Let’s talk about the future of shooting.
Shooting isn’t and shouldn’t be a taboo subject.
Shooting, whether that be shotgun, rifle or pistol, is an Olympic sport. It’s had a home in both the Olympics and Commonwealth since 1896 and 1966 respectively.
During these types of competition, you can find shooting on the red button (if we’re lucky) or stream it online through the chosen broadcaster.
How can we promote our sport to the wider world if we don’t have a platform to share it on?
As a sport, we need to continue to evolve and rejuvenate in order to find new ways of promoting the sport and influencing future generations of shooters.
But why is this so important? We don’t just need to focus on advertising our sport, we have to break down stereotypes and as a result, re-establish the look and feel of the shooting sports.
Now, this all sounds great in theory, but it has stumped many organisations. How can we do all of this if people aren’t ready to receive the information yet?
With the cost of living also on the rise, sport can be treated as a luxury instead of a form of self-care and wellbeing. It’s increasingly being put aside so finances can be used on necessities.
This puts the shooting sport even more on a back foot, right? Wrong.
Despite people reallocating funds so they can prioritise living costs, they are using what money they have left after living expenses on fun experiences. But how does this help the shooting sport?
Meet Clays Bar. A fun, interactive clay shooting experience in the heart of London. It’s also a cocktail bar, what’s not to love?!
The team behind Clays have not only taken the shooting sport and turned it into an interactive game, but they have venues in locations with a huge population yet the shooting sports have little to no influence over - the centre of London.
Not only is gamification one of the most talked about developmental techniques we can use in sport, Clays has now shown the potential of gamification as part of outreach work and in a sense, recruitment.
Since opening in November 2021, Clays have welcomed tens of thousands of people through their doors, most of which have never tried shooting before, meaning it's a great way to get started in clay shooting.
As a brand, Clays have taken huge strides towards supporting the shooting sports, from supporting athletes and British Shooting events, to running promotions whereby winners are taken to try clay shooting in its true form!
I get asked a lot, ‘how can I get into clay shooting?’ and now I can offer people a new, fun and engaging option, which is affordable and high-vibe, which will help people fall in love with our sport more quickly than ever before.
Clays have packaged shooting into an experience that people didn’t know they wanted.
It really is a fantastic gateway to shooting.