Alumni Football Blog

In my last blog article, I talked about the power of Social Media to help build your alumni football team. Well, after speaking with one of the players of South LaFourche High in Galliano, LA, I watched another example of how powerful word of mouth can be.

South LaFourche was going to be left at home for the big dance. With about 45 days left, they only had 7 players. I called one of the players and gave him a quick little pep talk. I said, “You can do this! If you want a game against the big rival, Central LaFourche, you better get to work.” After 24 hours, South LaFourche went to 15 players. 48 hours later, it was 30 players. And now, after only 72 hours, South LaFourche has over 40 players and are slated to go head to head with Central LaFourche. Only 72 hours later, a 600% increase in player sign ups.

So, it happens fellas. It happens all the time. Not only did South start building, we saw an increase in the Central players when they saw South getting going. Now, they both have over 40 players registered and they are pumped to play football one more time.

If you’re reading this article, pick up the phone and call two people. Have those two people call two people and we’ll come to your town soon. You can be a part of “America’s Greatest Hits!”

SIDE NOTE: We had two players sign up from over 1 hour away from Bourg, LA because they heard it was happening from a buddy in that town. Now, those areas are starting to develop. It’s like wild fire. You can’t contain it!

When Tracy and I first sat down to discuss putting together a company that puts alumni football games, I had one requirement. Nice jerseys! When we played in our first game, we bought our own jerseys. Not every team can do that. The next year we were the home team, so we didn’t want to shell out for jerseys again. Most guys wore the jerseys provided. I busted out my old jersey from 1990 and wore that. I can’t remember if it was always a shorty or if was just me.

I noticed the other guys jerseys. The ones provided by the company that put our event on. Let’s just say that Dick Butkus called and he wanted his high school jersey back. I won’t lie. I actually felt a little embarassed. I remembered that moment. The game was awesome. The gear was not. So, whenever we can, Gridiron Alumni football shells out the cash for top notch equipment. We can’t always buy everything brand new. Sometimes gear is given to us. But we are picky about it. Some of it goes on the trailer. Most of it goes in the trash. We have 90 brand new helmets, 140 brand new shoulder pads, 100 brand new black pants, and 3 sets of jerseys. 100 green, 100 white, and 100 black. And here is a picture of the green and black ones. I think they are sweet. I hope you do, too.

One way to help you gather people for your team is a to create a Facebook page for your Alumni Football. Often, if you can gather 6 players or more, then we will create one for you. If you go to our Facebook page, you will see some of our work.

Just make sure to use them. It’s an amazing way to get the word out. People want to play football and fans want to watch. Make sure that they know what’s happening in your area. If you don’t, you might miss out on the time of your life.

2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and so on.

People often try to figure out the secret to success when it comes to building a team. Well, no man is an island. If you try to do it on your own, I can tell you that it will not happen. With Alumni Football, it takes a village for sure. Don’t try and call 100 people and burn yourself out. Sit down and think about 2 guys you think would want to play. Then call those two guys and let them know what’s going on. It’s not too hard to find guys who want to play football. When you call those guys, have them do the same. Instead of building a team one at a time, you can 64 guys in a matter of hours. It’s happened before. You just need to utilize your social network, either through Facebook, the gym, or the local softball team. If you have any questions on this or anything else, feel free to contact us. We’re here to help.

Well, after making a few phone calls to some local sports editors in Louisiana, we’re off and rolling. Thanks to all of you who are supporting Gridiron Alumni. We couldn’t do it without you.

There are a lot of things to do to prepare for a game. We’ve gotten a lot of questions in the last 3 or 4 days. I’ve put up a FAQ’s section. Take a look when you get a chance. If you see a question that we don’t have on there, please let us know. We’ll answer it and get it on there.

Let’s talk about the 3 “L’s” of Alumni Football success from Tracy Cavender:

1) Location: Well, this sounds all too familiar, but it means something different when it comes to Alumni Football. We look for communities that support football, no matter how big or small. We did a game in California with a population of 2,480. We had at least 1200 people at that game. Those people love football. Those are the locations we look for. That’s why we are concentrating so hard on the South this year. Those people flat out love football. It’s like a religion.

We also look for fields that are artificial turf. Since we play football all year round, we need fields that are already lined and ready to go. Sometimes, the schools will set up the field for us. Sometimes they won’t. Either way, with a artificial turf field, we’ve got lines.

2) Leaders: These games just don’t happen without your help. We need good team leaders to help organize their team’s practices. Countless hours are poured into texting, emailing, and making phone calls. The truly successful teams have a system down where they call, text, and email themselves. Without it, these games just don’t happen.

3) Luck: Hey! We’ll admit it; you need a little luck, too. Some would call it blessing, but it doesn’t start with an “L”. Sometimes, you can have it all right and then, poof, the school pulls the field. You have to scramble and get another one. Or what if it’s a torrential downpour? Well, we play in those, but we prefer that it’s about 60 degrees and sunny. We have been very blessed in this business. We believe that if you bless others, the blessing will make it back. Some people call it Karma. We’ll take it, whatever you call it.

See you at the game.

Chris

One of the challenges of putting on Alumni football games across the country is acquiring the right amounts and kinds of gear to suit the needs of a team that changes weight, height and girth every 3 hours. Whereas a normal team has to get gear one time, and then add a few pieces every few years as uniquely shaped and sized students join the team. Oh, but wait, there’s more. We sometimes put on 3 games back to back to back. So, we have to have gear for all 3 teams. Magnify that by the numerous high school colors.

We have to thank Trini at FootballAmerica.com for making us a smoking deal on our gear today. Here’s some of the gear that we picked up today:

Schutt Adult Air Advantage Football Helmets

The Schutt AIR Advantage is the lightweight choice for varsity helmets. Without compromising the integrity of the shell, it is designed to be 12% lighter than the Pro AIR II. The AIR Advantage has become the helmet of choice for players and coaches looking for a lightweight alternative. Smooth spherical shell aids in deflecting impact. This helmet is also designed to offer maximum performance and comfort. It is treated with Ultra-Fresh to inhibit growth of bacteria, mold and mildew that cause odor and stains. Large ventilation holes allow air to circulate and keep players cool. Third chin strap snap included to allow for player preference in chin strap selection. Rust resistant stainless steel hardware.

Rawlings Adult Combat Football Shoulder Pads

The Combat Series from Rawlings features Venti Light pad technology. With Venti Light, an outer layer of perforated closed cell EVA foam is laminated to a softer open cell inner foam. Venti Light helps reduce overall pad weight while still providing the same great protection you expect.

The Combat CP36L has a low profile cantilever construction which provides hitting protection without sacrificing field vision or mobility. This is a great all-purpose shoulder pad. The 1/2″ build-ups create a clavicle channel for excellent shoulder protection. Single strap hook-up.

Douglas Adult FB/LB Skill Football Shoulder Pads

The DP Series is the most economical Douglas pad. All DP Series shoulder pads feature 2 layers of protection, a 3/4″ main body cushion and a 1/2″ top redundant cushion.

– Great for fullbacks, linebackers and multi-position players.

– Cut-away shell design provides protection without interfering with a player’s mobility.

– Pre-drilled for easy option attachment.

This is all brand new gear and we look forward to showing it to you in person at the next game. See you then.