Text Messaging for Youth Sports Leagues
Youth sports leagues require quick communication
Whether it is setting up a new league/ season or getting coaches/families information, everyone benefits from effective and timely communication. Most of the time, these leagues have an annual rotation of coaching personnel and of course the players and their families as well.
Even though the structure of each season is generally the same, because so many of the people are new, the same types of questions and answers need to be exchanged. The easier you can bridge the communication gap across these groups, the smoother everyone's experience will be.
League management needs to communicate to all coaches
Let's go through an example where all of the coaches in a league need to be aware of something weather related, so it is time-sensitive. There was a rainstorm during the day and a lot of water was dumped at the outdoor sports complex. One of the fields where games were scheduled for that night appears to be unplayable, but the others should be ok.
Whoever is in charge of making the location updates makes the decision that one of the games needs to be moved to another location. They can get a bulk text (not a group text) out to all of the coaches to let them know who is and is not affected.
Information is spread in a timely fashion without having extra overhead by using Rather Text
From the example above, as questions come back from the coaches, since it isn't a group text, the rest of the group isn't bogged down by messages. For many, it could be a one-and-done type of thing where they just get the info they need, see it quickly because it is a text, and can take their next action with their team from there. The recipients of the message also don't share their phone number with anyone else but the coach.
One thing that youth sports leagues always seem to be desperate for is finding volunteer coaches. Also, people talk. Being a volunteer coach has a lot of considerations for people to make. It's a sizable commitment for a volunteer to make, so you don't want to give them extra reasons to skip out on something they may otherwise do. If they hear from another friend that coached in that league that the communication was sloppy and frustrating, they won't be as likely to sign on.
Youth sports are a lot of things to a lot of people, but one common goal is that it's supposed to bring joy to families in your community. Don't let communication struggles get in the way!
Did this article resonate with you? Learn more about how Rather Text enables organizations to benefit from two-way text messaging.
