1. BRADFORD, WEST YORKS
    Joined
    06 Oct '07
    Moves
    110680
    13 Oct '07 05:29
    I run the Reneaissance Academy up North in Bradford England, Average age is one of the motivations behind setting up an access point so league clubs can request players when they are short. This year alone we have set up 3 teams for 3 different clubs (filled with juniors and their parents) and already started to get older juniors to play for other teams around the district. The average age of Bradford and District Chess Ass went up 12 months every year, it just dropped when we set up the Academy. How do you recruit new players?

    Renegade (Charles)
  2. Joined
    31 Jan '07
    Moves
    93899
    13 Oct '07 08:14
    The increase in the average age is not confined to chess clubs. Young people tend to make less formal groupings unless they've been club-trained in school. My own family's experience - ski club, chess clubs, amateur radio club, golf club, PC user club, woodworking club - shows average age +40 except for the ski club, which has no trouble adding the children of existing members to its list. But new members still keep appearing, they just start after age 40 mostly.
  3. BRADFORD, WEST YORKS
    Joined
    06 Oct '07
    Moves
    110680
    16 Oct '07 23:50
    make recruiting your goal, and evert clubs members goal and things happen.
  4. London
    Joined
    04 Nov '05
    Moves
    12606
    17 Oct '07 09:23
    Ealing Chess Club now has it's highest ever membership (around 50) and that's saying something as the club began in 1885 so is one of the oldest in the country. A number of the new intake got into chess via the internet and fancy playing OTB...so in a round about way internet chess is helping the club grow. But at 45 I'm still one of the youngsters although the demographic is changing as more young(er) players come in. Sadly there isn't a junior section at the moment.
  5. BRADFORD, WEST YORKS
    Joined
    06 Oct '07
    Moves
    110680
    17 Oct '07 23:26
    Originally posted by Mahout
    Ealing Chess Club now has it's highest ever membership (around 50) and that's saying something as the club began in 1885 so is one of the oldest in the country. A number of the new intake got into chess via the internet and fancy playing OTB...so in a round about way internet chess is helping the club grow. But at 45 I'm still one of the youngsters although ...[text shortened]... hanging as more young(er) players come in. Sadly there isn't a junior section at the moment.
    Bradford Chess Club started in 1853 and has a similar problem to this day, there ar some very good ways of getting new players, but do you want to know how?
  6. Account suspended
    Joined
    07 Feb '07
    Moves
    62961
    17 Oct '07 23:57
    If you're looking for a younger group, check out a college/university, they usually will have an active chess club of people in their 20's.
  7. 127.0.0.1
    Joined
    27 Oct '05
    Moves
    158564
    18 Oct '07 13:01
    Universities are where it's at. My club has

    Age : Quantity

    10-19 : 2 people who show only during the summer. All others seem to come once, lose lots of games and not return. We need to work on teaching and having fun and less of our usually shenanigans.

    20-29 : Two of us and two more guys who occasionally make the trip from the University of Iowa (35 minutes away). One school teacher who shows up about 5x a year.

    30-39 : 3 regulars and 5 guys who come once in awhile.

    40 - 49 : 1 regular and 4 guys who show up rarely.

    50 : 1 regular and two guys who come when their not in Florida.
  8. Joined
    14 Jul '06
    Moves
    20541
    18 Oct '07 17:13
    Out of the 15 or so that I've seen, I'd say:
    20-35 = 6
    35-50 = 4
    50-70 = 5
    I'd guess the youngest guy is about 22.

    I'm off there in 1 hour. Bye! 🙂
  9. Standard memberHurricaneConway125
    SUPREMO OF SOMERSET
    SOMERSET
    Joined
    26 Oct '07
    Moves
    47416
    31 Oct '07 21:11
    I'm 15 and stumbled upon my local chess club simply because it was welll advertised; that's the key if you want new players. You can't keep them as some kind of secret society that one is only worthy to enter once they achieve enough chessic acclaim
  10. 19th hole
    Joined
    07 Mar '07
    Moves
    32955
    31 Oct '07 22:16
    The "club" I play in is my high school league, and the average age is about 16 🙂
  11. Standard memberKepler
    Demon Duck
    of Doom!
    Joined
    20 Aug '06
    Moves
    20099
    01 Nov '07 19:27
    Originally posted by UserChevy
    The "club" I play in is my high school league, and the average age is about 16 🙂
    Many years ago when I joined a chess club I was the youngest member at 12 years old. Several years later when i left I was still the youngest at 23!
  12. Standard memberfennyin
    Crack Suicide Squad
    Ellicott City, MD
    Joined
    25 Jan '05
    Moves
    57068
    01 Nov '07 20:07
    I play at my university, so it's mostly (or all) students. As a 24 year old freshman I feel rather old...
  13. Account suspended
    Joined
    28 Sep '07
    Moves
    699
    02 Nov '07 13:56
    I think most chess clubs have been around over 100 years.
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