Things To Consider As A Sports Team

You may think that it’s really easy to put together a sports team and run it. You just get a group of athletic people together and make them play as a team right? It’s just not that simple, especially if you want to be successful and go far. There are several aspects that need to be considered when running a sports team, so here’s a quick guide to things that should be considered.

Which Sport

This may seem like something really simple however choosing a sport that you are passionate about, understand and can learn about is the best thing you can do especially when it comes to starting your team. It will give you a head start when it comes to choosing team members, start training and finally compete if it’s something you already understand.

The Team

Once you know what sport you are going to be looking at you can start to think about your team. Think about everything from the size of the team, any reserves you will need to who you are going to have in that position. A good way of doing this is to have tryouts for the team where people are able to show off their skills and share which position they have an interest in. Although you may not to be able to give everyone the position they like trying to give people at least a try it sure to help with the team morale.

Practice

A good area where your team can regularly practice, most likely on a weekly basis or maybe even more,  is going to essential for your team to be successful. Having a base where your team can meet is ideal for a strong team ethic and for gaining a strong bond between members. It’s a good idea to arrange visits to potential practice areas to make sure it has all the facilities you need and is open at the times that suit your team members.

Equipment

Every sport has different equipment that you will need to perform the sport and practice the sport. Ranging from things such as footballs and bats right through to large items like trampolines there going to be a lot that you need to think about purchasing. To do this you will need to start having a serious think about funding. Another way that you could get around this is to consider hiring equipment. It could save you money on the larger item especially if they ever broke and you needed to replace them.

Competing

Of course, being part of a sports team normally indicates that there will be some sort of competition that you will be competing in. It’s a good idea to almost shop around for which competitions are the best which ones will suit your team. Not every competition will suit and entering everything isn’t going to help your team reputation or image. Your team will have a higher chance of being successful if you are able to allow an adequate amount of training for a competition, so be picky with the ones you enter is wise. Try doing a bit of research into different local competitions, to begin with and if you’re unsure what will be best for the team you could always put it to a vote.

Travel

A sports team is bound to take part in some travelling around especially if they are competing. So it’s definitely worth considering the different methods of travel that are available and what may be required. You may need to hire minibuses, coaches and on occasions even look for specialist air charter for sports teams. If you have a lot of equipment and 50 teams members to get to a destinations chance are you are going to need to really look into your options.

Coaching

As a sports team coaching is really important and it can’t normally be completed by just one person, it’s often a job for several people, so another team in itself. The coaches will probably need to be all as interested as you and understand the team’s vision and goals. It’s good to have a mixture of skills on the coaching team such as a talent scout, a manager, co-manager and physio. Conducting interviews and holding regular coaching meeting can really help your team to move in the right direction.

Kits

Your teams kit is like giving your team identity. It’s something that you should have especially if you are planning on competing as it will help to identify all your team members and allow them to really represent the team they are playing for. If you haven’t already looked into your team’s kits why not hold a team meeting together ideas from them too, it could help with team morale and help them to feel proud about what they’re wearing. When starting out you could always ask for the team members to fund their own kits for the sport.

Website

Have a website for your team can work wonders for getting your name out and about. It will not only be an easy place for new interested members to sign up for tryouts but it’s also a good place for supports to keep an eye on what you are doing. It could also be a good way of getting sponsors as they are able to follow your teams progress. Why not think about having a get to know the team section or a part where you can add competition information.

Funding

Funding for a sports team is really important, to begin with, you will probably just be asking for a contribution from the team members towards things such as kits and a space to practice however as you grow finding a source of funding for trips, equipment and competition fees become essential. Finding local businesses that will sponsor you is a brilliant way to do this. You can offer to advertise their business on your kit or bus in return.

Do you have any other things that a sports team should be considering? Please leave them in the comments section below.