TABLE OF CONTENTS

More Than a Game - How to Welcome the “Tea and Cake Player”

Some people don't need competition. They need a place where they're expected. Here's how your club can show them they'll fit.

CroquetWade

Aug 4, 2025

The mistake clubs make

Most clubs try to attract social players by promoting "fun" and "friendship." Put smiling faces on a poster, mention morning tea, wait for people to appear.

This is advertising thinking. It describes what the club has. It doesn't address what the person needs.

The person who needs somewhere to belong isn't scanning for promises of fun. They're scanning for evidence that people like them are already here. That there's a chair with their name on it. That someone would ask where they were if they didn't come.

What they're actually looking for

When a social player considers croquet, they're asking three questions:

Will I fit in here?

Will people know my name?

Will I be expected?

Notice what's missing: "Is it fun?" "Will I get fit?"

Those things matter, but they're side effects. Belonging is the point.

Your job is to show them that your club is a place where people are noticed. Where showing up matters. Where they'll become part of something.

Status and belonging

Here's something most clubs don't think about: social players are motivated by belonging. They want to be part of a group. They want to matter to other people.

Croquet has this. Regular play days. The same faces each week. Committees and working bees and someone who always brings the biscuits.

The progression from "new face" to "one of us" is real and visible.

When you talk to someone who might be social, don't hide this. Show them the pattern.

"We play Tuesdays and Thursdays. The same group, mostly. You'd be missed if you weren't here."

Belonging isn't sentimental. For some people, it's the whole point.

Showing, not telling

The images you use matter more than the words.

Action shots of players mid-swing? That's a signal. It says "this is about the game." Which is fine, if that's who you're looking for.

But if you want to attract someone who needs somewhere to belong, show them:

People talking between turns

The veranda with cups of tea

A group laughing at something off-camera

Someone being welcomed by name

These images say "people matter here, not just the game." That's the signal social players are looking for.

When they walk in

The first visit matters. Here's what the social person notices:

Does anyone introduce themselves properly?

Is there a place for them to sit?

Does anyone look pleased they came?

If the answer is "yes," they'll come back. If it's "no," they won't. No amount of good croquet will change that.

This doesn't mean your club needs to be all tea and chat. But it needs to be warm immediately, visibly. The social person needs to see evidence that they could belong here.

Head to Club Hub. We need your help and experience. Tell us your reasons why croquet is a great social interaction.

The invitation

You're not trying to convince social people that your club is friendly. They'll figure that out.

You're trying to show them that your club is a place where people are expected. Where names are remembered. Where someone who wants to be part of something will find others who feel the same way.

The formula:

[A place to fit] + [People who notice] + [A routine to belong to] = An invitation they'll accept.

The question for your club: Is that what you're actually showing them?