How to Help Your Child’s Sports Team
Want to get involved with your kid’s sports team, but worried you don’t have the time? These are 5 simple ways to be an involved sports parent, even if you don’t have time to be a coach! Sponsored by Spond.
Growing up, sports were a big part of my life. Over the years, I tried almost everything, from basketball to cheerleading. However, soccer was always a constant, all the way until my collage days!
My dad started coaching my youth soccer team when I was 6 years old. He remained our coach until we graduated from youth league and headed to high school. At the high school he was my assistant coach.
I loved having my dad as the coach and I know that he loved it too. However, coaching a youth sports team, even at the recreational level, is a big responsibility and very time-consuming.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be a part of the team!
Even if you aren’t able to make the commitment to coaching, you can still be involved in your child’s sports team! There are many different ways to pitch in and make an impact, even if you’re busy.
5 Ways to Get Involved with Your Kid’s Sports Team
Ways you can volunteer to help:
1. Bring Snacks
Halftime snacks are a tradition in youth soccer and they are also a way for kids to refuel before finishing the game. This is one of the ways that my husband and I help out.
Energy-boosting snack ideas:
- Sliced oranges and apples
- Trail mix
- Granola bars
- Cheese and cracker sandwiches
Those are just a few ideas to get started. When choosing a snack look for something that is easy to hold and eat quickly, without any utensils. Carbohydrates provide quick energy, but avoid items with high amounts of added sugars (like candy bars) as the “sugar rush” burns out quickly!
TIP: Don’t forget to bring a trash bag to tidy up after snack time! You can also use the Spond app to share snack duties with other parents. Learn more about Spond below!
2. Coordinate Team Communication
The coach already has a lot of responsibilities on their plate, so having a designated person to handle communication to parents is a big help! And Spond makes it EASY!
What is SPOND?
Spond is a free app for youth sports teams to get organized and communicate easily. I downloaded Spond and found it incredibly intuitive to set up and get started.
One of the cool features is that you can create a group for your sports team or organization. Then you can send invitations to other team parents to join your group.
You can also easily maintain a team schedule, send updates about practices and events, and share photos. Even if a parent is not on the app, they can still receive updates from your Spond group via email or SMS message.
Gone are the “old days” where you have to call each team parent to see who’s coming to the game. With Spond, you can create an event (“Game Day” for example) and parents or players can check in. Talk about a time-saver!
Importantly, only your group members can see these updates and group communications. In fact, no one else can even find your group without an invitation — groups are not searchable, to protect your privacy.
Here’s why I Recommend Spond for sports parents:
- Free — Spond is free to download and use, with NO hidden fees. The only potential cost is a transaction fee if you choose to collect money through the app.
- Secure — Spond is completely GDPR-compliant, so your personal data is safe and secure.
- Private — Your group is not searchable to the public. The only way members can find your group is if you send them a direct invitation.
Best of all, you can use Spond anywhere: on your phone, tablet, or the web. It’s a multi-platform service that meets you where you are!
Learn more about Spond and download the FREE app here!
3. Create a Carpool
Getting to all of the practices can sometimes be a challenge. Setting up a carpool ride-sharing system with parents you know is a way to safe time and it’s environmentally friendly too!
TIP: Use subgroups within your Spond group to keep track of whose turn it is for the carpool and send out reminders. I always lose track of group text messages in my phone inbox, so I love that Spond keeps team-related communications in one place.
4. Start a Fundraiser
Uniforms, tournament fees, end-of-year trophies…even at the recreational level, there are quite a few expenses involved with youth sports.
Fundraisers are a tried and true way to get the resources needed for a successful season, but they need someone to facilitate them!
Fundraising Ideas:
- Design and sell team t-shirts or gear
- Hold a car wash (we did lots of these when I was a kid!)
- Reach out to local businesses — they can sponsor jerseys, signage at the fields, etc.
TIP: Use the Spond app to get all the team parents on board with fundraising efforts! With Spond you can communicate individually with private messages, or with group conversations. This can help make your fundraising more organized and more successful!
5. Be a Positive Influence
One of the easiest ways to be a supportive sports parent is to be a positive example. Encourage your kids to show up on time, give their best effort, be a good teammate, and a good sport.
The best way to be a good sports parents is to show up…just get involved! Any and all help will be appreciated, and your child will cherish those memories together for the rest of their life. I know I do!
TIP: It’s easy to share photos with other parents and teammates using the Spond app! Since it is a completely private group, those photos are only seen by the people you want to share them with.
Don’t forget to download the free Spond app here! Creating and sharing memories as a team has never been easier!
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