How to run a collegiate esports club: roles, scheduling, and recruiting

Write down who does what before you need it. A typical club has a president, a treasurer, one or more team managers, coaches or captains for each game, and players. Each role should have a short list of things they can decide and things they can see.

• Officers run the club, budget, and school relationship.
• Team managers own each roster and schedule.
• Captains and coaches run practice and lineups.
• Players manage their own availability and profile.

A predictable week is the biggest single thing that improves attendance. Fix standing practice slots per team, keep one day for scrims, and leave one for rest. Publish the season calendar early, then add match days as leagues confirm them.

Exams, breaks, and travel are predictable, so put them on the calendar at the start of the term and record players' availability exceptions in advance. This removes most last-minute cancellations.

Keep a simple pipeline: prospect, contacted, tryout, offer, joined. Record where each person came from and what you learned at the tryout. When next year's recruiter takes over, the notes are the most valuable thing you hand off.

Track club-owned equipment (headsets, capture cards, jerseys) and every expense against a team. Schools and sponsors ask for this, and it is far easier to record as you go than to reconstruct at the end of the year.

The best test of your setup is whether a new president could take over in an afternoon. Keep one system of record for rosters, schedules, recruiting notes, and expenses, and give ownership to a role rather than a person. When someone graduates, transfer the role.