Engage Sports Blog Youth Sports Matters

Bob Cook, a youth sports contributor for Forbes, penned a recent article, Why A Coach Is A CEO that Should Treat Parents As Shareholders, in which he suggests that youth sports coaches should act more like CEO’s focusing on shareholder return versus unaccountable tyrants. I believe Cook focuses too much on the shareholder concept and not the other traits of great CEOs which are more applicable to youth sports coaching. This article highlights traits of great CEOs which are also traits of great sports coaches. 

Seeking help in creating a youth sports league or tournament schedule? You are not alone. Creating a game schedule that works for everyone’s needs is often a very difficult task. League scheduling is made more complex by conditions such field availability, time limitations, field lighting, blackout dates, division balance, rest requirements and much more. While you may feel like punting the schedule process to someone else, here are 8 sports schedule development tips that will help you keep your sanity and produce a great schedule.

Youth sports association, leagues and municipal recreation programs are struggling to recover form record breaking floods that hit the Midwest in December.  Heavy rains that soaked the region for days causing rivers, creeks and drainage systems to flood. Youth sports organizations with outdoor sports programs rely on flat open ground for fields and that ground is often found in flood plain areas.  While ideal for playing fields, such geographic placement is a double edge sword; the ground is cheap as business and homes typically avoid it, but the low-lying ground is prone to frequent flooding

Learn first-hand observations of a newly elected youth sports association board president on what it's like to take the reins of a youth sports organization.  Learn the importance of getting your family on board, seeking input from past presidents, understanding the history of your organization and tips on scheduling meeting and a host of other nuggets of information that will make your task as the new president or director of a youth sports organization - an easier path to follow.

Improving the check acceptance process is a goal for many athletic associations and leagues. Here at Engage Sports, we find that “pay-by-check” is still a significant part of the registration process; in some cases it is the only method of payment used, while in others, mixed payments (credit cards and checks) are accepted for either the entire registration process or parts (work duty deposit). While checks have been accepted for years, they require special care and attention.  Recently we spoke with our friends at Fuse Financial Partners to learn more about preventing fraud and abuse when accepting checks.  Let's get started...

Are you a stressed out, busy volunteer running a sports association? Help is on the way! You can improve your management process and save your sanity by following these 8 Time-Saving Ways that will keep you better organized, reduce your stress level, and get more input and involvement from others. Let's get started...

Know your customer! That's the first rule of marketing and customer service. In youth sports, the "customer" most often is the parent or guardian of the player. Customers can also include coaches, teams from other areas, and the community members at large. At Engage Sports we hear from frustrated sports administrators and parents every day as we work to improve the online registration processes of youth sports associations across the country. Here are some of the most common complaints made by frustrated parents:

As a youth sports leaders, whether coach or association director, social media your best aid communication and promotional aid. Social media is how busy people now stay connected and up-to-date.  Social media can help manage your team, recruiting players, keep parents up-to-date, share your success, and keep player and parents alike, motivated and engaged.  Each social media tool has its unique position and should be used like layers of a cake when baking up your overall communications plan. Here are tips to make your use of social media in coaching more productive.