Sports teams

The passion that sport arouses in customers offers an ideal opportunity to put your pub at the heart of the community - and build trade at the same time.

According to the Football Association, there are 2.25 million registered footballers in England, playing for a total of 42,000 football clubs.

Granted, 750,000 of them are youth players and another 55,000 play for women's sides, but in these enlightened days of family pubs and female-friendly bars, we won't let that rule them out of our calculations.

Add to that players affiliated to the Scottish and Welsh FAs, and you have a large chunk of the active population kicking a ball around a muddy pitch, mostly on Sunday mornings, and finishing just in time for the pub to open for a well-earned pint.

With all the rugby, cricket, golf, pool, snooker and darts that also takes place, you start to wonder where all this nonsense about us becoming a nation of couch potatoes got started.

Pubs and sport are inextricably linked, from the crowd that gathers in the bar to watch a crucial international fixture, to the raw passions that can be aroused over a darts match between teams from two village locals.

It all adds up to an opportunity to put your pub at the heart of the community you serve, building trade at the same time.

Forming teams​

When you take over a pub, there may already be teams using it as their base. This could be a formal arrangement, with members holding committee meetings and strategy sessions in a quiet part of the bar or even a separate meeting/function room.

If you're lucky, the sports team will be an integral part of the pub's life, but it's also easy for well-established teams to become a bit too independent. If they're not buying drinks or actively encouraging their supporters to come back after the match, you're losing out on potential trade.

Even if you're not walking into a situation where the previous landlord didn't get on with the fixture secretary, it's natural for regulars to be a bit suspicious about the arrival of a new face behind the bar at "their" pub. It pays to be diplomatic - take an interest and ask if there's anything you can do to help the team.

Just as often, the link may be less formal - a team which simply tends to come into your pub after the game or training. In this case you may be able to offer support in a variety of ways, from sponsorship, with the pub's name on the strip, to free sandwiches for the team - and the opposition - after the match.

There may also be local teams looking for a base. Over the past few years, many social and sports clubs have had to close, or sell off playing fields, Ask around, and find out if there are any homeless teams your pub could "adopt".

Gauge the enthusiasm. Whatever the sport, find out how many of your regulars are interested in forming a team. Don't be disheartened if you don't find enough players at the first time of asking. Those who are interested probably have friends they can ask.

Local leagues​

Find out what sports leagues operate at local level. Most will be affiliated to a county association, so this should be your first port of call. If your first choice of league is not looking for new teams, keep searching - there may be another crying out for new blood. See if there's a pub league operating on the area - if not, simply issue a challenge to another pub.

Local press​

The sports desk at your local paper should be able to tell you which leagues operate. This is also a useful contact to make to place stories about the pub. Be creative when thinking about press releases - a cup victory is great, but losing 10-nil is also a good story.

Swallow your pride and get the pub's name in front of potential customers.

Sponsorship​

Local businesses are often willing to sponsor teams. This may not always take the form of cash, but might be prizes for fundraising or use of a staff social club pitch for games.

In-pub sports​

Sports such as snooker, pool or darts played in the pub give an opportunity to bring in more trade. Encourage regulars to come along and support the team, and make sure the visitors are impressed with your hospitality. A few free snacks and a lively atmosphere will get them talking about your pub. Promote forthcoming fixtures on the pub notice board to encourage the whole pub to get involved.

Promoting sports teams​

The secret to making sports team work for your pub is to play to your strengths. As a publican, your skills are in making people feel welcome and in marketing your pub to potential customers. It would be a poor use of your time to spend hours on the phone trying to book a pitch for a football match or arranging an away darts fixture.

Delegate - members of the team should be persuaded to take on the various responsibilities, from ensuring that enough players are available to liasing with the league bureaucracy. Offer the necessary support in terms of facilities, promotions, press releases, free time on the phone to organise games, and hospitality during or after fixtures.

Youth teams​

Your regulars may have children who would be interested in taking part in pub sports. A successful children's side can help to bring the pub together. You can generate far more interest in raising funds for a minibus for a team of angelic looking 11-year-olds than sweaty twenty-somethings.

Getting the local youths on your side can have other advantages. Last year, Phill Whiteside, who runs the Brookfield Arms in Preston, Lancashire, turned his pub car park into a five-a-side football pitch to protect it from teenage vandalism after taking over the pub.

"It was a nightmare," Mr Whiteside said. "The trouble started before I moved in. Kids were throwing stones, hanging around and hurling abuse at the customers.

"I got so fed up I went up to the group and asked them what they wanted. They said they had nothing to do so I came up with the idea of turning the car park into a football pitch."

But he made sure that the youngsters helped with the hard work. The youths were made to help clear out the car park, dig out the weeds and mark up the pitch.

"The vandalism has stopped now and it's all worked out quite well," he said. "During the school holidays between 20 and 30 children were using the pitch all day, everyday."

National pub sports​

Your pub could be eligible to take part in a number of national competitions.

Pubmaster runs the annual Pubmaster's Pub Challenge. Last year over 3,000 customers competed in the Pub Challenge events, playing over 10,000 games of darts, dominoes & shove ha'penny.

"The Pub Challenge is designed to promote a sense of community across the Pubmaster estate, and strengthen relations between Landlords and their customers," said John Sands, chief executive.

"What we have tried to do is focus on the most important aspects of a pub - it's ambience, community spirit and fun. The competition is a great way for people within a community to meet and socialise while participating in a series of well known and loved pub games with the ultimate prize of a trip away together."

If your pub isn't owned by Pubmaster, check the bar. If you sell Carlsberg, you're eligible for the Carlsberg Pub Cup. An FA-endorsed national competition for pubs and social clubs who stock Carlsberg, the competition offers Sunday morning players the chance to fulfil every footballer's dream by playing in the leading football stadiums. Past years' finals have been held at Wembley and Anfield, and the tournament is the biggest grassroots 11-a-side tournament in the world.

Loo