Ways to Recruit Athletes for an Amateur Sports Team
Create a well-maintained social media presence: Twitter and Facebook at least, a good web site with contact information and a regularly updated calendar would be good, too.
Create quarter-sheets with a QR Code that leads to the best piece of social media (likely Facebook). Fill sheets with recruiting information, front and back. Supply them to every member of the team for distribution.
Make full-sheet QR Code recruiting posters. Post them at local gyms, sporting goods stores, bars, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. Really carpet bomb the place. Super bright paper is a good idea here.
Print workout shirts in bright colors with recruiting sayings: “(why) DO YOU EVEN LIFT BRO?” “ASK ME ABOUT RUGBY” etc etc – sell/distribute them to the team.
Print shirts or sweatshirts in a similar vein, but for going out rather than working out. Selling these to your team can both work toward recruitment and raise a little money.
Attend local sporting events (both in-person and broadcast) with a mind to recruitment. Bring the pieces from #2 and #3, wear your shirts from #5
Publicize all team events well ahead of time through the social media; practices, social, games, workouts, etc. Put it all out there. Be responsive to folks who ask questions.
Encourage groups of folks to join; having a pair of friends join a team builds in a support system.