Growing the CoCo community, one player at a time

We've been working for the last half-decade, give or take, to grow a large community of Scrabblers who believe in our mission. We're assembling a big, inclusive, democratic Scrabble organization that puts Collins players first. Building all of that from the ground up isn't necessarily easy - nor should it be - but we're plugging away at it and we're building, one player at a time.

This year in particular, we've really been working to roll out innovative new programs that can incentivize new players to come into the fold. We're really proud of the work we've done in this area. It's important to us because, as much as we enjoy the small local events we're holding now, we really put a premium on growing our player base and getting more and more people to enjoy CoCo events. The more growth, the better.

Just to quickly recap our catalog of new player incentive programs, here's the list:

Collins Newcomer Discounts: We've made a push this year to expand our newcomer discount offerings. We've always given players free entry to their first tournament, but now we're offering reduced rates for your first five, on a sliding scale - 100% off your first entry fee, 80% off your second, and so on, down to 20% off for your fifth tournament. We're hoping this will motivate players not just to dip a toe into the CoCo waters, but to jump in and swim for a while.

Refer-a-Friend Program: When you refer a friend to play a CoCo tournament, you both benefit. Your friend will receive free or discounted entry (see above), but you'll also get a $25 reward. And the rewards stack! If you refer five friends, that's $125 - enough to get you free entry at most tournaments.

CoCo Scrabble Access Fund: This one's not specifically aimed at new players, but it's certainly part of our push for greater diversity and accessibility in Scrabble. If your financial circumstances make it difficult for you to afford Scrabble tournament entry fees, you can apply for CoCo Scrabble Access Fund benefits - which can include free Premium Memberships and/or tournament entries.

We're hoping that, taken all together, this array of player benefits can make it easier for everyone out there to find CoCo events, enjoy them, keep coming back to them, and even tell their friends about them. As Jennifer eloquently put it back in February when we announced these expanded programs, we don't just want to make Scrabble more accessible for you - we want your friends and your mom and your neighbor and your barista to play, too.

I wanted to write this today to give an update and say - as we head down the home stretch of 2025, it's been exciting to see how well these programs have paid dividends this year. At all the CoCo events I've traveled to in person this year, I've heard players share their gratitude for everything we've done for Scrabble accessibility. This was especially the case at Word Cup, which was by far our most diverse tournament of the year in terms of bringing in CoCo loyalists and newbies alike. We had a significant number of players in St. Louis - as well as at other bigger events this year, like the Crescent City Cup in New Orleans - who were there (or were there more affordably) thanks to these programs. That means the programs are working just as intended. We're seeing new CoCo players, new CSW players, and even a few players who are new to Scrabble together. You love to see it all.

I've mentioned this a few times, but it bears repeating at this point: For a long time, the CoCo had exactly 20 players in it. We had 20 people at our first-ever event - the Hood River Open in February 2020 - and shortly after that, the pandemic forced us to shut everything down. We went more than a year and a half with only 20 names on our roster of rated tournament players, and it felt like we'd never have more.

It's nice to have those days behind us. A few months ago, we decupled that initial 20 and crossed the 200 mark, and we've only been climbing upward from there. At this writing, we're up to 219 players in the fold, and we're eager to keep growing further.

If you've joined us for a tournament at any point over the last five-plus years: We appreciate you. We're glad you're a part of our movement. We hope you stick around. And, hey: Tell your friends, your mom, your neighbor, and barista while you're at it. The more, the merrier.