Hunting for new members on Instagram

“It took some adjustment, yes,” answers Marilse Nouws, the Internal Affairs Trustee of the student football association Ariston ’80, with a hint of understatement. Given that OWee2020 will be digital, many student sports associations had to throw their original promotional plans in the bin. Nouws thinks this is a pity. “We have had our own building in the centre of Delft for a year and a half now and we wanted to use it during the OWee.”

Delta spoke to several student sports associations of different sizes in Delft to ask how they are planning to attract first year students. What will be their draw? Several associations are using paid advertisements on Instagram and Facebook for the first time. Nouws says that, “In contrast to previous years, we have been much more active online before the OWee. We are using our members’ networks, but we have also bought sponsored posts on Instagram. You can really reach your target group. It’s very useful.”

^{Marilse Nouws (top row, second from the right) is Internal Affairs Trustee at Ariston ‘80. (Photo: Ariston ‘80)} 

One of the associations that bought advertisements was the DSSV ELS student skating association. Board Member Carlijn Aarsen explains that “You may be able to organise all sorts of activities online, but the OWee attendees need to know that they are there in the first place.” And does it work? For DSZ WAVE, the student swimming association, it has brought them many more followers. “And that’s great because the numbers were stagnant, though we know that not all followers will really become members of course,” says Board Member Tristan ten Napel.

Digital Escape Room
The usual parties, club tours, handing out flyers and drop-in training sessions are now giving way to the OWee’s online platform where each association has its own page. So what is on the online platform? OWee attendees can have a go at an online escape room with their mentor group at the korfball association Paal Centraal. Other sports associations have opted for films, bingo evenings, pub quizzes and live Q&A sessions.

Some of the larger sports associations – that not only have larger introduction committees but larger pots of money – will broadcast their own livestreams for three days. The rowing sports association DSR Proteus-Eretes for example will fill the digital ether with a show featuring presenters, studio guests and videos. “You can guess what some associations will do, but you can’t guess what we will do,” says Board Member Ewout van der Heijden. “We really put much thought into how we can best bring the party atmosphere of our association across in the livestream.” 

^{DSZ Wave has many followers thanks to an Instagram campaign. (Photo: Screenshot)}

Few concerns
It looks as if the OWee will be fine with all these online activities. Still, some Board Members were holding their breath before the Cabinet’s press conference last Thursday. It looked as though the Cabinet would ban physical OWees. And this would mean no information market and it is the information market where the smaller associations recruit most of their members. Ten Napel (DSZ WAVE) explains that “The atmosphere at the market is a huge determining factor. You don’t leave until you’ve signed up somewhere.”

While everything is different this year, the Board Members have few concerns. In previous years, some student sports associations had more registrations than places and the places had to be won in a lottery. A smaller batch is thus not unwelcome. Even the associations that are more dependent on the number of registrations are positive. Arthur Kordes of Paal Centraal for example believes that they will attract the same number of members this year as in other years. “We can still have a chat with the OWee attendees at the information market, so the threshold to sign up is still low.”

In the weeks after the OWee, DSR Proteus, DSZ Wave and Paal Centraal will run physical try-outs for students who are considering membership. The dates are:

• train at Paal Centraal on 31 August and 3, 7 and 10 September
• DSZ Wave has swimming and water polo training in week 35 and 36 (24 August to 6 September). Click here for more information
• DSR Proteus has applied for permission for try-outs from the Municipality of Delft. If permission is granted, the try-outs will be held every evening between 17 and 22 August.

In addition to the student sports associations mentioned in this article, Delta has also been in contact with student cycling association WTOS and student volleyball association DSVV Punch.