The summer holidays present a fantastic opportunity to increase junior participation in angling. The weather is better (usually!), the days are long and young people are often searching for a new hobby to fill their days with.
Junior Angling Schemes are the perfect way for fishing clubs to nurture the next generation of angling, but it’s hard to get young people down to the bank without a plan.
Here’s our advice on setting up a successful junior angling mentorship that not only gives young people a summer to remember but makes sure they come back season after season.
Define the Structure of Your Junior Angling Scheme
Before getting into the logistics of setting up your junior angling scheme, you need to think about what you want to get out of it. The obvious answer is to get more young people fishing, but you should also think about things like:
- Teaching fundamental angling skills and techniques
- Sharing the importance of conservation and sustainable angling
- Providing a safe and enjoyable place for young anglers to fish
Next, you should decide how to structure the programme. Will it be a weekly meet-up, weekend workshops or a mix of both? Defining a clear schedule will make it easier to organise resources and set expectations for both coaches and kids.
Recruit Enthusiastic Coaches
Look for experienced, passionate anglers within your club who’d be prepared to give up some of their time and share their knowledge with junior members. Make sure to go through the necessary background checks on your mentors and offer some support on effective teaching to ensure a safe and positive experience. The Angling Trust offer some fantastic resources to help you out here, including the ability to train as a qualified angling coach. You should also make sure that mentors foster a supportive and patient learning environment – after all, the success of your junior angling scheme hinges on the coaches!
Start Enrolling Junior Anglers
Now it’s time to enrol junior anglers into the coaching programme. Promote it through your club’s usual communication channels, such as Facebook and the club website. Highlight the benefits of participating; learning new skills, making friends and getting outdoors. The sign-up process should be straightforward, and perhaps consider offering the programme free of charge or at a discounted price to encourage participation.
Examples of Fishing Clubs Running Junior Angling Schemes
- Bristol Reservoirs Fly Fishers Association Youth Pathway
- Caerphilly Angling Club Junior Carp Competition
- Angling Trust Get Fishing Scheme
Manage the Programme Using Fishing Club Management Software
Use fishing club management software like Clubmate to streamline the internal processes involved in your coaching scheme. For example, you can get young people to sign up online and manage angler data more efficiently; create and share an event calendar to ensure all anglers are informed of upcoming sessions; and use it to send out regular updates, reminders and exclusive content such as how-to guides and videos for both coaches and juniors.
Celebrate Achievements
At the end of the programme, organise an event to celebrate the efforts and achievements of the junior anglers who participated. Award certificates, trophies or small prizes to acknowledge their commitment and progress. It’s a great way to show junior anglers how rewarding the sport can be and foster a stronger sense of community at your club.
Collect Feedback
When the programme has ended, get feedback from coaches, kids and their parents. Use it to reflect on what went well, identify areas to improve next time, and use it as a guide for future programmes and how to secure ongoing participation. If you make coaching programmes a regular feature at your club, you’ll continuously increase junior participation in angling and secure the anglers and committee members of the future.
Setting up a coaching program for junior anglers is a rewarding initiative that can have a lasting impact on both young anglers and the wider sport. By fostering a love for fishing and teaching essential skills, your club can contribute to the growth and sustainability of the angling community. With careful planning, enthusiastic coaches, and the support of your fishing club management software, your club can help preserve angling for future generations.
Clubmate is the go-to fishing club management software trusted by nearly 100,000 anglers and 1500+ fishery owners, committee members and bailiffs. We’ll help you remove unnecessary paperwork, increase revenue and take back your spare time with our simple-to-use, cloud-based system designed specifically for fishing clubs and fisheries. Book a 1-2-1 demo with one of our fishing club experts or see what people have to say about working with us.
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