Coaching a recreational sports team also comes with additional responsibilities, including team management unless you have a designated team manager. As a basketball coach for a church league basketball team in Michigan, I was also responsible for all management duties, which turned out to be just as hard as the duties of coaching.
Being a coach for a team without a team manager results in needing contact information for all team members, other team leaders, the organization that manages the league, records of the costs of the team, team statistics, schedule changes, and more. There are several tools available to help with managing a recreational sports team. This article looks at several items that I have found useful as a coach and team manager.
Best Team Management Tools
– Arrange My Game: Arrange My Game is a free sports team management application that allows you to manage multiple teams, arrange games and events for teams, contact team members, find out the availability of venues, handle payments, and setup a team page while managing social networking pages. This is the most complete app I have found and is a lifesaver for coaches and team managers.
– Scoring Book: If you want a hard copy of your team’s statistics, make a small investment in a team scoring book. The information can then be transferred to an App like Arrange My Game or an online spreadsheet to share the information with team members and the league. Players enjoy having their game-to-game statistics regardless of what sport you are coaching. Having that information available to them is a great idea.
– Binder: I am not the most organized person. Trying to keep all of the relevant documents together and easily accessible for team members was becoming a problem. Buy an inexpensive binder and invest in a few dividers to separate the sections of information. You should be able to find one for under $5.
– Website: Even if website design is not one of your skills, having a team website is a great idea for many reasons. From promoting and celebrating your players and team to giving a place where people can find out information on your upcoming schedule and funding needs if you plan to raise money through the site, having a website for your team is a powerful resource.
– Social Media Pages: Isn’t a website enough? Well….no. You should have a Facebook page for your team at the very least. Friends and family can track your teams’ upcoming games, player information, and support your team through sharing information with others in their network. You should have both a website and social media pages. You can also manage your social media tools through the Arrange My Game application mentioned above.
Summary
Being a coach today means doing a lot more than it did a couple of decades ago. You are expected to lead a team, provide all members with relevant information, track statistics, and keep everyone happy. Before your season starts, make sure to invest in some tools and products to make your job easier and to make your players happier.
Sources
ROGER GOODELL.COM 