The Ultimate Fall Sport Planning Checklist

Fall sports are almost here, which means it’s about that time to start planning. As summer wraps up, TeamSnap has put together the ultimate planning checklist to help you prepare for any fall sport. If you are a parent your checklist may look a little different than a coach getting ready for their season. With that in mind, check out the ultimate fall sport planning list for parents and coaches.

Fall Sports Planning Checklist for Parents

• Find out who’s on your child’s team: If you don’t already have the roster in hand, you are going to want a list from your coach about who’s on your child’s squad. This will allow you the opportunity to connect with other families, organize carpooling, and schedule events throughout the season.
• If there’s a parent manager, connect: Parent manager’s are a one-stop-shop for all the parent questions. If you have a parent manager on your child’s team, introduce yourself and ask away. Parent managers are there to help the parents understand what’s going on, be reminded to check the app, and team up to make the best experience possible for the kids.
• Get the other parents’ contact information: Once you know who’s on your team, you are going to want to know the other parents! In the TeamSnap app, introduce yourself to other parents and figure out the best ways to communicate as a group whether that’s through the messaging function, email, or social updates.
• Get the right gear and equipment: Looking like a team is a big part of fall sports. As a parent, you are going to want to make sure your child has everything they need to safely compete (equipment wise) and look the part (team wise.) Find out from the coach what you need and double-check the list to make sure your child is dressed to play come fall.
• Get the appointments out of the way: Most teams require health check-ups before the season kicks off. Get those done before the season starts to make sure your child is healthy and ready to play.
• Scheduling conflicts: The practice and game schedule will likely be shared before the season starts, so do your due diligence to figure out any conflicts before the day of. Mark in the TeamSnap app any dates you can’t attend or if you are just having a carpooling issue, see if any of the other parents can help out.
• Get to know the coach: As a parent, it is likely you are going to want to know the coach! Before the season starts take some time to get to know the coach. This could be a simple phone call or an email. Make the introduction and ask all the questions before the season is in full swing.

Fall Sports Planning Checklist for Coaches

• Find out who’s on your team: If you don’t already have the roster in hand, you are going to want a list from your sports club or league about who’s on your squad. Once you get the roster, you can build your roster right in TeamSnap!
• Get the parents’ contact information: Once you know who’s on your team, you are going to want to know who’s registering the kids and who’s responsible for them. Get the parents’ phone number and email and streamline communication in the TeamSnap app.
• Send out the schedule to the entire team: To avoid confusion as to where practices are and when games are, send out the schedule as soon as it’s live to the entire team. This will not only help you prepare your practice and game plan, but will allow ample time for parents and families to mark their calenders. The schedule can be inputed into TeamSnap app where the whole team can view and get reminders and updates easily.
• Make sure everyone has uniforms and proper gear – send out reminders: Looking like a team is a big part of fall sports. As the coach, you are going to want to communicate to your team and parents what they should be wearing and bringing to practice. Make a list and send it out to the all of the team contacts.
• Establish your communication style: As the coach, you are the decision maker and leader. Choose a communication style that works for you and make it clear to your team. If you set expectations early, everyone can better be on board.
• Hold a pre-season meeting: Pre-season meetings are a great way to set the season up for success. Organize a meeting and send out an invite in TeamSnap to all of the families and players. This is a good opportunity to lay out your expectations as a coach, any scheduling questions, and open up the floor to the group to ask away.

Jump right into fall sports with our #1 Team Management App

We make life easier for coaches, managers, group leaders and organizers. We do it by bringing everything into one connected solution. From setting up rosters, lineups and invoicing, to notifying your team about last-minute changes, we get you up and running fast and save you tons of time organizing.