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Hey everyone,

Well today I wanted to talk about the topic of alumni. Now you can view alumni in two ways:

1. Creating Alumi
2. Keeping and getting the most out of Alumni

Creating an alumni base is probably the last thing on a head coaches to do list for the season. Most of the time the concept of creating an alumni base is never even given a any thought especially at the high school and minor league level. The are probably grouped in the “fan” category and not given a second glance. Well I am here to show you as a coach of any level football, alumni can be a very valuable commodity to have for a successful program.

Thinking of alumni, the first image that comes to most peoples mind is college and those annoying calls from the fund raising or alumni associations looking for money. Being an alumni should not be reduced to giving money to a school where you will probably never go back to or see again until maybe your kid(s) might go there. Being an alumni should be one of pride and connection with that school. Especially powerful is the use of sports in that equation.

By creating a strong alumni following, a program has several great oppotunities:

1. Create Loyal and Diverse Fan Base
2. Outlet to Farm Talent
3. Fund Raising Source

1. Create Loyal and Diverse Fan Base- Instead of having just fans like major league sports, alumni will have an underlying connection or bond with each other.  Cultivated properly, this bond could produce some very passionate sporting events which will lead to great “game spirit”. Most teams equate this the the feeling of playing at their home field or having home field advantage. This in turn will lead to many memorable sporting events which is what sports are all about; the experience.

2. Outlet to Farm Talent- Having a strong alumni base could lead to numerous recruits by either word of mouth or just the buzz that surrounds your program and the fans that support it. You would be surprised to see how much a school/ fans support a certain sport factors into a prize recruits decision to commit more so then academics or campus life. 

3. Fund Raising Source- Of course alumni are a great source for income to rejuvinate an ailing sports program. It has to be done right though, by keeping them involved and having the alumni feel like they are a part of something great. 

Some ways to cultivate or establish an alumni program for your team:

1. Develop a database to keep contact info- Always have a way to collect contact information for a graduates and especially participants of that sport. Make sure to have system setup to keep the records up to date also.
2. Develop a website or social forum where alumni can meet and network- This will give alumni the chance to catch up and give you the opportunity to present ideas and events. Also to keep them abreast of current happenings with the program.
3. Develop event nights- This can be done year round. Make sure to know your audience and definitely plan on in season events (ie. pre and post game parties, tailgating, and anything else that makes it fun to come out to the events). These could be used for either social or fund raising or both.

The last step is to make sure you have a way to always incorporate the old with the new. This could be involving past players into the program or even having a old vs. new team pickup game. Something to where the connection is always there so the alumni group is never segmented which stifles the whole concept of the alumni experience.

A strong alumni base is a great way to develop many great opportunities off the field. Whether it is fan support or money, everyones wants to feel like they are apart of something. Just give it a try you got nothing to lose.