The best-run youth sports organizations understand that a “successful season” is not measured by how many games are won, but by bringing out the best in athletes and their families, bringing players back season after season, and attracting new players. In this presentation, author and youth sports expert Brooke de Lench addresses sports organizers as she explains the ten most important steps to efficient youth sports organization management, including how to keep parents and kids coming back, manage your league from a business perspective, balance your role as a league official, and more. This content was provided by Active Network Sports, leader in youth sports activities and technology: www.activesports.com. To download this presentation with speaker commentary and to get access to all Active Network Sports webinars, visit http://info.activesports.com/forms/webinar-download.

1. Discovering the Most Effective
Management Practices for a
Winning Organization
Brooke de Lench, Founder/Publisher
August 17, 2011
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2. By
Brooke de Lench
Founder: MomsTeam.com
Author: HOME TEAM ADVANTAGE: The Critical Role of Mothers In Youth Sports
(Harper Collins)
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3. Today’s Program
 What I will talk about:
 The 10 most important steps to keep parents & kids coming back
 How to manage your league effectively from a business
perspective
 How to balance your role as a league official using business best-
practices
 Short survey -who is in our audience?
 Time: ~ 40 min. presentation, followed by Q&A
 Questions? Send them via the “Question” section on the right-hand side of
your screen, we’ll take them at the end of the presentation
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4. Survey
 Answer short survey in “Poll” section of your screen.
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5. What is a “Successful” Sports Organization?
Repeat Trust
Satisfied
Customers Customers
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6. Example: More Than Six Leagues in Chicago Youth Football
 USA Youth Football (governing body)
 Pop Warner
 Chicago Bears Youth Football
 Chicago Land
 Howard Griffith – Spartans
 Snoop Dog League
 Chicago's is a division of the league he established in Los
Angeles in 2004.
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7. The 10 most important steps to keep parents & kids coming back
#1 Child-centric
 Know your customers
 Listen to what the children want
 Kids need to be the focus at all times
#2 Parents as Partners
 Strong Communication-Communication is King
Communicate early and often
 Encourage Parent Input
 Open Meetings
 Allow Anonymous Questions/Comments
#3 Safety
 Has to be a top priority-define a safety plan
 Physical, sexual, and psychological
#4 Inclusiveness
 Scholarship programs
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8. The 10 most important steps to keep parents & kids coming back
#5 Teach the Sport
 Provide ongoing training for coaches and umpires
 Include child development segment
#6 Mandate a 2-adult rule
 Protects kids
 Protects adults
#7 Be accountable and transparent
 (will cover this in next slides)
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9. The 10 most important steps to keep parents & kids coming back
#8 Provide contact information of all adults involved
 How and when can parents get in touch with coaches,
administrators etc
#9 Parent training
 provide a non-threatening fun program
#10 Have a fair grievance process
 Provide the correct channels to lodge a complaint
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10. How to manage your league effectively from a
business perspective
Do a SWOT analysis
 Strengths
 Financial Security
 Abundance of Volunteers, etc
 Weaknesses
 Struggling Financially
 Lack of Volunteers
 Opportunities
 Great Coaching Staff –
 Threats
 Disgruntled Parents
 Kids dropping out
 Negative Press ( Accountant caught embezzling, etc)
* Consider hiring a consultant to help with this.
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11. How to manage your league effectively from
a business perspective
 Be accountable and transparent- Self-regulation not the answer
 Identify decision makers
 Non profit or for profit
 Seek Parent Input
 Parent Advisory Group
 Open Meetings
 Board meetings should be advertised and open
 Term Limits
 New Blood
 Financial accountability
 Public Financial Discloser
 Benchmarking
 Track performance
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12. How to balance your role as a league official using
business best-practices
 Balance female and male coaches and administrators
 Provide lots of opportunities for communications
 Implement a comprehensive risk-management plan
 Establish a youth Sports council
 Utilize Active Network products
 Let MomsTeam help you with parents information & education
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13. Please submit questions in the “Question” section of the
toolbar on the right-hand side of your screen.
For more information, visit MomsTeam at:
www.MomsTeam.com
http://twitter.com/#!/MomsTeam
http://www.facebook.com/MomsTeam
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14. Thank you for attending!
For more information about league management software
and online registration, please contact us at
ActiveSports@ActiveNetwork.com
To answer questions about this webinar, please contact
delench@momsteam.com
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