Youth perspectives on the marketing of bridge emerge from BAMSA’s latest research. Building on our recent report on marketing bridge to different types of players, our new report highlights young players’ suggestions for the growth of youth bridge.

The report, titled “My grandma plays that”: Marketing and promotion of bridge to young people”, is based on interviews with 40 young bridge players aged 13 to 31 across seven countries: Scotland, England, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, India, and the United States.

Beyond the common stereotype of bridge as an old people’s game, we found that many young people have simply never heard of bridge – in contrast with chess, which enjoys widespread name recognition even amongst non-players.

We suggest that this lack of prior knowledge is not a barrier, but indeed an opportunity. Since a fair proportion of young people do not perceive bridge as an old people’s game, there is ample room to craft new marketing messages and attract young people to the mindsport bridge.

The young players offered a range of practical suggestions for the revitalisation of bridge:

• Low barriers to entry, low pressure, and enjoyment over mastery
• Community, socialisation, and peer-led initiatives (with food as incentive)
• Local and plentiful events, combined with the ability to travel
• In-person play as default supplemented with online offerings
• More modern digital platforms and resources for both play and learning

The report concludes with ten recommendations (see pages 24-26), calling for a multifaceted approach that addresses both the public image of bridge and the practicalities of youth outreach, from the quality of introductory sessions through to the accessibility of clubs, events, and digital resources.

Click here to read the full report