Start Your Own Sports Team

Would you like to create and run your own amateur sports team? Most cities and regions have recreational sports teams participating in team sports. Follow this guide, and you will be on your way to running your own amateur sports team.

Steps

  1. Find a Sport That's Right for You you wish to participate in. Inexpensive team sports are the best options if you are on a tight budget. Soccer, ball hockey, basketball and beach volleyball all commonly have leagues in each city.
  2. Find a league that is at your level of play. Unless you are extremely experienced, join a recreational league that has multiple divisions or levels, such as beginner, intermediate, and competitive/premier, 1, 2, 3, etc.. It is very important to play at your level. Additionally, it is better to start a little lower because if you do well, you can win the title then move up divisions.
  3. Find out your total team fees. This will be the sum of the league fees, plus equipment, uniforms, permits, etc. This will determine your team fees.
  4. Select your team name. Basing your team name around your region, habitat, culture or a professional team is common. For example, let's say you are from Cambridge and your team is participating in soccer; you can name your team the Cambridge Kickers.
  5. Have a team logo made. Based on your team name, have a friend who is good with graphic design make a logo for your team. You can also have your logo designed by an online company for less then $50.00 if you search around. Many logo sites have templates which don't cost much. Your logo should incorporate an image related to your sport and/or name. Make sure to add your logo to letterheads, web sites, blogs, posts and ads. When players looking for teams go through classifieds, they tend to think teams with a logo are a better fit than ones without one.
  6. Select your players to be on the team. Hold Do Great at Try Outs. Ask everyone you know who is interested in sports if they want to join your team. Additional sources of players could be friends, co-workers, and players you've played with in the past. To find new players, place ads in online classifieds, especially Craigslist and filed under (your city > community > activity partners > your sport). You can also put ads up in local community centers, the town hall, and local businesses.
  7. Collect fees from players before the season begins. Normally amateur teams are non-profit, so if your team fees are $2000.00 and you have 10 players, each player should pay $200.00 per season.
    • Try to get sponsors for your team. Often sports bars have sponsorship programs where they rebate money back to you team that you spend there. Local businesses might consider sponsoring your team if you help advertise for them during their games.
    • Look for other ways to raise funds for your team. Have a team fundraisers, BBQ, raffles, etc.
  8. Create a chain of command. A commonly-used structure is as follows: manager (you), coach (maybe you also), captain, co-captain, players.
  9. Selecting a captain is important. The person selected as captain should not always be the "best" player. It could be an above average player that is Be a Dedicated Athlete to the team, shows up on time and has a firm understanding of the game.
  10. Communicate with your players. Start a blog or a web site and make sure everyone is on the same page in terms of set-up, practicing, schedules, etc. You can also use the blog or web site to advertise your team, give advertising space to your sponsors, and recruit new players.
    • Keep a mailing list and phone number list. Contact players one day prior to game day to confirm they will show up. Much of winning and losing in amateur sports has a lot to do with who shows up.

Tips

  • Keep a team schedule. Run practices at least once a week, ideally 2 to 3 days prior to game day. Hand out a schedule of all the games to be played in the season during pre-season.
  • Purchase Team Insurance* Most leagues require teams to have insurance, but if not it is something you should have anyway. Accidents and incidents do happen, as a Manager or Coach you will be the first one held liable if liability is assessed. Sometimes by signing up to the league you are automatically insured, you'll need to find this out.
  • Plan team social events. Have a team night out occasionally at a pub or sports bar so players can become friends.
  • Remember your team's roots. Support your local culture, local businesses, and local people, and they will support you. For example, host your team's pizza night at the local pizza store.

Warnings

  • Make sure you have more than enough players. If you are short of players, you'll probably lose the game by default or because of fatigue. It is better to have a couple of extras. In amateur sports, participants often have work, vacation and personal scheduling conflicts that simply don't exist at the pro level.
  • Joining a league or division that is too high can hurt your team. Not only will you have a losing record, you can lose dejected players. Normally, even at the recreational level, teams in the higher division are very good. Start low and move up; it is more fun.
  • Keep track of the team money. If a player does not pay, don't let them play or else you'll be stuck with the entire bill. Some sports can become very costly, make sure you calculate your budget properly and that players' fees cover everything.
  • Watch for ball hogs and attention-seekers. They won't pay, they'll try to run the show on the playing field and they'll often only create animosity amongst teammates. Remember, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.

Things You'll Need

  • Uniforms
  • Equipment
  • Rental Permits (if you need to practice in a public place)
  • Extra players
  • Insurance

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