The World Croquet Federation launched their new website over the weekend. The best features include a rotating photo slideshow near the top of the hope page and a deeper list of new items alongside. Most importantly, the news items now generate unique URLs that can be direct linked. Now instead of posting full WCF statements, I'll be excerpting and linking.
Some the weaknesses include that list of news items which does not take into account tablet or phone use as the links are very tight. It's a challenge to hit the right link with your finger. The lack of an RSS feed is a big minus and a very common disease in the croquet world. As the site is Joomla based, it would seem to be an easy fix. Overall, I'd give the effort a "C."
To get an idea on where that fits in the world of croquet sites, here is my list of top association sites:
Croquet Ireland: A
Great design, with photos very representative of the sport above the fold and along the entire right column. News channel shows above the fold and there is an RSS feed. These guys are doing it right.
South Africa: B
Very professional looking site on par with Ireland's site. The only downside is no RSS feed for news. URLs for stories may be off as well.
Croquet Association: B-
The Croquet Association generates quite a bit of content and provides an RSS feed. They even update photos on a relatively frequent basis. The only downside would be that the look is a bit dated. This is a very deep site with lots of resources.
Scottish Croquet Association: C+
This is a recently re-designed site with an attractive magazine-style look. This would go up a full-letter grade if they added an RSS feed.
Croquet New Zealand: C
CNZ re-designed recently as well and is going all in on social media with a Twitter account with on-site feed and a YouTube channel. The look is pretty modern, but it is unclear as to whether or not theire is a a true news channel which could be why there is no RSS feed.