Community Blogs: Marketing Fencing Clubs

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  beloit fencer, July 21, 2010 @ 7:53 pm

  I remember a groomsman at one of my friends’ bachelor parties was someone I had never met before. Although he was only in his 20’s he owned an outdoor fun center with a miniature golf course. Shortly after telling me this, he handed me a card good for a “free round of miniature golf” with my family.

  Huh…if even so popular a passtime as miniature golf can stand “get to know me” marketing, why not fencing?

  So I thought why not have a once-a-quarter “get to know fencing” event. Invite interested people to come to the club, view some interesting, inspirational fencing footage (capt slo-mo…have anything we can use?), suit ’em up and have a little fun? Some of them will get hooked, and perhaps keep the club full and growing.

  The invitation cards could go to members of the club, who would pass them out to people who show some interest, as a way of learning more about the sport without feeling “committed.”
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  beloit fencer, July 21, 2010 @ 3:53 pm

  I remember a groomsman at one of my friends’ bachelor parties was someone I had never met before. Although he was only in his 20’s he owned an outdoor fun center with a miniature golf course. Shortly after telling me this, he handed me a card good for a “free round of miniature golf” with my family.

  Huh…if even so popular a passtime as miniature golf can stand “get to know me” marketing, why not fencing?

  So I thought why not have a once-a-quarter “get to know fencing” event. Invite interested people to come to the club, view some interesting, inspirational fencing footage (capt slo-mo…have anything we can use?), suit ’em up and have a little fun? Some of them will get hooked, and perhaps keep the club full and growing.

  The invitation cards could go to members of the club, who would pass them out to people who show some interest, as a way of learning more about the sport without feeling “committed.”
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  Arthur, July 23, 2010 @ 8:25 pm

  Need a location to fence in the Detroit area? We have it. Right on 8 Mile. No better marketing than that! LED signage to boot! Shower and locker facilities.
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  Arthur, July 23, 2010 @ 4:25 pm

  Need a location to fence in the Detroit area? We have it. Right on 8 Mile. No better marketing than that! LED signage to boot! Shower and locker facilities.
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  George, July 24, 2010 @ 10:21 am

  I think anything that would draw attention to the club would be positive. I am 50 years old and fenced in high school and was looking to get back into the sport. Until I searched several times on the internet for any clubs in my area I didn’t realize there was one about a mile down the road from where I work. If there was any kind of advertising, flyers, info on a community bulletin board, anything at all it would have been so much easier. I wonder if they advertise in the local schools or if it’s more word of mouth. If you’re having regular get togethers it can only assist in helping to spread the word. I think if more knew about what was available they would be interested or intrigued to try something different to keep in shape or improve their fitness.
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  George, July 24, 2010 @ 6:21 am

  I think anything that would draw attention to the club would be positive. I am 50 years old and fenced in high school and was looking to get back into the sport. Until I searched several times on the internet for any clubs in my area I didn’t realize there was one about a mile down the road from where I work. If there was any kind of advertising, flyers, info on a community bulletin board, anything at all it would have been so much easier. I wonder if they advertise in the local schools or if it’s more word of mouth. If you’re having regular get togethers it can only assist in helping to spread the word. I think if more knew about what was available they would be interested or intrigued to try something different to keep in shape or improve their fitness.
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  vincent, July 24, 2010 @ 12:53 pm

  Personally, I’m not looking for another bunch of hobby-sport people, who don’t really try to get better; the kind of people who do fencing as an ego booster rather than a sporting discipline like running or swimming. Karate, chinese martial arts and the like are booming because they welcome such people. I’ve seen someone who’s a scrawny cry-baby without any fighting skills get a red belt. Do we really want to commercialize fencing?
  Mostly, the people who do it as an ego sport want to have the least input and the maximum improvement, hence they demand more attention and more help from the coach, taking valuable time and resources away from true fencers.
  Please note that I am not berating fencers who don’t compete, what I’m saying is that we do not want more people who don’t love the sport, but take from it. In the long run, the quality of the sport declines, which is something that is undesirable, to say the least.
  I think that the best way to market fencing would be to catch students when they are young, think 5th or 6th grade, when parents still have a say in what they ought to do. The best way to catch young students is to market it to the parents as a sport which can develop their minds as well as their bodies. Sucess stories and using the term “Physical chess” would be wise moves.
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  vincent, July 24, 2010 @ 8:53 am

  Personally, I’m not looking for another bunch of hobby-sport people, who don’t really try to get better; the kind of people who do fencing as an ego booster rather than a sporting discipline like running or swimming. Karate, chinese martial arts and the like are booming because they welcome such people. I’ve seen someone who’s a scrawny cry-baby without any fighting skills get a red belt. Do we really want to commercialize fencing?
  Mostly, the people who do it as an ego sport want to have the least input and the maximum improvement, hence they demand more attention and more help from the coach, taking valuable time and resources away from true fencers.
  Please note that I am not berating fencers who don’t compete, what I’m saying is that we do not want more people who don’t love the sport, but take from it. In the long run, the quality of the sport declines, which is something that is undesirable, to say the least.
  I think that the best way to market fencing would be to catch students when they are young, think 5th or 6th grade, when parents still have a say in what they ought to do. The best way to catch young students is to market it to the parents as a sport which can develop their minds as well as their bodies. Sucess stories and using the term “Physical chess” would be wise moves.
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  Brian Mehlman, July 24, 2010 @ 6:04 pm

  While trying to market the fencing club at my school (and subsequently our local parent fencing club) I have found that there are quite a lot of news agencies that want to cover fencing. Most of them just didn’t even know there was a fencing club in the area. We just made up a press release (easy to do- just look for instructions online) and in the last six months we’ve been covered by half a dozen news sources including television segments, newspapers, and a local fitness show.

  My train of thought was if news is slow enough to do an article about the local grocery store raising the price of milk by five cents, then they certainly wouldn’t pass up something as interesting and unique as fencing.
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  Brian Mehlman, July 24, 2010 @ 2:04 pm

  While trying to market the fencing club at my school (and subsequently our local parent fencing club) I have found that there are quite a lot of news agencies that want to cover fencing. Most of them just didn’t even know there was a fencing club in the area. We just made up a press release (easy to do- just look for instructions online) and in the last six months we’ve been covered by half a dozen news sources including television segments, newspapers, and a local fitness show.

  My train of thought was if news is slow enough to do an article about the local grocery store raising the price of milk by five cents, then they certainly wouldn’t pass up something as interesting and unique as fencing.
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  Mark L. Masters, August 24, 2010 @ 5:07 pm

  Karate studios generally require less space than fencing clubs for the same number of pariticpants so it is cheaper for them and easier to find square space than long and narrow space in most locations. Martial arts has a much higher profile in movies also than fencing and a more ‘real’ application so the market awarness is higher. Of course in fencing you really get to hit people and be hit which most martial arts classes never really get to and no brain damage like boxing. We need to make people aware of this aspect.

  Of course we need a lot less space than tennis which has worked hard having a high profile by having a promotional investment from sporting goods compaines who want to sell stuff.

  FAP does on adverage a demo a month and has six satilite programs and four programs in nontraditional schools and sends out about a dozen program proposals a year and we are constantly searching for presnetation chances.

  Every school student should be a chance to do at least a show and tell in school. Lots of kids to class presentations on fencing.
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  Mark L. Masters, August 24, 2010 @ 1:07 pm

  Karate studios generally require less space than fencing clubs for the same number of pariticpants so it is cheaper for them and easier to find square space than long and narrow space in most locations. Martial arts has a much higher profile in movies also than fencing and a more ‘real’ application so the market awarness is higher. Of course in fencing you really get to hit people and be hit which most martial arts classes never really get to and no brain damage like boxing. We need to make people aware of this aspect.

  Of course we need a lot less space than tennis which has worked hard having a high profile by having a promotional investment from sporting goods compaines who want to sell stuff.

  FAP does on adverage a demo a month and has six satilite programs and four programs in nontraditional schools and sends out about a dozen program proposals a year and we are constantly searching for presnetation chances.

  Every school student should be a chance to do at least a show and tell in school. Lots of kids to class presentations on fencing.

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