Youth sports directors face new challenges with each new season. As you head into the new school year full of new seasons and new student athletes, take some time to ensure you’re starting off strong.
Some tips to start the new school year successfully:
Start small.
Focus on the foundations—the foundational skills for your athletes, the foundation of your team, and the foundation of your coaches and other organization members. It’s tempting to jump right in, especially the longer you do this, but remember that your students and staff have had at least a few months off and may need some time to get back in—or they’re brand new to the organization altogether. Start small in order to see success.
Create an environment that prioritizes health and safety.
Especially in the wake of a pandemic, it’s vital to show your student athletes and staff that you value their health and safety over everything else. Create an environment that prioritizes safety measures and social distancing. Ensure everyone understands to stay home if they’re feeling ill and lift the consequences of missing practices or games in order to encourage this.
Encourage friendly competition.
Find the line between knowing that competition is a good thing but winning isn’t everything, and ensure your entire organization feels this from the beginning of the year. Set the stage in the beginning in order to avoid tough conversations later.
Create a seasonal and long-term plan.
What do you want to accomplish this year? What do you want to change, improve, or eliminate? Further, what do you want to accomplish in the next few years? Having seasonal and long-term plans will help you stay focused and uncover opportunities throughout your time as a director.
Audit your tools and processes.
Are you getting what you need from the tools you’re using? How are you managing registration, payments, fundraisers, and concessions? If you’re not already using Pickle Juice, the simple app for teams like yours, now is the perfect time to switch.
As you navigate the new school year, we’re here to help. Browse our blog for more tips or schedule a demo today to see how simple team registration and payments can be.