Many stores offer regular weekly tournaments complete with sanctioning and Champion Packs, but don’t provide a weekly League. If you want a League, you’re going to have to persuade your local store to run one—and if that’s the position you’re in, today is your lucky day. I’m going to show you how to accomplish that!

Let’s start with the basic, easy, first step.

Pipe Up and Ask

Hobby store owners have only a certain amount of time (and energy) to devote to running in-store events. They have to balance their event schedule carefully in order to fit in all the different games they want to support, and many prefer to run events only on days that they think will draw the biggest crowds (like Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). In order for them to consider running a program like a Hobby League, they need to know that some of their existing customers are interested in coming. Otherwise they risk wasting time, effort, and a little bit of money promoting events that may not draw players.

The key words here are “ask” and “express interest.” Be polite when you speak to whoever’s running the show, and don’t make demands. Putting things in business terms can often help things progress, and it’s a lot better to say something like, “UDE has a great Hobby League program that could get more people into the store” instead of, “If you don’t run a Hobby League, I’m going to go buy all my packs across town!” A Hobby League is a win-win situation for the store and the players, and there’s nothing wrong with presenting the idea from a business angle.

Demonstrating sufficient interest could be a matter of a few people doing so face to face, but you can also get players to sign a loose petition if need be. The latter is nice because it shows a quick tally of the people that the Hobby League will be attracting right from its inception. Again, be positive. “We’d be excited to come to the store to participate in this, and some of my friends would be too,” sounds a lot better than, “Meet our demands! Give us a League!”

Know Some Details

Okay, so your hobby store’s staff is open to the idea of running a League. Some are going to know what that entails, and already have an understanding of how to order kits and run one. However, many won’t, and that’s where knowing a few pieces of info can really come in handy. Here’s what the owner should know, and what you should be prepared to pass along:

— The Yu-Gi-Oh! Hobby League is designed as a casual play alternative to competitive tournaments. This attracts some tournament players, but will also hit other demographics who might not care for a highly competitive environment. Store owners like this because it means they can draw kids and collectors to their establishment—two groups who want to buy product, and who might not attend tournaments.

— League kits are all-inclusive. For a nominal licensing fee the League operator receives exclusive promo cards, t-shirts, and other incentives that players can’t get anywhere else. The kits themselves include information on how to run the League, but since the emphasis is on casual participation, the store owner can shape the League experience to fit his or her needs. Have some examples ready—Leagues could be run as mini-tournaments each week, or could instead be run as “free play” periods where duels and wins are tracked and rewarded.

— The kits are inexpensive and easy to order. If the store already has a direct account with Upper Deck, then they can order League kits in the same way they’d order any other product.

If you go into the discussion with some information ready to go (especially on the above three topics), it’s much easier for the store to make an informed decision. Hopefully, they make one in your favor!

Offer to Help Out

Even though the Yu-Gi-Oh! Hobby League is easy to run, it’s pretty open-ended, and that can mean that store owners might not know where to begin laying out their League operations. Free play or tournaments? Should scores carry over from each session until the end of the month? Should promo cards be given at registration each time a new kit comes in, awarded at the end of the kit’s lifespan, or given for particular play or attendance achievements? All of these questions can stump a hobby store owner who’s dealing with a lot of other issues, and what looks like a set of simple decisions might seem daunting or complicated from the store’s perspective.

So offer to help out. Give a general invitation for assistance, and then make more specialized offers. You can help the store owner figure out how to run the League, how to distribute prizes, or even volunteer to use part of your League time helping new and younger players with their decks. You can judge and provide rulings, or even be the one who doles out the swag if the store lets you. Even better, if you’re in high school and happen to live in a province or state that requires mandatory volunteer work or community service, you can frequently get it by volunteering at a League. Hey, it’s donating your time to work with kids and help them better their math and reasoning skills—no one ever said you had to spend your 40 hours scraping raccoons off of the highway.

No matter how active you are in helping out with the League, you’ll probably still get some time to play, and once things get going, you can share the responsibilities with other volunteers. In addition, many store owners will happily reward you with some of the League incentives in return for your efforts, so it’s not like you’re giving up your shot at all the sweet stuff. If you’ve ever wanted to enter the judge program but haven’t really known how, this is a good start.

It’s Up To You

Hobby stores exist to provide a service to you, and in doing so they earn a profit. You want the service, the store wants the customers, and a Hobby League can be the perfect win-win situation for both. If there isn’t a League in your area, you might be surprised at how willing your local game store owner might be to attend to your gaming needs, once he or she knows that there’s an interest. By demonstrating that interest to the owner and giving a little bit of effort, you can have a League in your store within a month’s time. It’s a fast process, and once it’s in motion, good attendance will keep it running right along.

It’s common enough to find people who will complain about something they don’t have, so if you find yourself in that position, stop and think. Do you know a store that has the facilities to run a League? Are there people who will go? Shift all that valuable complaining energy to “do something about it” energy, and you might be surprised at what you can accomplish. Talk to the stores, seek support from your fellow players, and get yourselves a League!