[First published in the Croquet Gazette Issue 395, Fabruary 2022]

Article by Begoña Elzaburu and José Luis Álvarez-Sala

In the past years GC in Spain has seen an incredible increase in the number of lawns, clubs and people playing.

By the end of 2015 there were around 300 players and when 2021 finished there were more than 1900. There are surely many reasons that have collaborated in this success and we will try to briefly analyse them.

Unlike some other countries, croquet was introduced in Spain through the higher social classes. Spain has almost 500 golf clubs of which, a high percentage, are private, with its members having a medium and high economic status.

Golf clubs have realised that it is a good business to build croquet lawns. In those clubs they already have the machinery and the personnel that knows how to take care of a ‘green’, so it does not complicate their organisation and the increase in cost is relatively low compared to the benefits they get from the rental of the lawns and organisation of tournaments.

Croquet has allowed clubs to offer another activity and maintain the membership fees of older members by preventing them from leaving the club. At the same time, in certain clubs, croquet has helped to decongest golf courses.

For sure one of the reasons of this boom has also been how easy it is to learn GC. In only a few hours you can already enjoy GC while in other sports you need many hours of lessons. Also, it is not just a game of precision and concentration, but also a strategic game making it even more interesting. We hope that in the future GC players will start being interested in AC, but for the moment we do not have enough lawns and double banking is necessary.

Our climate too is helping this development because we can play all year round. When it is raining, we see that less people play, but the activity never stops, specially between those that like competing.

The social component of croquet is also essential, at least in Spain. Croquet is not just croquet! It is a great plan to meet other people, and have fun outdoors. It is a good idea to organise cocktails after the tournaments so that people socialise.

Promotion within beginners is necessary too to help their consolidation. It is important to help them meet other players because their usual friends often do not play and when you start, you often do with just one or two friends and that is not enough to continue playing. There are surely many ways to do so, but a couple of efficient ways are the organisation of tournaments and leagues where they can meet other players of their level and the creation of groups by level using social networks or similar forms of communication.

Increasing the number of tournaments organised is a very good way to motivate different players to get better (more than 150 where organised this year in Spain). In many cases, the more they compete, the more they want to compete. But different players require different types of tournaments. Many beginners, do not dare play individual games so it is better to organise them in a system of doubles where everyone plays with and against everyone else of the group. That system (called in Spain “American Doubles") enables people to meet other players and therefore increases the number of games played later in the club. As for middle players, they often prefer to compete in individual games since they already have the confidence to do so, and they require games where they can progress in their Dgrades. For the top players it is different. They are usually more concerned choosing what type of tournaments to play because now that there is no index, they don’t want to unnecessarily risk their Dgrade anymore since the Spanish Croquet Federation (FEC) selects the players that represent Spain in international competitions by Dgrade. For them an extra incentive is that the FEC helps them financially to participate. The further the country is, the more help they will receive. In any case, all types of tournaments must be organised.

Another tournament that has had a great success with our players is one where teams of different clubs compete to be the best club in Spain (Cup of Spain). In it, players from all Spain meet and we all have a dinner together. This year we had to organise a Tier 2 because of the increasing number of clubs that wanted to participate. Next year also a Tier 3 will be probably necessary (with the consequent difficulties to find a venue that can accommodate simultaneously so many players during those days).

But we believe that this growth is only the beginning. In 2020, the FEC made the decision to professionalize its management and develop a Strategic Plan for 2020-2025 whose main objective is the promotion of croquet at the national level. This Plan includes the mission, the vision of the Spanish Croquet Federation, its objectives, and the most appropriate way to achieve them. It is basically about structuring and planning the future growth of croquet in Spain.

We also have a communication agency that helps in the execution of the marketing plan and diffusion of croquet news, giving a lot of importance to the ranking so that people care about it. Our website is constantly actualised so that the players are well informed. We include videos and declarations of players and organisers.

At the same time, we have a Spanish Academy of Croquet to form teachers, trainers and referees. This Academy helps in the diffusion of the rules.

But all this without the selfless work of a reduced number of people would not be possible. Therefore, they too are responsible for part of this boom.

In Spain we mainly have lawns in private clubs, but lately we have seen more and more lawns constructed in hotels or other facilities that are open to the public. So now, if you are travelling and are not a member, you can play in Almeria (Valle del Este Croquet Club), Marbella (Villa Padierna Racquet Club), Cadiz (Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri, Villanueva Golf and Croquet Club, Sherry Golf Jerez, El Rosalejo Croquet Club, and La Fuensanta Croquet Club), in Huelva (Club Isla Canela Golf) and in the North of Spain in Asturias (Somio Club de Croquet). You can also go to the sunny Canary Islands and play in the Tenerife Club de Croquet!

So, if you want to enjoy croquet with a great climate in a friendly environment and wonderful food, come and enjoy playing in Spain!