Post by Admin on Dec 13, 2012 21:58:05 GMT -5
Starting a Travel Ball Team
So, you can't find a team that meets your needs or maybe you are in an area that doesn't have Travel Ball Teams and you want to start one. Here are some pointers:
1. What is your mission? Do you want to have a travel team that plays a few tournaments a year and stays mostly in your state? Do you want to have a highly competitive team that will travel far and wide? Determine what your goals ( and the goals of anyone wanting to work with you) are before you begin.
2. Is there enough interest? Do you have enough parents and girls who want to play? A solid travel team can carry anywhere from 10-14 girls on its roster. Plus, injuries and lack of commitment can drive your numbers down. Make sure you have enough people who are aligned with your goal.
3. Do you have fundraising and sponsor capability? Running a travel team can cost anywhere from $10,000 to over $20,000 a year. Will you and your parents be willing and able to raise that? Will you be able to find a sponsor to help defray costs?
4. Who will be the manager and coaches? Do you have enough experienced people to run the team?
First Steps:
1. Hold an organizational meeting of all the main people in running the organization. It's aa good idea to create a board where everyone has a specific job. Determine the tryout dates and criteria and the calendar for the year. Develop a budget so you can determine what it will cost each player to play. Consider this in the BASIC budget:
A. Insurance - $200-$300 a team
B. Uniforms - $4000 - $12000 per 12 player team
C. Practice Facility Cost - 0-$500 a year
D. Tournament Cost - $300-$400 a tournament
E. Trading Pins Cost - $1200
F. Web site - $120 -$300 a year
2. Set up and announce your tryouts in the local paper and on any local organization web site. Set up criteria by which you will select players.
3. Get insurance. Right AWAY! Companies such as Bollinger cover softball play and practice as well as tryouts.
4. Hold parent meeting for prospective parents at tryouts. Explain to them the time and financial commitment up front. Review your playing time policies, rules for player and parent conduct, etc.You will clear up a lot of problems that way! Once you have selected players, meet again and set a deadline for players to commit to the team. If you can, have a tentative schedule for practice and tournaments, as well as where you will practice. Get phone numbers, e-mail addresses and addresses for all parents and players and create a team "call list." If you have someone who does your website, share with team parents how they can access the site, when it is updated and what info will be on it. Size players for uniforms.
5. Determine your tournament schedule and what associations you want to play with. Set a goal. Which nationals do you want to attend? How do you need to qualify? Join the associations you are interested in and follow their rules for entering rosters and tournaments. Most associations now have online access to register for all tournaments. See our links page for association web addresses.
6. Order uniforms and equipment as soon as you have funds. Giving plenty of "turnaround time" to uniform companies assures you will have your uniforms in enough time.
7. Begin working on your fundraisers as soon as you have your team started. Make sure you know what sponsors will recieve for sponsorship amounts. Also, decide up front if players are allowed to fund raise for travel expenses on their own or if the organization will control all fund raising. Setting up your fundraisers early gives people plenty of time to get ready.
So, you can't find a team that meets your needs or maybe you are in an area that doesn't have Travel Ball Teams and you want to start one. Here are some pointers:
1. What is your mission? Do you want to have a travel team that plays a few tournaments a year and stays mostly in your state? Do you want to have a highly competitive team that will travel far and wide? Determine what your goals ( and the goals of anyone wanting to work with you) are before you begin.
2. Is there enough interest? Do you have enough parents and girls who want to play? A solid travel team can carry anywhere from 10-14 girls on its roster. Plus, injuries and lack of commitment can drive your numbers down. Make sure you have enough people who are aligned with your goal.
3. Do you have fundraising and sponsor capability? Running a travel team can cost anywhere from $10,000 to over $20,000 a year. Will you and your parents be willing and able to raise that? Will you be able to find a sponsor to help defray costs?
4. Who will be the manager and coaches? Do you have enough experienced people to run the team?
First Steps:
1. Hold an organizational meeting of all the main people in running the organization. It's aa good idea to create a board where everyone has a specific job. Determine the tryout dates and criteria and the calendar for the year. Develop a budget so you can determine what it will cost each player to play. Consider this in the BASIC budget:
A. Insurance - $200-$300 a team
B. Uniforms - $4000 - $12000 per 12 player team
C. Practice Facility Cost - 0-$500 a year
D. Tournament Cost - $300-$400 a tournament
E. Trading Pins Cost - $1200
F. Web site - $120 -$300 a year
2. Set up and announce your tryouts in the local paper and on any local organization web site. Set up criteria by which you will select players.
3. Get insurance. Right AWAY! Companies such as Bollinger cover softball play and practice as well as tryouts.
4. Hold parent meeting for prospective parents at tryouts. Explain to them the time and financial commitment up front. Review your playing time policies, rules for player and parent conduct, etc.You will clear up a lot of problems that way! Once you have selected players, meet again and set a deadline for players to commit to the team. If you can, have a tentative schedule for practice and tournaments, as well as where you will practice. Get phone numbers, e-mail addresses and addresses for all parents and players and create a team "call list." If you have someone who does your website, share with team parents how they can access the site, when it is updated and what info will be on it. Size players for uniforms.
5. Determine your tournament schedule and what associations you want to play with. Set a goal. Which nationals do you want to attend? How do you need to qualify? Join the associations you are interested in and follow their rules for entering rosters and tournaments. Most associations now have online access to register for all tournaments. See our links page for association web addresses.
6. Order uniforms and equipment as soon as you have funds. Giving plenty of "turnaround time" to uniform companies assures you will have your uniforms in enough time.
7. Begin working on your fundraisers as soon as you have your team started. Make sure you know what sponsors will recieve for sponsorship amounts. Also, decide up front if players are allowed to fund raise for travel expenses on their own or if the organization will control all fund raising. Setting up your fundraisers early gives people plenty of time to get ready.