Running a College Club

Editor’s note: Chris Burgan is a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota and a former president of the UMN bass club – and one-half of the 2014 FLW College Fishing National Championship-winning team. He’s also the new social media and communications specialist at FLW. This summer and fall, he’ll be providing some insight into how to run a successful college bass club through a blog here at FLWFishing.com.

The sport of college bass fishing is growing at an incredible pace. During my freshman year (2011-2012), tournament fields were limited to 50 anglers, and boats were supplied by Rayovac FLW Series volunteer competitors. During the end of my senior year this season, field sizes grew larger at every tournament, and we saw more colleges providing boats for student anglers – signs of growth for sure.

I was president of the University of Minnesota club for two of my four years. During that time, I talked with many other club presidents and exchanged information about some of the inner workings of our clubs. In this blog, I’ll share some of the details we discussed and give advice to other students running their own clubs.

Recruiting Members

The first thing a club needs is members. I have no idea how full-time head coaches of fishing teams fill their days, but I know that one task is recruiting. Some college teams are targeting High School Fishing state champions with scholarships. That’s a great idea to get talented anglers, but my school didn’t give fishing scholarships.

I might be biased, but I think kids should choose their school based on the education first. After all, any school can have a fishing team, but not every school offers the academic program you’ll need to prepare you for life after graduation. I know teams from community colleges that have two people in the entire club that consistently place well.

As far as recruiting anglers already attending my college, I never did it. It takes a special kind of person to want to fish a tournament circuit. Hauling a boat across the country, doing countless hours of research and putting in double-digit hours on the water is not everyone’s cup of tea. Not to mention the financial investment. There is a dedication and drive to tournament fishing that anglers either have or don’t. If someone at my school really wanted to be a collegiate angler, he or she would seek out the club. It wasn’t the other way around. 

Paying the Bills

Tournament fishing is an expensive sport at any level. Even though college competitors do not need to pay thousands in entry fees, there is still lodging, food, baits, gas and many other expenses to consider. Plus, many students are already on budgets and have a growing mass of debt looming over their heads. Every college is different when approaching expenses, but how it’s handled usually depends on the type of club or team. There are three main types.

The first kind of club is a varsity bass fishing team. These are the clubs with coaches and scholarships. Next, a fishing team can be recognized by its school as part of a club sports program. Finally, there are teams run as student organizations, like at UMN. Teams recognized as part of varsity or club sports programs are often helped by their schools with expenses by receiving grants and scholarships. I know schools that have a team credit card to use while traveling. I’ve seen teams collecting receipts in order to be reimbursed later. But most teams aren’t recognized by their schools and pay completely out of pocket.

Either way, fundraising is typically necessary. Each club needs to come up with its own creative way to do so. I know one popular fundraising method for clubs is to partner with a restaurant for a night. The club gets as many people as possible to the restaurant and receives a percentage of the night’s proceeds. Another popular fundraiser is a raffle (make sure to check your state and school regulations beforehand). Teams can ask sponsors to donate items that they can raffle off. Make sure to ask local sporting goods stores as well. A rod-and-reel combo or store apparel with a large “donated by” sign can be a great advertising opportunity for a store. Many large chain sporting goods stores will donate if given enough notice to file the paperwork. College fishing is an expensive sport, but it can be manageable with some support.

Finding Boats

I am constantly asked about how to get a boat for college tournaments. Since the days of tournaments providing boats are behind us, I have no good answer. Many college anglers apparently do, as fully rigged, top-of-the-line bass boats make up many of the rigs at college tournaments. First, and what I imagine is the easiest way, is to use a school-supplied boat, but a very select few schools provide boats. Next, and what I imagine is the most popular option, is using a parent’s boat. Some anglers borrow a generous and trusting friend’s boat. If none of these is an option, students need to come up with their own boats. That is no easy feat. If a student didn’t know at a very early age that he wanted to competitively fish, now that he has the expenses of a college education, it’s darn near impossible to raise the money to get a bass boat.

Of course, not everyone needs a nice bass boat to compete. I see teams with deep-V walleye or musky boats out there. I see aluminum boats and other rigs out there too and always root for them. If none of these is an option, you’ll need to find a teammate with a boat.

Partnering with Sponsors

Sponsorship is important at every level of competitive fishing – college included. And since bass fishing isn’t recognized by the NCAA and is thus not limited by the NCAA’s amateur sports regulations, college bass teams can sign sponsors. That makes it a very unique collegiate sport.

Attracting sponsors is rarely easy, but college anglers have some advantages. Many companies already have college discount programs. In that case, all it takes is an email to register. It can really be that easy. Other times, it can be a bit more difficult, but the key is asking. For every 10 emails I send, I probably get one response back. That response might be a yes, a no or a request to send my resume. Going to sports shows and talking to sponsors in person is also a great way to get your foot in the door.

Many sponsors are looking for something almost every club already has – a good social media presence. If your club doesn’t have a Facebook page, make one. It’s not hard to run. Most of us have been running a Facebook page since freshman year of high school. With several team members equipped with smartphones, finding content should not be an issue. Likes on posts and audience reach are concrete numbers to show a sponsor how your team has something to offer them.

Additionally, at nearly every college tournament your billboard of a jersey is being seen by a lot of people. Even qualifying event weigh-ins are broadcast live to thousands of viewers. That is a lot of impressions. And if your team is fortunate enough to make it to a national championship, your jersey will be broadcast on national television.

Attracting sponsors is one of the most difficult aspects of running a club. However, it is crucial to a team’s success, and as a bonus it looks good on a resume post-graduation.

The sport of college fishing is still in its infancy and will continue to change as its popularity continues to increase. College clubs will need to adapt with it. Running a club is a challenging but rewarding experience that I would recommend to any college student.