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Hosting a clinic designed to attract and teach women about the sport of Ultimate is a great way to start a women's team, increase the number of women in your local league, increase the number of leagues or add players to an already existing team. Following is a useful guide to help organizers design a successful women's outreach program.

1. Vision: The first thing you should do is develop an outline of your idea and establish some basic facts. Having a clear and simple vision about what you want to accomplish will help you get started. Some basic questions to answer include:
   • Who: Determine who you are trying to attract to this clinic. Are there a lot of students in the area? Do you want to start a youth league? This will determine the structure, content and advertising for your clinic.

   • When: Decide when would be a good time for the clinic. Factor in the weather (is it too hot to have it in the middle of the day) and when you think most people would be able to participate (if classes have started and you are hoping to attract students then you may not want to do it in the morning on a weekday). You may not want to make it longer than 3-4 hours because new participants may be hesitant to commit to more than that. If it does last longer than 4 hours, you will need to consider scheduling a meal break. Many organizers have mentioned that they found it more effective for a clinic to coincide with the beginning of a league or a practice schedule in their area. For example, if you have a fall league starting in September, you may want to schedule the clinic the weekend before the league starts. After the clinic ends, use that time to capitalize on the excitement that some of the new players will have to encourage them to sign up for the league.

   • Where: Do you have a field site that you can use? Nice fields that are easy to find or on a campus may help attract students in your area. Does your field site require insurance? Do you need to reserve the fields?

   • What: What specifically do you want to accomplish with your clinic? It is likely that you are you trying to increase interest and support for women's Ultimate in your area. Do you want people to join the local women's team? Then maybe you should have several of the women there to help teach, recruit and tell everyone how great their team is. Are you trying to increase sign up in the local league? Bring sign up forms and encourage people to join after the clinic. Figure out the main goals of the clinic and make sure that any decisions you make regarding your plan for the clinic focus on achieving those goals.

2. Program: Once you have developed the ideas and groundwork for your clinic, you can determine the layout for the clinic. Following is an outline that provides organizers with a format to follow or use as a guideline when planning their clinic.
   • Introduction: To start off the clinic, set aside at least a few minutes to introduce everyone to each other, perhaps even play an "ice breaking" or "name game" to get everyone familiar with one another. This would also be a good time to briefly inform participants of the day's schedule. The focus of the introduction is to help new players feel more comfortable and relaxed and set the tone for the entire clinic.

   • Skills and Drills: Many organizers and participants have found it effective to set up different "stations" around the field and have the focus of each station be on a different skill. These should be very basic. Examples of some good skills to cover include throwing and catching, cutting, marking, and defense. Assign at least one experienced player from your local community as a Station Leader at each skill station. This should be someone who can communicate the technique involved with executing the skill effectively to beginners and then have them practice it in a pre-planned drill. Divide all of the participants into as many groups as you have stations. Allow each group to spend a pre-determined amount of time at each station and then rotate to the next station until all groups have participated in each skill station. By splitting all of the participants into smaller groups, you are providing them with more individual attention which helps new players learn more quickly and feel more encouraged to ask questions.

   • Rules: After players have learned some skills, it is now a good time to explain the basic rules of the game. We recommend the 10 Simple Rules. The 10 Simple Rules break the game down into simple concepts which are geared towards teaching beginners what they need to know to start playing the game of Ultimate. This is an excellent time to discuss the meaning of Spirit of the Game and its uniqueness to our sport. Rulebooks can be used as a resource in asking more detailed questions.

   • Play Ultimate: The final step is to put everything that has been taught into effect by having a scrimmage. This gives participants the opportunity to use the new skills they have just learned to see what the game is really about. Beginners usually enjoy this part the most if the games are structured to be a learning tool rather than a competitive game. Make it easy for participants to ask questions. Or you can pair new participants with experienced players.

3. Tips: Some tips to keep in mind that will help your clinic be effective include:
   • Advertise for your clinic several weeks in advance. You can hang posters around your community, email other players and friends, post information at a local recreation department or at work.

   • Plan for frequent water breaks to keep participants hydrated and refreshed.

   • Request assistance from your local Ultimate community for support, set up, ideas and to participate as station leaders.

   • Apply for the women's clinic kit.

   • Ask other Ultimate organizers for ideas.

This is only a recommendation as a guide for your clinic. You are welcome to develop your own program format. We welcome new ideas, questions and discussions regarding this program. If you would like to share your ideas on women's outreach programs, please email Melanie at melanie@hq.upa.org.