Do you love kubb, but there isn’t anyone near you who also plays kubb? Are you in a kubb desert like Kentucky? It might be time to start a club. First, check to see if there is already a club near you. Starting a club from scratch can be a daunting task and take years to really get moving, but with drive and significant free time, you can grow a kubb community in your area! You’re already on your way to being the next Eau Claire, Wisconsin! But remember, the real key to growing a club is to Always Be Kubbing (ABK).
The first thing you need to do is recruit members to start the club with you. The best and easiest way is to introduce the game to every friend, family member, and co-worker you know. You’ll need to be slightly overzealous about it, maybe not as overzealous as described in this article. Often enough that people will remember that thing you’ve been talking about, but aren’t sick of hearing about it. Then you’ll need to bring your kubb set everywhere you go— when you meet up with friends, go to family gatherings, and when you go on break at work. Try to have some get-togethers to play kubb at your house or that of a friend or family member. The people you get playing kubb from this group will probably form the core of your new club. A good target would be six to 10 people.
The next thing you need to do is create an internet presence for your group. Come up with a club name with your other members. Try to pick something fun and relevant to your area. If you can, pick something besides the name of the city you are in or near. This can add a bit of identity to your group, e.g. Burning River Kubb Club (Northeast Ohio), Keystone Kubb Club (Southeast Pennsylvania), and Motor City Kubb (Metro Detroit). Be aware that this could also make your club harder to find for others seeking a club in your area. Start a Facebook page (not a group), a Twitter profile, and an Instagram account for your club. These will help people find and connect with you. By the way, did you know that you can search for people playing kubb on Facebook? Just type “kubb” into the search bar and then filter by your state, area, or city.
Now comes perhaps the hardest part—you have to get strangers to join. Some good ways to get new people are to hold meetups, play in public parks with a lot of foot traffic, and try to contact local city or church festivals. Another possibility is to contact other local clubs like Rotary (or if you’re lucky, a Scandinavian club) and ask if you can have some time with them to show them the game. Any sort of large event or high traffic area you can find to play kubb is a huge help (breweries tend to love kubb for example). Try to get at least three people together at a time to play kubb; the more people you have with you, the more likely someone will approach you and ask what you’re doing. It is very helpful to bring a sign that invites people to play with you, and very, very helpful to have some sort of business card or other handout that has the contact information for your club. Also, ABK!
Once you think you have enough interested players for a tournament (about 16 players) it might be time to try to hold one. Check the schedule on Kubb United to make sure there aren’t any date conflicts, especially with nearby clubs. If it’s an option, you may want to try to partner with another group.
It is possible that you could make your tournament part of a larger event. The Burning River Kubb partnered their Ohio Championship with a large craft fair called Oddmall which had thousands of attendees. Connect with the many members of the larger kubb community on Facebook, Twitter, and the Kubb United Discord Channel. They’ll have more advice on holding tournaments and starting clubs. At this point you just need to keep going, and introducing new players to the game. If you start to feel like your growth has stalled, go back and hold more meetups, go to more parks, and talk to more local groups. If you keep pushing, you’ll eventually get to the point that the club starts to run itself without you needing to push it all the time. And remember ABK.
