I'd like to start a Smash Ultimate Club at my high school. Are these good ideas?

[Courageous Baka]

I begin my junior year of high school tomorrow and lately I've been thinking about starting a club dedicated towards Smash Ultimate at my school. It would be open to both casual and competitive players. We would hold monthly tournaments in which all the fees ($5 venue, $5 entry) would go to charity. Whoever wins the tournament will give a gift card from Walmart or something. If school/state laws allow it, we would hold a giant tournament at the end of the year with an actual pot bonus. Members and nonmembers would get together every Friday or Saturday and play Ultimate on the different set-ups that we manage to acquire. I'll try my hardest to get food and water provided for everyone. I would love it if one of the teachers at my school allowed us to use his or her SmartBoard so that we may watch any tournaments going on at the time on Twitch. If we're not allowed to do that, we'll bring in our own setup. Like, I'll bring in my laptop and hook it up to a monitor. I would like to maybe dedicate a little space to those wanting to learn competitive Smash and see if I could help them improve in any way they can. Though, I'm a little doubtful of my ability to teach. Especially since there's still a lot of things about this game that even I feel like I don't know yet. Does anyone have any suggestions to make the club as big, fun, and interesting as possible? I'm open to any ideas since I want this to be amazing for everyone.

 

[Xelrog]

Don't aim big. Aim small. From the sound of it I think you're being way too ambitious. You're just going to smother yourself trying to manage all that.

Just get people together to play the game. Designate some trusted club members who are responsible for bringing setups. You don't need to charge a venue fee if the club is on-campus--venue fees cover the charges of game shops and other public businesses that need to be paid to rent the space. And no one will pay for a tournament entry if there's not a pot. Unfortunately the charity thing just isn't realistic. The less you charge, the more likely you are to get people to actually show up. People won't even expect to be fed or watered--that's on them. Again, think small.

People will show up to play the game, not to watch Twitch. They can do that at home. If there's someone who does want to come just to watch the game, they're going to want to watch the players who are physically there so that they can talk and interact with them, so you don't need any special setup for watching Twitch streams or even any dedicated "coach" person in the club.

In short:
- Start small, don't worry about fluff
- Don't charge any more than you absolutely have to
- You need a proper prize pot for every tournament, or else don't charge for entry

 

[Mogisthelioma]

Wait, you begin TOMORROW?

....some people I know began last Tuesday.

Anyway, first you should start by finding a teacher who's willing to chaperone the club (this is crucial--my brother and I learned this the hard way when trying to start our school's Magic: The Gathering club). Then, get together a group of people who are willing to participate. Spread awareness both orally and in announcements or posters. Try having stations set up for just casual play, and if and when you do tournaments don't charge money unless there's a pot. Charity sounds nice and can help in a fundraiser but I don't know many people who would fork over $5 a week just to play Smash when they can do that at home.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

 

[Courageous Baka]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll ask my principal about the pot bonus. If he says no to it, all tournaments will be free.

 

[Xelrog]

Several years ago I hosted a Melee league every week at a place called Job Corps. We had weekly play sessions and monthly tournaments. Tournament entry was free, and the event was sponsored by the rec center insofar as we had some small gift cards to give out as tournament prizes.

A small prize is fine as long as you're not charging for tournament entry.

 

[Courageous Baka]

Ok, so I don't think I can start this club this year. Too much schoolwork and service hours I gotta complete. I might have to take weekend classes at a nearby college and I'll just be far too busy according to my mother. Oh well, maybe when I get older I can make one. Thanks for the ideas. I'll always keep them in mind.