How to Introduce Digital Tools to Youth Sports Coaches
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How can you introduce new digital tools to youth sports coaches? TeamSnap’s Tori Burnett explores the four top tips.
Youth sports coaches are juggling more than ever before. The job of a youth sports coach consists of much more than just practice plans and game plans. Fortunately, digital tools are everywhere we look – including the entire TeamSnap suite (and TeamSnap+… a game-changer for your organization).
We’ll dive more into TeamSnap features later, but let’s cover an important topic. As a youth sports organizer, how can we help our coaches transition with new digital tools? Here are the four top tips for introducing new digital tools to your coaches, whether they work on a volunteer basis, as full-time staff, or anywhere in between! Administrators need to have an action plan to ensure the investment of additional technology is adopted by the members who will be using it the most!
Some of these tips will relate more broadly to the idea of introducing any digital tool to your coaches, and others will relate more directly to specific tools you likely plan to use.
How to Introduce Digital Tools to Youth Sports Coaches and Programs?
#1 Nail the WHY
After coaching at multiple levels of sport (college, semi-pro, grassroots)), I can say with full confidence: that coaches and organizers should have the right motivations before making decisions on behalf of their teams or clubs. Simply put, nail your why! Why are you introducing new digital tools to your coaching staff? What are the outcomes you expect to see? Why are the benefits? Are there downsides?
The case for digital tools, especially an accomplished but easy-to-use tool like the top-rated TeamSnap mobile app, is pretty easy to understand. Don’t get caught up in the old “Back in my day, we just showed up…” saying. Yes, in the past, things may have felt simpler.
But that’s what we’re trying to accomplish. Every volunteer, coach, parent, and some of the kids have a phone and will be on it constantly. So let’s make their lives easier by putting the details, the drills, and the communication features involved with running or working on a youth sports team… right in the palm of their hands!
Prepared Coaches
Having coaches who are prepared to lead sessions will inevitably lead to more focused time spent with the team. When coaches are ready to run an age-specific practice where the players feel supported and challenged, they will likely enjoy their time more and also grow their skills. Players who are having fun and building their prowess are more likely to return year after year, and the parents will be singing your organization’s praises for creating an awesome experience for their family. Additionally, having quality resources right at the coaches’ fingertips can allow volunteer or first-time coaches to feel more confident stepping on the field.
Long gone are the days of players simply showing up and hoping for the best. And with a mutual understanding from every member of your team, it’s much easier to embrace the digital tool and use it to its full advantage.
#2 TeamSnap’s Availability Feature – Loved by All!
This is a great time to dive into specific features! On TeamSnap, our customers love the availability feature. Before every game and practice, parents/players can self-select if they’ll be able to attend that specific event.
TeamSnap’s availability tracker is one of the best time-saving features available in youth sports digital tools. Found directly (and easily) in your mobile app, coaches (or other parents, or administrators) can quickly navigate to see who will be at the upcoming practice or game. As a TeamSnap power user, there are a couple of key ways to introduce this tool to your club.
I encourage every family to update their player’s availability 24 hours in advance. That gives them enough wiggle room for last-minute changes and gives you enough time to prep starting lineups, which activities you’ll run, or if you need to reschedule. There is also the ability for a player to add a note for any reason, which really helps me to keep track of where everyone is and allows me to check in with players when needed.
Putting myself quickly in the shoes of an administrator, this is a feature I’d highlight immediately upon starting up with TeamSnap. Quickly show your coaches how to use the availability tracker and encourage them to communicate with their club ahead of time (that 24-hour marker). No more guessing or last-minute scrambling to adjust drills or formations.
#3 Communication Tools Are Essential
TeamSnap has long been regarded as the leading mobile app in the industry, and this is largely because of the ease of use of our communication tools. Whether you need to communicate to everyone about registration opening, lightning delays for the night, or specific messaging to groups/individuals, TeamSnap makes all of this easy. With big improvements always on deck, TeamSnap continues to make it easier for you to get in touch with your membership.
TeamSnap’s chat function is great for quick updates, whether it’s confirming the time of the next practice or sending out reminders. Luckily, the TeamSnap app allows you to differentiate between types of messages. For more evergreen information, try using the post function. Think of this as information your team members will need throughout the season – waivers, rules, etc.
And, last but certainly not least, the alert function! On TeamSnap, you’ll have the ability to send real-time alerts to every member of your organization. This should be used for last-minute or emergency-type situations: rainouts, tornado warnings, etc.
As an administrator, I’d suggest talking through the different messaging scenarios with each coach… ahead of the season. Come up with a game plan for the types of communications you’ll use and for what. That information can also be relayed to families at the start of the season so everyone stays on the same page. Everyone will know what type of information to look for, when, and where they can find it.
#4 Using TeamSnap+ Coaches Pack Curriculum Boosts Confidence
TeamSnap+ (and TeamSnap+ Coaches Pack) is the newest (and one of the best) features you can find on TeamSnap. TeamSnap+ gives your coaches unlimited access to our robust library of curriculums, practice plans, and drills from our pro league partners… the NBA, MLB, MLS, US Youth Soccer, and many more. Now, your coaches are equipped to run best-in-class, fun, and age-appropriate practices.
A great addition to TeamSnap+ is the ability to find developmentally focused week-by-week curriculums. Administrators looking to help build confidence in new coaches should prioritize TeamSnap+ amongst their other digital tools. It’s a great way to make sure you’re covering the basics, and spending less time planning, and more time developing athletes. Even if you’re a more seasoned coach, the abundance of activities and videos offers fresh ideas to keep your sessions dynamic and engaging.
Find some more information on implementing TeamSnap+ at your next practice here. In this article, I gave a few pointers on the best way to introduce this new tool to your teams.
Introducing Digital Tools to Youth Sports Coaches
Introducing new digital tools to your youth sports coaches accomplishes a lot: improved processes, improved communication, and improved coaching techniques. Administrators should be on the lookout for technology that accomplishes all of these goals, with a few specific features in mind: availability tracking, built-in communication tools, and coaching resources.
Tori Burnett was born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she grew up with a soccer ball at her feet (when there weren’t skis!) and a love for the game of soccer. She played collegiate soccer at the University of Minnesota and then continued working in the soccer space post-graduation. Tori has coached at many levels, including NCAA Division 3 women, USL2 men, Girls Academy, National League P.R.O., and grassroots soccer in Minnesota. She has been an account manager in the youth sports technology space for over three years, and enjoys watching the US Women’s National Team and Chelsea FC.