National Croquet Day
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National Croquet Day: A National Drive to Help Your Club - Sunday 3 May 2026
The more clubs that run open days on National Croquet Day, the more likely it will be that these events receive regional and national press coverage which will in turn drive more people to your open day.
If you are running an event for National Croquet Day, please email the CqE communications manager with details (even if they are draft at this stage). So that we can create a list of all events happening around the country.
To ensure attendance at your open day, clubs are encouraged to invite schools, community groups (such as U3A, churches, sports clubs) and local companies to come to the club to give croquet a try.
Make sure you post about your open day on your website and local marketing channels, as well as your social media accounts. Tag @CroquetEngland in your social media posts and we can share these. Also remember to email the CqE communications manager with details of your event, so we can create a national list of all the events happening around the country.
Supporting Materials
National Croquet Day Poster
Play Croquet Tri-fold Leaflets with space to add club details
Tri-fold Play Croquet leaflets (PDF Print Ready With Crop Marks)
Tri-fold Play Croquet leaflets (Standard PDF)
A National Croquet Day flyer has been created for all clubs to adapt and use. This was created with Canva, so the design can be shared with you directly or amended for you.
Your club details and images can be used to replace the existing content. Please contact Alison Maugham communications#croquetengland.org.uk for help.
Download the National Croquet Day standard poster (PDF)
Promoting Your National Croquet Day Events
Enlist Your Members Help Now
Ask your members to distribute flyers/posters to other social groups, the local library, community noticeboards, and so on, ideally by mid-April. Make sure all members are aware of your National Croquet Day programme and are available to help.
Publicise Your Event in Local Media
Use the Communications Toolkit.
Paul Hetherington will provide a list of your local press contacts exported from a constantly updated press database. Contact him directly for this list.
Download a Draft Press Release
Advertise in Local Free Listings
Find out when the copy date is for any local magazines which offer free "What's On" listings. The May edition will probably be distributed during the second half of April with a copy date of late March/early April so make sure you don't miss their deadline.
Banners
If you have a suitable location, why not invest in a vinyl banner to catch the eye of passersby?
First Impressions Always Count
Make sure visitors can find you! Put up direction signs and have a friendly volunteer at the entrance to welcome visitors, direct traffic, and point them in the right direction.
Consider using an online booking system (such as Eventbrite) to enable visitors to book sessions - see webinar and step-by-step how-to.
Be ready: place club mallets in height order and have someone on hand to offer advice. Don't be too prescriptive on mallet grips, let people find what works for them.
Younger visitors. You might want to have a specific volunteer who is happy to help with younger visitors. Do you have suitable mallets? If not, why not see if you can borrow a garden croquet set or two?
Get People Playing
Most clubs will have their own method for introducing novices to croquet, but the most important thing is get visitors on the lawns and playing as quickly as possible. Remember, this is just a taster - don't get bogged down in rules and tactics at this stage. Tell them about any free coaching, buddy system, new member discounts, etc. that you offer, as you go round. See Fun Games on a Croquet Lawn for some suggestions on short, quick games to run during public taster sessions, including printable downloads.
Remember, this will probably be the first time people have tried croquet, so set up your lawns to be quarter sized, as beginners will find this much easier. If you have some wider hoops, use these as well.
Refreshments - and cake! Ever popular and a great opportunity to mention the social side of the club, give out information about your club, coaching and beginners courses, new member discounts and so on.
Following Up
Make sure you take down visitors details and record the number of people that attended. An email address is most useful as you can send them club details and upcoming coaching sessions or new member offers to them.
Try and record email addresses digitally to avoid mistakes and reduce workload. You can collect email addresses online via a sign up page on your website in advance of the event or have a laptop or tablet available on the day to collect emails.
Once you have an email list you can use tools like Mail Chimp to easily send marketing emails to your email list. It can be a bit tricky to see straight away but there is a completely free option for Mail Chimp. The link above sends you straight to the free user sign up.
Sharing Your Success
- Clubs active on social media are encouraged to use the hashtags #croquetweek when posting about their events.
- Croquet England is active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the username @croquetengland. We will repost and share as much as we can - so do tag us!
- We would love to hear how your National Croquet Week activities went, please submit a short piece for potential sharing.
Any Questions?
Using this website
