Sooooo, what exactly does NEFA do?

[Bob Johnson]

1st year.I am a new guy, no idea what disc golf is about. Got involved with local disc golf club, helped make things happen. People told me I should get involved with NEFA
2nd year. Despite my local obligations was convinced to be NEFA rep for NH. I think I got 2 votes... I sent a letter to powers that "be" articulating what i thought I brought to the table and things I thought NEFA could do better and how I could help. I jumped on board with Special Olympics. I took photos and wrote an article about said event. I was asked to update all the NH and VT courses for the "new" website. I did, and it took hours. Never saw my article posted, never saw any "new" website.
3rd Year. Has not been a relevant post in years on homepage ( With all due respect to Dave Stidham) Apparently no way to contact NH rep, calendar sucks and I none of our locals even know what the NEFA message board is.
And it seems NEFA does not care about the locals, especially NH locals. NEFA is about the points series. And they do that very well. They really seem too.

But NEFA is so missing the growth and the bigger picture that is happening in disc golf in New England right now.

And I am not talking about "grow the sport" Frankly I like it like it is. But I do think that NEFA needs to decide if they are running a point series... or if they are "promoting" and more importantly , SUPPORTING disc golf in New England.

So what does that mean?

Courses are popping up all over the place. Building is easy...maintaining takes work and support.
Find a way to support local clubs. Keene and Concord are killing it. Strong Clubs and strong organizations behind them. Lets help other areas promote and be succesful.
Support Vendors. I know I am NH centric, but NEFA should be supporting the vendors that are making this [bleep] happen. Bill Bruce in Manch, Marty Vaughn, at TOPO. Walters on the coast! Green Light is a big supporter. I know they are MA, but they support OB
Coordinate all the local "series" into NEFA. Maine has 2, VT has a GREAT series, NH is on the right track...and I know I am out of the loop, but DisCap seems to have a strong organization going on. OK, not "seems", they are killing it down there. I Don't travel down there, but I follow on Facebook

SO...Make a Mass and/or CT series! Then coordinate it all...and then roll the best of the best in to a SOLID New England Championship. Or maybe North/South divisions and then a Northeast thing.

Point is... Get your [bleep] together. KDGC has 50+ members. and 700 FaceBook likes...when they ask me about NEFA I am not even sure what to say. Play Vt point Series or NH. Why not?
And frankly its sad, because when we got our NEFA grant in 2014 we made good use and thought we would be a partner for years.

We are moving forward, NEFA seems to be stuck...stuck in the past or just stuck, I am not sure.

[Kenji Cline]

Thanks for the props!!

[Bill Bertera]

yah, the website sucks. unfortunately none of us the 6-8 volunteers that keeps the NEFA wheels turning are web designers. Take a class, learn to do it, and you're hired. I'll paypal you 50% of your pay up front (0 * .5 = 0).

As for everything else, we have families and jobs, and about all we can manage is running a point series that: pays for itself, draws great interest across new england, encourages players to travel to other states/new-courses to play (NEFA events have been known to draw 80 players vs. 29 for non-NEFA events on the same course year to year), and has a pretty good year end championship. And also raises enough money to give 5 club or educational grants a year.

>Support Vendors. I know I am NH centric, but NEFA should be supporting the vendors that are making this [bleep] happen. Bill Bruce in Manch, Marty Vaughn, at TOPO.

you mean more than hosting the NEDGC at his course, and giving him the AM payouts for the points series?

[Franklin Sullivan]

Bill Bruce runs NEFA points events 2-3 times a year, with Am payouts to his store. He benefits from the NEFA point series affiliation, which draws in players from other states to events at the Hollows and at Muldoon.

NEFA money comes in at $25 per person at, what, about 300 players? Mostly from Massachusetts. Funds from that go to running the point series, costs, finals events, season payouts, and NEFA grants (I don't know the inner workings, so I could be off on that). Unless I'm mistaken, at least 2 of the last 3 large grants have gone to New Hampshire courses! NEFA shows NH love.

Disc golf clubs are machines. Sometimes they need help being built and getting off the ground - I think that's where NEFA typically comes in. Once the course is there and the club exists, there's ways to bring cash flow so you don't need NEFA to give you the money anymore. Do you expect them to funnel cash to every course every year? Money would spread pretty thin at that point. Unless I'm totally confused by what SUPPORTING disc golf means to you...

[Titan_Bariloni]

NEFA seems to be stuck...stuck in the past or just stuck, I am not sure

While I agree, The numbers for the actual series rise every year not sure if that if from NEFA promoting or just more people playing in general

Nefa does do many things, but def seems to be backing itself into the series mostly.

good bad IDK at this point.

I don't follow FB so I am not sure what discussions occur there on the nefa page.

IMO I think NEFA was a middle man of sorts and now the middleman is being cut out as what usually happens with all middle men.

I think the bigger issue is volunteerism has declined in general, or maybe I just don't see it.

I know first hand over the last ten years I see almost the same people at work days, and never see league/event people at said work days. Not sure why as they all use these courses more so then the ones building them.

all people have their own causes and tie them into DG or are in the trenches at their own respective course project.

I must disagree about building courses is easy, while I do agree maintaining them is equally important it is super hardwork to get a course to a point of maintaining instead of constructing.
I feel at some point the people who actually use the course or own the course must step up and much more then I have personally seen or read.

I for one am done once I button up RFG and finish Holtshire road....I may do another but 100% not for love of the sport, love for my family has now far surpassed my desire to spend my time so others can complain and never help. I always said come when I am 39 years old I will retire from free course work and refocus on playing. That time is just 2.5 years away and right about when what I have unfinished will most likely be finished.

Then I will grab 3 disc,my child/dog and enjoy the fruits.

Summary nobody volunteers to do things anymore like in decades past, everyone sees the sport for what they can profit out of it, $$$/score/enjoyment.

Conclusion humans gonna be humans

[Jeff Wiechowski]

Find a way to support local clubs.

NEFA Grants do this.
2015
DisCap for their work at Stonykill Disc Golf Course
Souhegan Valley Disc Golf for Wilton-Lyndeborough Coop School Disc Golf Course

2014
Westchester Disc Golf Enthusiasts for their work at Leonard Park in Mt. Kisko, NY.
North Attleboro Disc Golf Club for their work at World War One Memorial Park in North Attleboro, MA.
Keene Disc Golf Club for their work at Otter Brook State Park Disc Golf Course.
Rhode Island Disc Golf Club for their work at Curtis Corner in South Kingston, RI.

Coordinate all the local "series" into NEFA. Maine has 2, VT has a GREAT series, NH is on the right track...and I know I am out of the loop, but DisCap seems to have a strong organization going on. OK, not "seems", they are killing it down there. I Don't travel down there, but I follow on Facebook

SO...Make a Mass and/or CT series! Then coordinate it all...and then roll the best of the best in to a SOLID New England Championship. Or maybe North/South divisions and then a Northeast thing.

So overhaul the points series? Again? I think this is a viable idea BUT implementing it is a HUGE undertaking.

Point is... Get your [bleep] together. KDGC has 50+ members. and 700 FaceBook likes...when they ask me about NEFA I am not even sure what to say. Play Vt point Series or NH. Why not?
And frankly its sad, because when we got our NEFA grant in 2014 we made good use and thought we would be a partner for years.

We are moving forward, NEFA seems to be stuck...stuck in the past or just stuck, I am not sure.

Contrary to the Mark Z Mantra, Facebook "likes" do not make the world go 'round.

Could the NEFA homepage get some love more often? Yes. But it takes some real web knowledge and significant time that volunteers don't necessarily have. This is a known issue that nobody has stepped up to tackle.

Remember the magnitude of what we have here........... This is a regional Club with 400+ active members, spread out over approximately 80,000 square miles!! That's ONE member for every 200 square miles.
IMO, it's pretty freakin amazing we can keep things remotely organized over the past 7 years I've been associated with NEFA.

I know NEFA didn't have a direct impact on all the courses that have been installed but DAMN, look at the map. It's growing.

[Titan_Bariloni]

Jeff what is the total number of courses in the photos

Is the 80k sq ft area nefa covers accurate?

TY

I don't think the issue is what NEFA does with what it has, but IMO rather how can Nefa gain more members.

The amount of players just going on an estimation jelly bean bowl style on how many people I see on courses seems drastically higher then the ratio Nefa has gained over that time period.

While the point series keeps things rolling, what realistic ideas could be explored to increase membership and attract more volunteers w/i membership.

How many total players played in series last year,just trying to see the numbers compared to current active members.


At sign up or renewal is there any questions on why/who you arrived to want to be a nefa member and/or why you renewed your membership

I also do think some championship of each states that have a series would be cool though....GMDGC/MPT/NEFA/NEDDGC/ACOE?


marketing/media/content/streams is what people want to have nowadays.
if the eggs are all in the series basket do dat sucka up proper pimp it out don't doorknerd itout.
video,exposure,updates(not on yingdingbook.slong. but on the nefa platform) let people on dingdongbook link to dat not just dumb scoreport updates.

how many members on dingdong book? betcha it is wayyy mo then the current active membership

[Jeff Wiechowski]

Jeff what is the total number of courses in the photos

Is the 80k sq ft area nefa covers accurate?

Using a 125 mile range, centered around Springfield MA
2016
145, give or take a few.
97 are 18 holes or more.

2009
65, with 49 with 18+ holes.

The 80k sq miles is pretty accurate. Found a website that listed total square miles of each state and I guesstimated the NEFA areas of NY and NJ.

I don't think the issue is what NEFA does with what it has, but IMO rather how can Nefa gain more members.

The amount of players just going on an estimation jelly bean bowl style on how many people I see on courses seems drastically higher then the ratio Nefa has gained over that time period.

While the point series keeps things rolling, what realistic ideas could be explored to increase membership and attract more volunteers w/i membership.

How many total players played in series last year,just trying to see the numbers compared to current active members.


At sign up or renewal is there any questions on why/who you arrived to want to be a nefa member and/or why you renewed your membership

I also do think some championship of each states that have a series would be cool though....GMDGC/MPT/NEFA/NEDDGC/ACOE?

Year to year membership numbers are not my specialty. Danny or Rick would know more than I.
More members=More TDs and more events. Kind of a chicken/egg scenario.

Reeling in those new faces we see on the course is a slow process. Most newbys are embarrassed about their skill level(especially when they see how veterans players throw) and it takes a while before they take the plunge into organized events. You can't force them to "grow" faster.

The State Championships thing works great when your entire state is within NEFA...... NY/NJ? Not so much. Some great events in NY are in the Buffalo area and that's 5+ hours from me.

how many members on dingdong book? betcha it is wayyy mo then the current active membership

NEFA FB group has 905 "members".............. BUT that number is useless unless the page is actually pulling in PAYING MEMBERS. I'm sure it does but the occasional chitshow thread also could turn people off too.

[Bob Johnson]

While I am a moderate Facebook user personally, it has been great for Keene Disc Golf Club. And while likes are not the end all be all, they can be very powerful. When we do a marketing push for one of our events, for very low money (we spend5-7$), we can target who sees our "sponsored " post. Our go to, is "friends of friends" that live in New England or New York. That way we know disc golfers are seeing our event AND we usually get a few more likes out of the deal that will help us out next time.

Point is that it is not rocket science, and it is not that expensive. That is why it is popular.

Disc golfers are a passionate bunch and crave new content. People want to know what is going on. It would not be hard for NEFA to create some buzz about what they are doing.

[Jeff Wiechowski]

Disc golfers are a passionate bunch and crave new content. People want to know what is going on. It would not be hard for NEFA to create some buzz about what they are doing.

Gathering, posting and tracking 50+ NEFA events(and that's just tournaments) is not easy. Probably 30ish different TDs involved. Some don't even bother starting a thread here. Tack on a few dozen localized outreach events and a handful of new course installations and you're headed toward part-time job territory. I'm seeing a parallel here in DisCap, with 4 new/recent courses that need attention in one form or another but not near enough bodies to get things done.

Me personally, I go all out when it comes to advertising events. Sharing on multiple FB group pages and no fewer than 5 club webpage forums. Probably a good reason why I sellout all DisCap events. That and cookies.....

[Mike Dussault]

People want to know what is going on. It would not be hard for NEFA to create some buzz about what they are doing.


Sounds like we have a new volunteer in the ranks! Step up son!

[Matt DeAngelis]

NEFA grants are one of the major things that we do that help grow the sport and leads to the courses popping up...in your backyard. Franklin Falls just got a grant this past year. Didn't Keene get $1500 in 2014? Maybe it's just a matter of informing and educating people in the area that the courses you are playing on may have come about or improved because of NEFA.

I agree that NEFA could do a lot more in terms of self promotion and the website being kept up to date would be a big step in the right direction. Thanks for the reminder! I have someone that reached out to me that I need to get back in touch with. I'm spread pretty thin and would love someone to come along and take what we've done the past few years and continue to push it forward.