8 Time-Saving Tips for Club and League Administrators

Whether you’re a volunteer or a full-time administrator, managing a club or league takes time, and lots of it. Therefore, efficiency is a must if you want to use your time wisely. Here are several ways to get more done in less time:

Delegate

Pinpoint key volunteers and then delegate duties for them. Clearly explain the job you need done, set up a date or time to check back in for tweaks and feedback and then let them run with it. Obviously, this means you must choose people you believe in. And for goodness sake, don’t insult them by assigning them a job and then micromanaging it.

Build Awareness

Prepare club or league members in advance of the online registration dates. Be clear when online registration starts and ends and tell members how they can register online. Collect member email addresses and don’t hesitate to send updates about registration.

Encourage early registration with incentives, such as a discounted fee. This is great for both parties: The registrant gets a discount and league administrators get early registrants, which means less stress as deadlines approach.

Departmentalize

Divide up the league into departments, such as fundraising, equipment, volunteers and administration. Then put a manager over each department. The mangers could even be on the governing board of your club or league.

Empower Volunteers

Departmentalizing responsibilities allows you to oversee operations without micromanaging decisions. This type of hands-off management empowers volunteers to make key decisions and give them a sense of ownership in the league. For instance, the board may vote on the decision to buy new uniforms, but the equipment and operations department would take care of ordering the uniforms.

Keep an Administrative Calendar

Aside from the game schedule, sit down at the beginning of the year and plan out events, deadlines for jobs to be done, and any other duties that must be calendared. Be sure the calendar is visible to every person involved in the processes.

Simplify Registration

Online club and league management software can help you save time each week on administrative tasks. It also helps registrants by offering them all the information they need for the upcoming season.

With online registration, families can register players easily, no paper needed. Plus, you can focus on improvements, not paper work.

Set up a Website

Use your website to share information such as game times, important deadlines and more.

Be sure your website also shows contact information, game locations, camps and clinics, every form that a team parent will need and a list of boosters.

Over Communicate

It’s always better to over communicate. Parents get a lot of emails and messages and important information can easily get neglected.

Stuff happens and games will have to be rescheduled. This information should be shared quickly and in a manner or place where parents are trained to look. A youth league that communicates clearly and consistently will keep families coming back year after year.

When these steps are done and done right, the end result is less problems with teams and parents, which means less time spend problem-solving for you.

Janis B. Meredith, sports mom and coach’s wife, writes a sports parenting blog called jbmthinks.com. Her new book, 11 Habits for Happy and Positive Sports Parents, is on Amazon.