Contents...

• How it Works
• How Volunteers Can Help?
• Our 2024 AC Trials
  • Trial 1 - Kwik Croquet
  • Trial 2 - One Ball
  • Trial 3 - AC Recruitment
  • Trial 4 - Short Croquet

Croquet England is pleased to announce the launch of a new Action Group aimed at Revitalising Association Croquet.

Growth in Golf Croquet is not reflected in matching growth in AC, with many clubs increasingly introducing new players only to GC. Over the past 5 years, the number of AC players in the rankings has declined by 11%. This decline amongst top players is likely to be reflected in an even larger drop at grassroots level amongst beginners and high handicaps. Coaching courses held at our Academies are struggling to fill AC courses and some are ceasing to run them, whilst clubs are increasingly reporting a lack of AC coaches capable of introducing the game to new players.

The growth of GC means that croquet as a sport is vibrant and healthy, with many of our clubs reporting full membership and busy lawns. However, most clubs still have empty lawns a lot of the time. We have the capacity to grow AC alongside GC to provide an offering to our members that includes both variants. This richer and fuller experience can only be a benefit in the long term, attracting a broader range of people to our clubs and our sport.

Is your club open and used in the evenings? Do you have mornings or afternoons when the club is closed and largely empty? Do you sometimes hear new recruits express a wish for something closer to what they've played in the garden? Are your existing AC players beginning to feel isolated and unloved? Would your GC players like to 'give AC a go'? If so, then we hope this initiative will be of interest.

The aim is to encourage everyone who loves AC to spend just a bit more time next summer encouraging its growth. This could range from as little as offering one or two hours of hands-on coaching to active and on-going support with one of our 2025 trials (to be published soon).

The success will depend on volunteers to be active at club level to help us try different approaches, understand what works and share experiences.

The group is being run by Stephen Wright, supported by Debbie Lines.

If you wish to know more about this group, or wish to offer assistance, please contact Debbie Lines at debbie.lines#croquetengland.org.uk

How it Works

Over the winter months we will put together a database of:

• Volunteers who have time to spare next year
• A list of the help clubs would like

We need to build a pool of volunteers who can offer help, both during the winter and next summer. If you can find time to call other AC enthusiasts to encourage them to help, please get in touch, either by contacting Debbie Lines on the email above, or by completing our online sign-up form:

Volunteer Sign-up: Click here to go to the volunteer sign-up sheet

Meanwhile, whilst building up our volunteer database, we will separately be contacting the Federations and clubs to find out what help they need to encourage more AC play next year.

Club Help request: Click here to go to the Club sign-up sheet

We will try and source volunteers to meet the needs the clubs have identified.

How Volunteers Can Help?

From January to March, you can help by:

• Phoning other players to build a database of volunteer resource
• Contacting clubs to find out what help they would like

In early spring and throughout the summer, you can help to revitalise AC by:

• Admin support, such as leaflet design, recruitment campaigns, website support, etc.
• Training AC Coaches in how to "Make it Fun, Make it Quick and Make it Easy"
• Hands-on coaching or mentoring of AC Beginners
• Run or help us with one of the 2024 AC Trials - see below for more information
• Help the clubs as per their requests
• Anything else you can think of!

Our 2024 AC Trials

As well as the above-mentioned exercise of allocating volunteer resource where it's needed, we'll also be running four Trials. By the end of the year, we hope to have gathered data which we can use in future years, to focus our activity.

Trial 1 - Kwik Croquet

A new 'learners' game, incorporating some aspects of AC and GC, which we hope can be used as an introduction, with players moving on to Short Croquet after a few months.

• One hour time-limit
• Everyone can be on the lawn all the time
• Balls are played in sequence: blue, red, black, yellow, blue, etc.
• Six hoops, not 12
• Ideally smaller or half-size lawns
• Only three hits on the other balls per turn, so no sitting out, turns are quick

To find out more, download the Kwik Croquet How to Guide

Trial 2 - One Ball

Ideally aimed at those who already play GC, the aim is to find out whether teaching 'One Ball' is an effective method of introducing the shots and concept of AC to GC players.

• Two players
• One ball each
• Extra shot after scoring a hoop
• Roquets, Croquet and Continuation

Clubs can sign up, or even individuals. Just let us know if it works.

Trial 3 - AC Recruitment

New AC players often end up playing some GC as well, but this is less effective the other way around. So, we want to experiment with different ways of recruiting croquet players:

1. Recruit and teach only AC
2. Recruit and teach both GC and AC from the start
3. Encourage GC players to play AC as well

Pick one or more method above. We'll find volunteers to help you plan and execute, if needed.
At the end of the year, tell us how it went.

Trial 4 - Short Croquet

New players struggle to play AC on full-size lawns. Smaller lawns make all the shots easier.

We want to encourage clubs to try Short Croquet, which is played on smaller or half-size lawns.

We can help:

• Supply coaches who can explain the game
• With lawn set-up and how to manage having different-sized lawns in use at your club

Get in touch if you want to know how to play more Short Croquet in your club or Federation next season.