How to Increase Youth Sports Participation (and why it matters)

After a large decline during COVID, youth sports participation is back on the rise.

But overall, participation is still down compared to pre-pandemic levels. And even worse, the United States has a less-than-stellar report card when it comes to youth physical activity.

Participating in sports has been found to increase both physical and mental health among children. In fact, a recent study shows that 58.4% of parents found that their child’s mental health greatly improved as a result of involvement in sports. And, 71% cited improved social well-being.

Unfortunately, 27% of parents reported that their child lost interest in playing sports all together.

As a coach or trainer, you can play an important role as a motivator, and can help facilitate positive relationships with sports that keep young people active throughout life stages.

Here are a few ideas to help you cultivate positive experiences at your business that encourage youth sports participation.

The first step: determine how to motivate your athletes

Success requires motivation. Sports are no exception. Improving youth sports participation starts with motivating your athletes. First, it is important that you find out how they are motivated. Are they intrinsically motivated, fueled by a love for the game and to see what they can do? Or, are they more extrinsically motivated, driven by trophies or recognition. There is no right or wrong form of motivation. But, it’s important to distinguish, as this should influence the way you work with your athletes.

3 ways to increase youth sports participation

1. Keep training fun

For many athletes, especially young ones, they want to play. They want to compete. They want to be the best. But, as you know better than anyone, there is a lot of consistent hard work and preparation that leads up to these moments. While training won’t always live up to the “hype” of competitions, there are ways you can make it more exciting, where athletes look forward to showing up to your facility.

So, how can you keep training fun? Explain the importance of drills. Show athletes how these movements or skills can really benefit them in competition, and improve their gameplay. In addition, you could consider adding a little healthy competition in practice. For example, if you operate a baseball hitting academy, host a “home run derby,” posting a leaderboard in the facility. Not only will their athletes get reps in, but it will help them find fun in practice.

Bonus tip: you can share some of these fun challenges on your social media platforms. Check out this article for more social media content ideas for your sports training business.

2. Give feedback (and celebrate small wins)

In addition to making the training fun, it’s also important that you provide athletes with empowering, motivating feedback. Feedback, both positive and negative, is essential to athlete development. But, it also has a great effect on a child’s experience with their sport.

Celebrating little victories and giving praise is essential to keeping athletes motivated. For young athletes who may just be getting introduced to a specific sport, it’s important to find positive ways to give feedback. As an athlete continues to develop, you can continue to offer constructive comments to help them fine tune a specific skill or refine their technique. There are times to dig into your athletes, and there are times to uplift them. A great strength is recognizing when and where each are appropriate.

For more tips on giving effective athlete feedback and evaluations, check out the Ultimate Guide to Effective Feedback & Evaluations here!

3. Make it easy to get involved

Another way to help increase youth sports participation is to make it easy for parents to register their athletes for various programs. Using a youth sports software will help you reduce barriers to entry and make it easy for athletes to find the program, lesson, or camp that is the right fit for their age, skill level, or position. The best scheduling app for coaches will make it easy for potential athletes to get information on your offerings so they are able to make the most informed decisions.

A poor user experience, or complicated scheduling process will ultimately lead to athletes taking their business elsewhere. Or, even worse, giving up on sports all together. Investing in a sports facility booking app will help you streamline your business operations. As a result, you’ll be able to invest your time and energy into creating inspiring and motivating programs that improve not only a child’s athletic skill, but their physical and mental well-being.

Bonus tip: With features such as auto-renewing memberships or repeat bookingsports software such as Upper Hand can make it even easier for your clients to make sports training a consistent part of their lives. Here’s what to look for in a sports management software..

What’s next?

As more and more life is found online, sports remain a great way to keep children active and connected. And, as a sports business owner and coach, you have an incredible opportunity to influence a child’s experience with sports.

Athletes exist on a spectrum. Some are in search of friends or an energy outlet. Others are looking to make it to the big leagues. No matter where your athletes fall, you can keep sports training fun and exciting. By keeping your programming fun, feedback positive, and business accessible, you can continue to encourage young athletes to stay involved in sports.

Click here to read the original article!

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Sports Office Resources- Club Capital

What Services Does Club Capital Offer?

Industry-Specific Tax Services:

Club Capital’s Tax Services help clubs navigate complex compliance regulations, prepare and file tax returns, and avoid costly penalties. With experience and knowledge in non-profit and for-profit taxes, our team can ensure your organization remains compliant while maximizing your tax benefits.

CFO Services:

Should you hire another coach? Should you start a winter program or a summer clinic? Will my club have enough cash to run until fall registration? As club directors/board members, these are the questions you ask yourself every day, and our CFO services will help you determine how these decisions will impact your club’s future success.

Monthly Accounting:

Take away the guesswork and empower your club with monthly financial reports and quarterly meetings designed with your dedicated account manager to help your club achieve its goals.

Interested in learning more? Check out the Club Capital website HERE

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Protecting Your Athletes: Staying Vigilant Against Social Media Scams

In today’s digital age, social media has become an integral part of our lives, connecting people from all walks of life, including youth athletes. However, with the rise of social media, there has also been an alarming increase in scams targeting these young talents. As a parent, coach, or organizer involved in the sports community, it’s essential to educate ourselves and our young athletes about the dangers of social media scams and how to stay safe online.

Understanding the Threat: What Are Social Media Scams?

Social media scams encompass a wide range of fraudulent activities that exploit individuals’ trust and naivety. Scammers often create fake profiles, pages, or events that appear legitimate, targeting youth athletes with promises of scholarships, sponsorships, or opportunities to enhance their athletic careers. These scams can lead to financial losses, identity theft, and emotional distress.

Red Flags to Look Out For

  1. Too Good to Be True Offers: Scammers often dangle offers that seem too good to pass up, such as full scholarships to prestigious universities or lucrative sponsorship deals. Encourage your young athletes to verify the authenticity of such offers through official channels.
  2. Urgent Requests for Personal Information: Scammers may ask for sensitive information like social security numbers, bank account details, or passwords. Remind your athletes never to share such information online.
  3. Poor Grammar and Spelling: Many scams originate from non-native English speakers, resulting in poorly written messages. If a message seems suspicious due to its language quality, it’s wise to be cautious.
  4. Request for Payment: Legitimate opportunities rarely require upfront payment. If a supposed opportunity demands money in exchange for promises, it’s likely a scam.
  5. High-Pressure Tactics: Scammers might create a sense of urgency to coerce young athletes into making hasty decisions. Advise them to take their time and consult with trusted adults before committing to anything.

Tips for Prevention

  1. Educate Your Athletes: Organize workshops or discussions on social media safety to ensure that young athletes understand the risks and can identify potential scams.
  2. Verify Profiles: Teach your athletes to verify profiles and organizations before engaging. Genuine entities will have a strong online presence and a history of interactions.
  3. Use Privacy Settings: Encourage your athletes to set their social media profiles to private and control who can access their information.
  4. Two-Step Verification: Enable two-step verification on their social media accounts to add an extra layer of security.
  5. Trust Instincts: Emphasize the importance of trusting their instincts. If something feels off, they should distance themselves from the situation.

Reporting Scams

If your young athlete encounters a potential scam, make sure they know how to report it to the respective social media platform. Prompt reporting can prevent others from falling victim to the same trap.

In conclusion, as a part of the virtual sports management community, it’s our responsibility to arm our young athletes with knowledge about social media scams. By educating them about the red flags, prevention methods, and reporting procedures, we can help ensure their online safety while they pursue their dreams. Together, let’s create a digital environment where young athletes can thrive without the fear of falling prey to scams.

Always be sure to reach out to your social media support lines to report and aid in removing social media scams:

Twitter Support

Facebook Support

Instagram Support

Want to stay in the loop? Follow us on our socials!

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How to Get a Youth Sports Team Sponsorship

Did you know that youth sports teams can obtain sponsorships just like professional teams? Check out some tips on how to start the process for your club below inspired by LeagueApps!

1. Define Your Team’s Goals and Needs

What is it you’re trying to achieve by securing a sports team sponsorship? What areas do you need support in? Consider equipment, uniforms, travel expenses, and coaching fees as a place to start. 

2. Create a Sports Team Sponsorship Proposal

Potential sponsors are more likely to engage with your idea if you outline why it will be beneficial for them. Include where there name would be featured, information about your team, your team’s achievements, the demographics of your target audience (who comes to watch games), and how the sponsor’s brand will gain visibility through your team’s games and activities.

3. Identify Potential Sponsors

Create a list of local businesses or organizations that align with your team’s values, mission, or target audience.  Consider local sports stores, restaurants, healthcare providers, or companies with community involvement programs. You can also approach larger corporations with a local presence. Collaborating with parents of your players can be a great way to tap into the businesses that parents go to or are even connected to—they can help facilitate introductions and provide referrals.

4. Make Contact

Reach out to your potential sponsors with a well-crafted email (this can be templatized to make the process easier) or by visiting them in person. Don’t forget to introduce yourself and your team, express your interest in establishing a sponsorship relationship, and be clear about the benefits and what their support will do for your team.

If you don’t hear back immediately, don’t get discouraged. Politely follow-up via email or make a phone call. Persistence and professionalism without seeming impatient can make a difference.

5. Offer Different Sponsorship Levels

Create a range of sponsorship options to cater to different budgets and needs. For instance, you can have different tiers of sponsorship with varying benefits, such as logo placement on uniforms, banners, or promotional material.

6. Provide Exposure for Sponsors

Show your potential sponsors how you plan to give them visibility and acknowledgement—like logos on team uniforms, on your website, your social media, and in other ways at events. You can even promote their brand during games by selling their product or hanging a banner.

7. Build Relationships

Remember: sponsorship is not just about financial support, it’s about building long-term relationships. Treat your sponsors like partners and provide them with regular updates on your team’s progress and community involvement. Don’t forget to express gratitude and recognize their contributions when your team experiences successes.

8. Explore Crowdfunding or Fundraising Events

Consider organizing fundraising events or setting up crowdfunding campaigns to supplement your sponsorship efforts. By using LeagueApps E-commerce features, you can easily connect donations right within your registration flow. You can also share the links to your listings with their family, friends, and community to encourage donations for their favorite young athlete’s team.

Securing sponsorships takes time and effort. Tailor your approach to each potential sponsor when possible and don’t forget to make them feel valued in the partnership! 

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The 7 Day Registration Checklist

Building a registration form can be difficult, especially if you’re doing so by yourself. Check out our 7-Day checklist inspired by TeamSnap!

1. Find a Good Platform

Finding a good platform to set up your registration is the most important step in staying organized. A good platform will allow you to collect as many data points as you need, collect a payment, and track all the happenings of who is registering and when. Getting a good system in place will save you a lot of time and effort in the end!

2. Find out what needs to be recorded

Data is the quintessential piece to your registration setup. Without the appropriate information, you’ll get disorganized and things will start to fall apart. It’s important to take some time to think about what you may need to do with the data in the future and set out some of the major data points you need to be recorded.

3-4. Begin building your form

Once you have found a good foundation and set some time aside to take notes on your registration fields, it’s time to get to work building it out. Take some extra time to really make sure that you hit every point when building this out. Incomplete or difficult registration will only make the lives harder for yourself, coaches, volunteers, players, and parents. Building something simple and easy for parents to complete is the ideal goal when formatting. There is no need for anything too flashy on the registration side of things.

5. Run Through Tests

Now that your registration form is complete, have yourself and a few others run some tests. You may find you missed a data point or find you want to add or remove certain items. You also want to make sure someone other than yourself can run through these tests to get a good outside perspective on the ease of the process.

6. Begin Marketing

After the registration building process is complete, you aren’t done yet. Marketing your program is just as important as the initial setup. Marketing your program can be done either through social media, email marketing, flyers, or whatever your preferred method may be. The more your program is marketed, the more traction it’s going to get.

7. Launch, Promote, and Track

You’ve built out your registration, marketed it, and now it’s time to launch. Once your registration is active, it’s not time to slow down. You’ll want to keep active on things, especially in the first few days to make sure everything is running smoothly. Keeping a watchful eye on things as time passes will help you prepare for the actual program you run. This will also give you a good idea of things you may want to change in the future the next time you set up your registration!

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New Financial Tools in Sports Engine

Sports Engine is releasign new financial tools. Need to know how they work? Check out the full breakdown including videos!

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How to be successful in online sport communication

As a sports enthusiast or professional the main way you engage with sports organizations and their content is likely online. Whether that be following your favorite team and sports stars on social media, browsing sports organizations’ websites, or listening to their podcasts.

The ways in which users want and expect to consume sports content is vast. That’s why before engaging in the numerous channels of online communication, sports organizations must consider the various factors which influence it and the essential components for success.

In this post, we explore said factors, adapted from Strategic Sport Communication. 

Model for online sport communication

Conceptualized by Kim Miloch of Texas Woman’s University, the Model for Online Sport Communication (MOSC) addresses the key factors which influence online sport communication and the elements required to be successful. The model takes into account all aspects of an organization’s online communication including its social media, mobile apps, and digital video content.

The MOSC highlights seven factors that it sees to be most pertinent: 

  1. Individuals’ level of involvement with the respective sport entity
  2. Individuals’ motives for internet use
  3. Content of the sports entity’s online media
  4. Design of the sports entity’s online media
  5. Performance of the sports entity’s online media
  6. Usability of the sports entity’s online media
  7. The commerce of the sports entity’s online media
Image from Strategic Sport Communication
Factors 1 and 2:
  1. Individuals’ level of involvement with the respective sport entity
  2. Individuals’ motives for internet use

The first and second components of the MOSC illustrate the role of people’s involvement with the sports entity and their motives for using the Internet. These components are presented first because they form the basis for individuals’ desires, needs, and expectations when visiting a sports entity’s online platforms. In other words, depending on the person’s needs, one of the remaining components may influence the effectiveness of the entity’s communication more than another component. For example, if someone desires to download a podcast, the performance and usability components of the model may be most pertinent to that person. If the podcast takes too long to download, the individual will not be satisfied, and the opportunity for effective and enhanced communication will be lost. In contrast, if someone visits a sports entity’s website to retrieve game statistics for a specific player, then the site’s content, design, and usability components are likely to be most important in the online communication process. This person will want the content quickly, and the website should easily lead him or her to the desired content through its design and usability.

Therefore, the influence of individual motives in the online sport communication process should not be overlooked. These motives influence people’s needs, and online sport communication should address those needs. The remaining five components of the model—factors three to seven—address the online needs of sports consumers. These five factors are not limited to websites; rather, in today’s ever-expanding technological environment, they also apply to other forms of online communication such as social media, digital videos, podcasts, and smartphone apps.

Factor 3: Content of the sports entity’s online media

The third component of the MOSC focuses on content. A sports entity’s digital communication should deliver content that not only meets users’ needs but also reflects positively on the mission and values of the organization. That said, users desire a range of content, and the sports entity should provide it quickly.

Factor 4: Design of the sports entity’s online media

The fourth component of the model reflects the importance of design in online sport communication. Whereas sports entities are bound by the design and interactivity features of social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, the design of their own website can influence user interaction. Interactivity differentiates online sport communication from other media and, when well enabled, can greatly enhance communication with sports consumers.

Factor 5: Performance of the sports entity’s online media

The fifth component of the MOSC focuses on the performance of online sport communication platforms and the importance of enabling users to access and download certain features in a timely manner. When sports entities rely on third parties to deliver their messages, it is incumbent upon the organization to choose partners that provide a consistent and reliable service. For example, if an organization has its own podcast, it may choose to make it available for download via its own website as well as through third-party applications such as iTunes or Stitcher. The organization must select these third-party applications carefully.

Factor 6: Usability of the sports entity’s online media

The sixth component involves usability—that is, people’s ability to use the features of the site to gather the desired sports information. If a sports entity’s communication mechanisms are not readily usable, communication becomes much more challenging, and the sports entity struggles to get its messages out to its public.

Factor 7: Commerce of the sports entity’s online media

The seventh and final component of the model focuses on commerce. The internet is not only a highly effective communication tool but also one with great potential to promote and market products; the role of online sport communication in marketing the entity is examined as part of this component.

Summary 

The components of the Model for Online Sport Communication are instrumental in cultivating high-quality communication and helping the sports entity develop an effective online presence. It is a model which will be useful for students and practitioners alike.

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Meet us at the United Soccer Coaches Convention!

The United Soccer Coaches Convention is back for another year, and we’ll be back in attendance! The USC will be held in Philadelphia this year on January 11-15, 2023. Want to learn more about the convention? CLICK HERE

What Can You Expect at USC 2023?

Only at the Convention can you attend sessions crafted with your coaching level and desired topics in mind. Presented by world-class presenters, our collection of over 200 lecture sessions and field demonstrations will offer every coach something to bring back to their own training sessions.

Build your network of support with coaches from across the country all in one location. The Convention features socials, meal functions, and award ceremonies that allow attendees to make lasting connections with other coaches and administrators.

Scope out the latest in uniforms, equipment, and technology by visiting our Exhibit Hall. Featuring vendors from all corners of the soccer landscape, attendees can meet with representatives, test out products, and find solutions to assist with daily coaching and administrative duties.

United Soccer Coaches administers an extensive award and recognition program designed to recognize excellence in soccer, academics, and service to the game. Coaches and players are recognized across both genders and all divisions.

The networking opportunities alone will make an impact on your career. You will create and build relationships with new, like-minded coaches and form friendships that will last a lifetime. You will also be able to meet up with coaching friends, colleagues, and contacts that you may only get to see once a year.

Why will Sports Office be Attending?

USC is a great way for us to meet you, and talk about your club, club needs, and more! Being in attendance allows us to market to new and existing clients as well as make presentations on what’s going on with our services! This also allows us to sit in on discussions and presentations on new technology, services, and ways for us to adapt to the ever-changing market. With new technological advancements, it allows us to learn new systems that best fit your club!

Interested in Meeting with Us?

Want to set up a time to meet with one of our staff, hear a presentation, or learn more about what we do? Reach out to us in one of the following ways!

Schedule a meeting

Shoot us an email: info@sportsoffice365.com

Give us a call: (443) 267-3100

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Capitals Season Preview- SO365 Opinion

The Washington Capitals are the officially supported team of Sports Office 365. With members of our staff supporting the hockey club for 20+ years and having worked in the organization: we take pride in our opinions and evaluations as fans.

Ovi Chases the Great One

Outside of another triumphant Stanley Cup victory, I think most Caps fans can agree that the main focus over the next few years is Ovechkin chasing Gretzky’s scoring record. Ovi will only need to score 29 more goals per season for the rest of his current contract to catch Gretzky. With each passing year comes another year of elite-level hockey taking a toll on his body. Thankfully for Ovi, he is a Russian Machine who tends to stay very healthy.

Sports Office Prediction: 35+ Goals in 2022-2023

An Aging Core with Young Flare

The Caps enter season as the second-oldest team in the league. With the core players, we have grown to love over the past many years reaching their final few seasons, the Caps are going to need to start relying on their young players. The Caps have a pretty good pipeline of prospects, but as we have seen, Coach Peter Laviolette is happy with the old core. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the lack of experience for younger players could be a bit of a wildcard. But, the season is still early, so I expect a steady rotation of players throughout the year.

Sports Office Prediction: Dylan Strome (25 Y/O) top 5 in Points on the team

Injuries, Injuries, and a few more Injuries

The Caps are in a very very tough spot at the moment with the number of injuries some star players are currently facing. Tom Wilson and Nick Backstrom are out indefinitely with some pretty severe injuries and off-season surgeries. Carl Hagelin may not return to the sport after suffering severe eye damage last year and suffering another injury before the season began. Newly acquired signing Connor Brown has just been placed on LTIR with an undisclosed lower-body injury that may require surgical repairs. And a few other Caps have been showing signs of age with some consistent minor injuries. While this could be a good chance for young guys to get in the lineup, missing the likes of Wilson and Brown long-term will be a huge blow.

Sports Office Prediction: Wilson to Return in February

Competing in a Fast League

I couldn’t tell you the last time the Capitals were known as a fast team. Unless the Caps copy and paste Kuznetsov 4 more times, we’ll consistently be a slower team. One thing the Caps do have that not a lot of other teams in the league have is a brutally physical game. The Caps have been pretty consistent in their game plan for just breaking down the opponent and hitting hard on the forecheck, but can that continue to work in a league becoming dominated by speed? Well, it depends. Playing against the superstars like McDavid and Makar will never be easy, for any team. The Caps can manage to beat the speed by just playing smart and physical in transition. The biggest holes will come from turnovers in the neutral zone and in the opponent’s zone. The Caps tend to get caught out in transition when players get caught below the goal line. If they’re able to keep their game physical and aggressive on the forecheck they can minimize the odd-man rushes. The Capitals are going to need to rely on physical play to help wear down their opponents.

Sports Office Prediction: Wild Card Spot 1- Hopeful playoff run

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Recruiting Volunteers for Youth Sports Programs: 4 Tips

Your club’s volunteers are essential to keeping your youth sports programs running smoothly. They’re the coaches, assistants, and other cheerleaders that create a positive experience for the young athletes in your community, helping kids develop lifelong skills and friendships. 

But as a park and recreation professional, it can be challenging to recruit enough qualified volunteers to help out. You must find individuals who not only want to support your programs but also have enough free time in their schedules to actually do so. 

In this post, we’ll highlight four effective tips for recruiting volunteers for your youth sports programs: 

  1. Reach out to a wide range of audiences. 
  2. Use a multichannel approach. 
  3. Share the benefits of participation. 
  4. Set volunteers up for success.

Effective volunteer recruitment starts with connecting with the right people using the right message. What does that look like in reality? Read on to learn more!

1. Reach out to a wide range of audiences. 

The first people you probably turn to recruit volunteers for your youth sports programs are the athletes’ parents and guardians. But as you know, these individuals are often busy and may not always be looking to take on the responsibility that comes with volunteering. 

Therefore, make sure your recruitment strategy is wide-ranging and inclusive to give parents a break and ensure you aren’t overlooking any enthusiastic potential volunteers. Target your recruiting efforts to reach: 

  • Past volunteers: This includes past coaches, assistants, concession workers, referees, and other supporters who might have let their involvement lapse. You never know who might be interested in coming back!
  • Former youth sports program participants: Depending on how long your program has operated, you might have program alumni who are willing to contribute their time to create a great experience for this generation’s athletes.
  • High school or college student volunteers: High school and college students are often looking for ways to get involved in the community to earn service hours. Volunteering in a youth sports program can be a fun way to earn these hours. 

While these individuals might be a highly receptive audience for your recruitment efforts, don’t leave parent/guardian recruitment out of the picture entirely! Caregivers are often excited to engage in their child’s sports journey, making them a perennially helpful audience to turn to.

2. Use a multichannel approach. 

You won’t be able to reach all prospective volunteers by marketing your opportunities on just one platform. Take a multichannel approach and pursue a variety of recruitment platforms, including: 

  • In-person: Recruit ahead for next season by talking with attendees at games and practices. 
  • Traditional advertising: Post recruitment ads in your local newspaper, create flyers to hang in popular areas such as your local library or create direct mail postcards to send to prospective volunteers. 
  • Online marketing: Use your social media pages and email newsletters to spread the word about open positions. 

Use each platform to reinforce your message, boosting the chances that your target audience members will see and engage with your outreach content. 

3. Share the benefits of participation. 

Although they won’t be getting paid, that doesn’t mean your sports program volunteers won’t receive anything from their volunteer efforts. Your recruitment marketing materials should highlight volunteering benefits, including opportunities to: 

  • Help youth members of the community thrive in a constructive environment.
  • Fulfill volunteer hour requirements for a club or class. 
  • Get to know more people in the community.
  • Access any special volunteer perks you offer, such as free concessions or appreciation gifts.
  • Potentially be able to contribute a monetary donation to your organization via a volunteer grant

These benefits might provide the motivation some individuals need to not only get involved but also stay involved in your program for years to come. 

4. Set volunteers up for success.

Your program’s volunteers won’t want to head into a new sports season feeling unprepared, especially your new volunteers who are participating for the first time. Ensure your recruitment materials describe the type of support volunteers will receive before the season starts, including: 

  • Training: Offer a thorough pre-season training session for new coaches and assistants. 
  • Equipment/supplies: Provide volunteers with training equipment, such as cones, pinnies for scrimmages, goals, whistles, clipboards, etc. 
  • Participant waivers: Offer an online waiver system for participants’ guardians to sign digitally, taking the stress of getting waivers signed off your volunteers’ shoulders. 

Be responsive to questions early on in the recruitment process. Also, once volunteers sign up, use your volunteer management software to offer them a streamlined scheduling process that makes it easier to know where to be and when to be there. 

Enthusiastic, empowered volunteers can make all the difference when it comes to running your youth sports program. Be sure to reach out to a diverse group of potential volunteers and equip them with the proper resources to succeed. 

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Preparing for a New Season- The Official GotSport Guide

GotSport is a tool used all across the country to get teams carded and ready for another year of competition. GotSport is an essential tool in the mixed bag of running a sports organization. But, this tool becomes more complicated when you’re using an external registration platform. Whether a new club admin or volunteer or a season GotSport Vet; sometimes you run into problems and need a refresher. At Sports Office 365, we know how daunting GotSport can be at times. We’re helping out clubs by sharing the official GotSport article to help prepare you for a new season in GotSport! In the section below, you’ll find helpful tips, tricks, and direct links to GotSport articles.

Steps to Prepare for Season Transition if Using a Non-GotSport System for Registration

21/22 to 22/23 Transition FAQ: 

Will I have to create new teams? No, you can register your same existing teams to your league and adjust your rosters accordingly. 

What can I expect if I am uploading players to the system? 

You should have three different types of scenarios. Here is an FAQ for each scenario: 

Scenario One –  Players that played in my club last season: 

  •  As long as Affiliation, First Name, Last Name, DOB (with correct date format in the file), parent name, and email are the same; any other information will just update. 
  •  You may end up with a duplicate player profile in your player list if your file has a different name, gender, or DOB than the player that is already in your club’s player list in the system. If for some reason the data does not match, you can update the player profiles to match your spreadsheet or update your spreadsheet to match the player profile and reupload. 

Scenario Two –  Players that are brand new to the GotSport system: 

  • These players should upload and accounts will be created as long as you have the required columns in your file. 

Scenario Three – Players that are currently in the GotSport system, but played for a different organization last season: 

  • Data from the GotSport system matches your spreadsheet (Affiliation, First Name, Last Name, DOB, Gender). This will create a role for that player in your club, and you should see them in your Club Management Players list. 
  • If a parent does not get added to the player, it is because the parent email already exists in the system to someone else. 

What can I expect when adding coaches or managers to my club? 

You should have three different scenarios when adding coaches or managers to your club. Here is an FAQ for each scenario. 

Scenario One – Coaches/Managers who have a GotSport account already: 

  • If you are uploading, As long as the First Name, Last Name, and Email in your file match what is on their existing account, the coach/manager will be added to your club. 
  • If you are manually searching/adding these coaches and managers, and their First Name, Last Name, and Email matches the information you are searching for, you will be prompted to send a Role Request Approval email. If you search the additional optional information (Date of Birth, and Zip Code) you can bypass the email request and add them directly. 
  • If you have all the required information, you can bypass the email request by adding them directly to a team. This will give them the coach or manager role in your club. To do this, go to Club Management – Teams – Click on a team – Click Roster – Click coach or manager – search by First Name, Last Name, and email. 

Scenario Two – Coach or Manager does not have a GotSport Account: 

  • An account will get created for them via the upload or you will create the account for them if added manually. 

Scenario Three: The addition of a coach or manager fails because the email/user ID is already taken. 

  • This means there is an account in the system that already has the email that you are trying to add them with and the account does not match the first or last name. 
  • You can try to search for different variations of their name (Ex. Mat, Matt, or Matthew). 
  • Check your player’s list for that email. Make sure the player’s email is set in the contact email and try again. 
  • Add the coach/manager with a different email/userid and attach the email you have in their “contact email” box. 

Logging In and Adding Admins  

Account Login: See how to create and login to your GotSport User Account 

Create Club Administrators:  Adding Administrators 

Adding/Editing user title: Add a Title To A Club User 

  • This is a new requirement for all Admin users from last season

Editing an Admins Permissions: Editing an Admins Permissions 

  • Important when separating tasks/what is available in your User’s admin accounts if you would like to limit permissions/access.

Locating Required Governing Body Forms: Locating Required Governing Body Forms 

  • Any form made available for you from your governing organizations. For example Affiliation/Transfer Forms

General Club Management 

Players/Coaches/Managers 

Archive Players previous year players

Uploading players to your club- Note that if you do not include a competitive level or affiliation, you will not see your players initially after you upload and will need to adjust the filters on your player list for them to appear.

Any previously archived players that were uploaded will return to the active player list as long as their uploaded information matches the existing player profile that was archived.

Manually Creating a Player 

  • If you are manually creating players, use the existing player information and login from the previous season to avoid creating unnecessary duplicates
  • Search the player’s DOB, First Name, and Last Name to see if an account exists.  If yes, then add in the email and postal code to bypass the role approval process and directly add the player.
  • If a player does not appear when searching with additional fields (email, postal code), then the email or postal code data that was searched does not match what is listed on the player’s account.

Adding a Player Photo 

  • The player photo from the previous season will appear on the profile by default.  If it needs to be updated, follow the steps in the link above to add a new one while removing the old one.

Add Documents to a Player 

  • If needed for any reason, proof of birth document can be added to a player with the steps above.

Coaches 

Archive Coaches

Coach Upload 

Creating Coaches 

Managers 

Archive Managers

Manager Upload 

Creating Managers 

Duplicate Coach, Manager, and Player User Check – If duplicate player/coach/manager accounts have been created unintentionally, these can be merged as long as the first name, last name, gender and DOB match on both profiles 

Teams  

Archive Teams (If wish to)

Resetting the team player list

Creating a Team Account– When creating a team, set the team age to what the team age is the time of creation, not the next seasonal year’s age.

Team Lock

Roster Lock

Hiding Player List

Team ages do not need to be changed manually.  When the new season begins on August 1, all team ages will update automatically in the system.  If a team age is manually changed, the system will then have the team “age up” again on August 1 and the age will be incorrect.

If Team Rosters are the same from the previous season with minor changes

Team Rosters Starting from Scratch – 

DO NOT CLONE AT ALL – Players From the Previous Season will be removed during the next steps

When you’ve completed building your teams, sync your team rosters – When you sync your rosters, any players that are not on any current or upcoming event roster will automatically be removed from the team.

Printing off Official Rosters and Player Passes

Click here for the full article on the GotSport website

Feeling overwhelmed by GotSport? Reach out to us today for assistance! We are industry experts in GotsSport and in getting your club carded and ready for another season.

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Valuing Volunteers

With the exception of 2020, which wiped out youth sports, one of my favorite moments each year is reviewing the final applications from the NAYS volunteer coach- and parent-of-the-year nominations. Applications come in from around the world from member organizations on almost every U.S. military installation that organizes youth sports.

Recognizing volunteers has always been one of the top priorities of youth-sports administrators. It is always on top of the list when we survey members about the best ways to attract more volunteers to programs. I don’t know of a better way to recognize volunteers than with awards that shine a spotlight on all the hard work and effort they put into programs in their communities.

Reading about the moms and dads who spend hours before, during, and even after a season concludes is truly inspiring. I think about the military mom who won the Parent of the Year award a couple years back. A number of her children were enrolled in sports, and she took on the responsibility of coaching because many of the other parents were active duty and could not dedicate the time. The fact that she not only coached her own team of 7- and 8- year-olds, but also acted as a team mom for another team because of a lack of parents available, made her an easy selection. I think of a Coach of the Year recipient from a number of years ago who had contracted a flesh-eating virus, lost both of his hands and legs, and still returned to coach kids in a basketball league. And he’s still coaching today.

I also think of my own coaches and team moms from many years ago. Instead of going home from work, these hard-working men and women volunteered their time to work on drills with me and my teammates, and then would sit in the parking lot until dark discussing game strategy and line-ups. I didn’t appreciate it back then, but I sure do now.

These are the people who truly make youth sports operate. Just think about that for a second. If we had to pay these individuals for their true value, consider how much youth-sports participation would cost in this country. You really don’t have to wonder; just look to the school system and see what it costs to have qualified, caring individuals in charge of our children’s education. It truly is astounding when you think about it.

What’s even more astounding is not every organization we work with actually takes the time to participate in the award program. Of course, there is only one winner for each category nationally, but that doesn’t limit the impact that can be made locally. One doesn’t need a national award to make an impact. We encourage all organizations to give multiple awards during the season. A weekly or even a mid-season event, where volunteers can be nominated and recognized, can have a tremendous impact on a program and show volunteers they are valued and appreciated for their efforts. Plus, if recreation leaders are going to submit a nomination for an annual award or a national award, they have already done all the work.

We have always stressed to administrators that volunteers should be regarded as employees. Part of that process is screening to ensure you have only the best people with the best intentions; monitoring and recognizing those individuals is the best way to ensure volunteers will be willing to show up when the next season rolls around. Plus, what better way is there to inspire the next wave of parents who will be joining the program?

Click here for the original article

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Capitals Rundown- 3 Game Series

The Washington Capitals were heading into their series with the Florida Panthers as the biggest underdogs next to the Nashville Predators. Nobody really thought the Caps could get out of this series, some didn’t even see the Caps getting a win. Despite only seeing about a minute of game time from Tom Wilson this series as well as a goaltending change, the Capitals have the series tied at 2-2 going back to the Sunshine State.

How can the Capitals close this series?

A series tied 2-2 with the President’s Trophy-winning Panthers is nothing short of incredible. On paper, the Panthers are very reminiscent of the Capitals of yesteryear. A painfully strong, young core. Veteran Leadership, star-studded goaltending, and very fast, physical play. The Caps have managed to handle that pretty well, despite being one of the oldest teams in the league.

Perhaps one of the biggest points of success the Capitals are finding is by playing some of their best defense all year. Going into the series, Coach Peter Laviolette knew how to weather that dangerous Florida attack. By sitting back and sitting in a 1-3-1 defensive shape, the Caps are limiting clean zone entries and causing turnovers in the neutral zone. Along with strong, even strength play, the Cap’s penalty kill remains perfect among one of the deadliest power plays in the league this year.

To continue giving themselves a chance, the Cap’s are going to need to continue to be strong in a few areas:

  • Physical Play- Even without Tom Wilson, the Caps have matched the intense and forbearing physical play by the Panthers. If they allow them to begin to dictate physicality, the Caps are going to slip down a slope they don’t want to go down.
  • Solid Goaltending- Ilya Samsonov relieved Vitek Vanecek of his duties after the 5-1 loss in game 2. Since then, Samsonov has been playing his most consistent hockey of the year and seems to be playing with a lot of confidence.
  • Continue to limit the rush- The Caps Blue Liners have done outstanding to limit odd-man rushes this series so far. If they slip up on that front or start getting caught up too much, the Panthers will attack with pace and punish them.
  • Finish the chances- there have been several times throughout this series now, either through lack of focus or bad luck, that the Caps have missed fantastic, high danger chances. If they can bury goals on Bobrovsky, they’ll continue to run away with it.
  • Stay Calm and Focused- Perhaps the biggest point here is to just keep playing Capitals Hockey. It’s a 2-2 series and the Capitals have shown they have all the power to knock out Florida. Game 4’s Overtime loss could have been avoided, but it’s happened and now they need to move on. Everyone on that roster knows their talents and if they remain calm and confident, they can knock out the Cats.

The Capitals are heading back to Miami to face the Panthers in what’s sure to be a loud game 5 away from home. If the Capitals can steal a win in this next game, they set themselves up in a fantastic position to close out on home ice.

Our Game 5 Predictions:

Jamie- 4-2 Capitals Victory

Zac- 3-2 Capitals Victory

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The importance of budgeting and managing finances in youth-sports programs

All league administrators should have a budget in place before taking a single registration. The budget should estimate revenue and expenses and separate them as individual line items. Estimate revenue low and expenses high in order to provide for some margin of error. Once the budget is set, keep the spending within the budget unless there is additional revenue that might justify additional spending.

A budget serves as all of the following:

  • Operations guide: A budget will dictate how to operate a league based on anticipated revenue and expenses. It will explain how the organization is divided by roles and how they operate.
  • Financial plan: Sound budgeting will keep finances in order and identify any areas where you can fine-tune spending or save money. It should show sources of revenue and allocated expenses.
  • Communications device: A budget provides an understanding for others in a league or the overall organization as to the forecasted revenue and the plan to allocate funds for expenses. It helps stakeholders understand why only certain funds are used for certain expenses.

The purpose of a budget is to allocate resources to achieve financial goals and objectives. If a league or organization is large enough to be separated into departments, each department will have its own budget with the total contributions to the organization’s annual operating budget. A budget should be divided into line items that reflect every aspect of an operation:

  • Staffing and referees
  • Rent/lease/ownership expenses
  • Operating supplies
  • Jerseys and uniforms
  • Equipment
  • Awards
  • Concessions
  • Repair and maintenance
  • Marketing/promotion
  • Background screening
  • Facility improvements
  • Training
  • Insurance.

Budget categories are based on the league’s operation and should be flexible and monitored regularly. Here are five ways to manage a budget and finances:

Breakeven: Find the breakeven point to determine how much revenue you have to bring in to sustain the league. If the only source of revenue is participant registrations, then simply figure out how many participants are needed to run the program. If you have significant revenue in sponsorships, concession sales, etc., include that so you are not dependent on participation alone.

Cost recovery: Similar to the breakeven, cost recovery goes one step further and shows exactly how the total expenses were recovered, based on the revenue brought in. To determine cost recovery, separate all revenue and all expenses. Then divide the total revenue by the total expenses. Hundred-percent cost recovery means you broke even. Anything higher than that means the league made money. Anything less means it lost money and will need to subsidize losses with additional revenue sources.

Expense tracker: Track every league expense to the penny. It can be as simple as entering items onto a spreadsheet. This will help keep track of all funds and ensure you stay within the budget. If you control the league’s bank account, you can reconcile expenses to the account. Tracking expenses will also force you to fine-tune spending and identify places to save money when needed.

Cash-handling: Anytime you are taking in cash, or managing any finances for that matter, more than one person should be involved for accountability and for checks and balances. Decide who is allowed to take cash, determine how it is to be counted, and decide where it goes. If possible, consider going “cash free,” or work toward it.

Contingency: Contingency is more for those who have complete control over league funds, such as a non-profit Little League or Pop Warner team. A larger organization, such as a government agency or larger YMCA association, generally will not have control of this at the league level as they have their own finance departments. If yours is a smaller operation, always have some type of contingency or savings fund. Take a small portion of each registration and put it in a contingency. If things go south or there’s an unexpected expense, it can be handled without being detrimental to the program. As this fund increases, you can also use it for items like scholarships or capital improvements.

All youth sports programs, regardless of the size of the organization, should have some level of budgeting and financial management. Having a plan to manage finances will ensure you can run a viable program.

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Understanding Youth Sports: Risk Management

Risk Management is never fun. It can be long, time-consuming, and tedious. But, it is 100% essential. Risk Management is something that can save lives and is a key part of preventing serious injuries. Risk Management also plays a key role in league and team operations. Failure to complete these steps can result in serious financial loss and even shut down entire leagues. While at the time it may not seem all that important when you’re trying to card players, get rosters and schedules set, etc. Having you and your staff complete Risk Management is essential.

There are several key steps and tips to assure your Risk Management and help mitigate risks.

1.     Have the proper insurances and liability waivers in place to protect staff members, volunteers, the facility, and the participants.

2.     Have all other administrative aspects of a program in order, including managing finances, forms, contracts, etc., and ensure that these documents are handled and reviewed by multiple people in the organization for proper accountability and “checks and balances.”

3.     Do routine, documented facility and equipment inspections to identify liabilities and hazards. For example, inspect and survey a play space to make sure it is safe before participants arrive, and make sure it stays safe while participants are in the area. If a potential liability or hazard is found, fix it immediately. If you cannot fix it, secure the area with proper signage so no one can approach it.

4.     Ensure all equipment provided (to teams and participants) is safe. Provide safety equipment when needed and inspect equipment before all games.

5.     Train staff members, coaches, managers, and volunteers properly on all aspects of a league, and provide applicable training and certifications, such as concussion training, first aid, and CPR.

6.     Promote and monitor hydration and healthy eating. Information can be included in parent packets, orientations, and coaches’ meetings. On game days, look for signs of dehydration and fatigue.

7.     Have a contingency plan. What can go wrong will go wrong, so always have a backup plan.

8.     Have an emergency-action plan. Train for risk scenarios so staff members are prepared to handle any situation.

9.     Have adequate adult supervision on game days that includes staff members or league volunteers.

10.   Have written policies in place to strictly prohibit drugs, alcohol, tobacco, excessive weight loss or weight gain, and any illegal substances. Monitor signs of substance abuse by any coach, parent, or participant throughout the season, and have a process in place to report such abuse.

A common practice is to follow the 10 Ps of risk management.  

1.     Policy. Have proper policies in place to protect the safety of staff members, volunteers, participants, and facilities, and know what to do when an incident occurs.

2.     Planning. Training for incidents will better prepare staff members when an incident occurs. Have emergency-action plans in place for any type of league or program.

3.     Product or service. Understand the potential risks that may occur, based on the service offered. Knowing and understanding the types of risks that can occur helps to be more prepared to prevent an incident or handle an incident when it occurs.

4.     Process. Make sure controls are in place to reduce risk and ensure staff members are trained or qualified to handle them.

5.     Premises. Consider the size and layout of facilities and the risks that may occur. Know how much it costs to repair and maintain the facilities.

7.     Protection. This is much broader than merely protecting people from health and safety risks; it includes identifying risks associated with protecting people, premises, equipment, and the surrounding environment. Once the associated risks are identified, it is imperative to have the proper insurance coverages and waivers in place to protect your most valuable assets.

8.     Procedures. Be sure to have proper procedures in place if an incident does occur.

9.     Purchasing. Have policies in place to control costs, create contingency funds, and purchase quality equipment that will not pose a hazard to participants.

10.   Performance. Evaluate a league regularly to ensure you are following the risk-management guidelines that are in place. If incidents do occur, evaluate them and devise a plan to prevent future incidents.

Remember, don’t lack in your Risk Management. It’s not just about your club’s financials, but the health and safety of families.


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How To Perfect Your Registration Setup

Setting up a registration can be a daunting task. There needs to be a lot of information collected, waivers signed, payments, and more. Many times, there are details left out of registrations that just make your job harder in the future. To some, a simple registration that collects payment and the name of a player will be all they need. But, every registration is different. Here are a few tips on how to perfect your registration setup!

1. Take your time.

Building a good registration doesn’t need to be a one-and-done task. Stretch out the building process over a few days, give yourself time to think of new data points and information that you’ll need to collect. This can also ease the stress of rushing and trying to quickly build a half-fledged registration. Setting some time aside and using the Sports Office 365 Registration Checklist is a great way to stay on top of your job!

2. Think of past mistakes and missing information.

It’s very easy to build what seems like a perfect registration that can be used over and over again; until the time comes to order uniforms and you realized you didn’t collect sizes. Look at past forms you’ve built and learn from what you’ve done in the past. Another option is reaching out to others or consulting online help to see what some of the most simple yet important information is that you may be missing.

3. Marketing your registration

Building a good registration is more than just adding in a few forms and then letting it sit. Registration is a constantly active program. Marketing your registration is going to be more in-depth than building the actual form; and arguably, more important. Marketing, whether it be social media, email, or any other preferred method: is an easy way to boost up your exposure. The more people you market to, the more registrants you’ll get. Be sure to set a good amount of time aside and plan to market far in advance.

4. Keep it simple

A well-designed registration is simple. There is no need for elaborate steps or forms that take more than 10 minutes to complete. The more user-friendly, the better!

5. Run Tests!

Perhaps one of the most forgotten about steps in this process is testing the actual process. The last thing you want is to go into your registration platform a week after it opened only to see nothing has been working the whole time. Set time aside to run through it yourself, have friends, and others test it for you. The more testing and tweaking you do, the easier it’ll be on you in the end.

Building a good registration doesn’t need to be hard. Set some time aside market, run tests. The more time and attention you set aside to building a good form, the easier it’ll be on your parents, and your future self!

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Marketing Your Club and Why Online Presence Matters

Some food for thought.

Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time – Henry Ford

“Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart.” – Joe Chernov

“Less is more. Keeping it simple takes time and effort.” – Jeff Bullas

In the world of youth sports, there is always a program being marketed and planned. Many are run by extremely qualified coaches and staff and provide invaluable knowledge, experience, and fun! You could have the best-run recreation program in the nation but without some strong and aggressive marketing, how will anyone find you? The obvious answer is great marketing. The simple answer is great marketing. The time-consuming answer is great marketing. The point is, marketing in person and online takes a large number of resources, manpower, and persistence to reach as many people as possible.

We here at Sports Office understand the marketing world of youth sports very well. Our goal is to bring what we’ve seen around the country to your virtual doorsteps.

Why does this matter?

You are not the only youth sports organization trying to spread the word about your various programs. There are over 10,000 soccer organizations (USYS) fighting to attract members. 100’s of new youth sports organizations start up every year to further increase that competition. If you are looking to stand out from the competition, you need to make your marketing as aggressive and simple for families to understand as possible. Less is more.

Can I just do this myself?

Yes, you can. You and any volunteers or staff you have on hand can do this for the club. However, do you have the bandwidth to market as aggressively as you’d like? Can you do this every season? Do you want to? Of course you want to but unless this is your full-time job to market and interact with your customers, you may struggle to do this consistently every season.

Now imagine watching as a team of full-time graphic designers and social media marketers working around the clock to create all of your content and push it out through every channel possible. Not only for online marketing either. Posters, business cards, and banners too. While we cannot physically market for you in person, we provide you with all the resources to do it yourself.

You focus on running your club. Let us focus on spreading the word.

Our team has made a promise to make your life easier. Are you ready to save time and increase your marketing presence? Get in touch with us today and lets get started. It’s never too late, or early, to get the word out!

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The Growing Issue in Youth Sports: Longevity

Longevity in youth sports is a growing problem. At Sports Office 365, we eliminate that problem and save you and your staff time and frustration!

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The Benefits of Having an Active Social Media Presence

Social Media is a brilliant tool to use at your club. Most of the time it’s free, it allows you to reach new people and stay in touch with the ones you already know. Having an active social media presence is more than just writing a post every now and then. Being active on major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can help you drastically improve your club!

Grow and Develop

For organizations big or small, growth is always important. Either numerical growth of players and teams, or growing and enhancing your club’s inner and outer workings. Social media allows you to market yourselves to a grandiose audience. With the many different platforms of social media, you’re able to take a different approach to how you want to market yourself!

Connect

Social media is great for allowing many different people to connect, and it’s no different when it comes to your club or team. Having a quality and consistent social media schedule allows you to connect with those interested in the organization. Whether that be new or returning parents and players, tournaments, or even local media. It gives your organization the ability to engage with the audience. With this also comes quick access to posting news and happenings within your organization. Team success, cancellations, or field updates; social media is one of the fastest ways to update your audience!

At Sports Office 365, we have a fantastic Social Media Manager to help aid your club. She’s added some examples below on the many benefits of an active social media profile!

A Virtual Support System

It’s common to be a part of an organization that groups by age and skill level. This automatically minimizes the number of exposure members have to interact with others outside of their immediate groupings. Social media allows for additional support systems outside of physical interactions.

For example, John goes to school with his friend Emma and is in the same club, Club A. They both had weekend games but are on separate teams. After a weekend of matches and victories, Club A posts a bunch of new photos and videos on Facebook and Instagram highlighting memorable moments. John sees Emma score a goal in a video post and comments, “Way to go, Emma!! Great focus!!” Emma likes and shares the photo of John in action on the field. These moments between friends would have otherwise been missed out on if it were not for their Club A’s engaging social media practices.

Increased Website Traffic

Social media channels are supplemental to your club’s website. Social platforms can reach different audiences in a personable, useful, and entertaining way to potentially interested community members who may not have otherwise been able to reach the website organically.

A proud Aunt Susan shares a photo of her nephew scoring a goal, from Club B’s Facebook page. A friend of Aunt Susan, new to the area, sees her shared post and tells her two kids about Club B that they are now very excited to join, after viewing the photos and videos of the members of Club B having a blast!

Reduced Barriers to Participation

Club C is aware that trying something new can be difficult. Their presence on social platforms helped Mark find their club. Mark stumbled upon a highlight reel of Club C’s game while he was looking for something unrelated on Instagram. From here he is scrolling Club C’s Instagram of team photos and action shots. Feeling a level of engagement to the members in the photos, he is interested in finding a team to play within Club C. Mark is now on their website in just 3 quick clicks. Thanks to social media, Club C made it a little easier to get newcomer Mark to step through that door.

There are many positive benefits to having an active social media account for your club. We pride ourselves on being able to confidently manage your social media accounts. Reach out to us today to see how we can help boost your club’s social media presence!

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The Importance of a Good Platform

When it comes to running a sports organization, one of the best investments you can make is in a solid foundation. Whether starting a new club or making adjustments, a good platform is the backbone of your operation.

What is a Platform?

A platform is a tool that connects and organizes all of your essential features into one. Think of websites like Teamsnap, SportsEngine, and League Apps. These are just a few of the key sites when it comes to running an organization. They each offer different tools but they are all similar in what they can accomplish overall. Registration, financials, rostering, communication, website building, and more. A good platform will provide you with a solid base to keep track of what matters most in your organization.

What Platform is Best for Me?

Every club is unique and built differently based on the sport they play, the philosophy of the club, the team running the operations, and the platform on which they build their workflow. It is important to take the time to research the platform that best suits the needs of your club, the trouble is – it is difficult to find the time to do the research. Even if you do, many clubs don’t identify massive issues with how their platforms run until months into the season.

One of the major factors that come into play when selecting a platform is the ease of usage and the learning curve attached to it. There are several good websites that offer extremely easy-to-use systems with very basic tool kits. Nobody wants to work tirelessly trying to build a simple website or constantly monitor your registrations on an hourly basis. Find a platform that works for you and saves you time and keeps you stress-free!

No matter what platform you decide works for you, our staff is expertly trained to take charge of your platform. Whether you want to improve financial reporting or make registrar duties more simple, we have the knowledge to guide you in the right direction!

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