You have a passion for both sports and coaching children and you are considering starting your own youth sports organization or league. That is fantastic! First off, congratulations for being brave enough to take that leap and confident enough to lead the way. Now it is time to figure out exactly what you need to do in order to make this dream a full-blown reality.
There is quite a bit that goes into starting your own youth organization. While you probably have a general idea of what steps you need to take, here is a breakdown of all the important areas you may or may not have considered.
Game Logistics
What type of sport(s) will you head up? Once you have decided, it is time to start checking out venues. Make a list of all the possible locations within your community and start contacting people.
Figure out a process for creating teams and registering players. Importantly, look into an online registration service since that is the most convenient for busy families. Get your teams organized and begin finding reliable and reputable coaches.
Draft a game schedule for each of the teams. Locate a company that can create uniforms in bulk and for a great price. Start investing in equipment as well.
Promotion
The first step towards promotion will be to develop a website. This central communication tool is essential for organization staff, coaches and families.
Brainstorm ways to generate interest in the youth of your community. Contact schools and youth centers – really anyone willing to allow you to leave flyers. Start a social media campaign. Look for any possible directories online and find out how to get listed. Word of mouth is still the best advertising so encourage everyone involved to keep talking about the organization.
The Legal Print
There is quite a bit of background work required to legally get your youth sports organization ready for action. First, the type of entity needs to be determined. Most likely, this will be a not for profit corporation. However, there are other options that might work better depending up on your set up of the organization. Will your organization be tax exempt? Do you need a Form 1023? Is there a board of directors? Do you need some corporate bylaws? Have you gotten your Taxpayer ID or EIN yet? Have you registered your organization with the State? What about liability insurance? If these questions completely stump you, it might be best to contact an accountant or attorney versed in non-profits or small business to help you get started.
Dealing with Money
Starting and running a youth sport organizations will require money. Start looking into fundraising and the legal aspects of raising money. It will involve brainstorming ideas for fundraising. Many of these types of organizations solicit for sponsors to help cover much of their annual costs.
First, you need to create a budget to determine exactly how much you will need to raise for the year. Then get creative, which could mean operating a concessions stand or charging admission for some events to bring in more revenue.
Hire a person, or an accounting firm, to be in charge of accounting and bookkeeping for the league. Also, consider streamlining much of this work by investing in a cloud-based tool to help track and organize information. Peak Platforms has an accounting platform designed specifically for youth sports clubs that manages online registrations, communications, and bookkeeping, all in one spot.
It might seem overwhelming in the beginning but approaching it with a positive attitude and taking it one step at a time will find the sports league coming together in no time. Don’t hesitate to enlist help from other people passionate about your vision for a community sports options. Contact us..
Recent Comments