyway. Because of this, some of the best volunteers to recruit for football games are the friends and family of your players. Approach them or ask your players to find out who would be interested.
Connect with local businesses
Local business owners are often willing to let you hang a flyer in their storefront to advertise your need for volunteers. Most will realize the benefit to supporting and being associated with the hometown heroes. Don’t be hesitant to call around and ask — the worst that they can say is no. If you have the time, stop by to make an in person inquiry, as this tends to be more effective.
Use the power of social media
Social media instantly connects you to billions of people. While your local community isn’t quite this big, the majority of its residents use social media (around 2/3 of American adults, and nearly 1/2 of all seniors use social media). You can leverage this power by advertising your need for football game volunteers on the most popular social networks in your area. To this end, you should create a fan page for your team, connect with as many people in the local area as possible, and make your requests for volunteers.
With the right approach, you can have more volunteers than you need
People don’t mind volunteering when they are participating in an event that they value. Everyone in town values the local football team; give them an opportunity to participate.