The Perfect Swimsuit

Posted on: 22 July 2017

Sometimes athletes discover the right team is just not available in their area. Maybe the teams in the league are already complete, they are not as ambitious as someone would like, or there may be a lack of a specific sports team in the town. Whatever the reason, it is not unusual for people to join with other like-minded adults and create their own team. Some of these teams have the potential to grow and become profitable or move into semi-professional leagues, but it requires the people involved make the team appear to be as professional as possible from the start:

• Prepare a budget that includes all expenses including gear, travel costs, and advertising. Remember fees for field or court use and the cost of insurance and uniforms.                    
• Choose a unique name that is not related to a professional team and is easy to remember.  
• Charge an annual fee to all players based on the established budget. Remember that sponsorships will eventually make it possible to reduce the fees.                                       
• Choose a team manager, coach, assistant coach and team captain and make certain each role has its own responsibilities.                                                                                              
• Have insurance, field permits (if required) and all other legal bases covered before practices begin.                                                                                                                       
• Purchase the best quality uniforms possible. Negotiate with the supplier for a bulk discount.
• Hire a local artist or graphic designer to create a unique team logo. Branding is very important when encouraging sponsorships and for community recognition.                           
• Have all uniforms screen printed with the team logo and the player's name. Choose a skilled printing service that is experienced with custom Dri-fit printing. This will ensure the material is not damaged and the printed information will stretch and move along with the uniform.      
• Do not put sponsor logos on uniforms because they will change regularly. Instead, have these logos added to banners displayed during games and on the less expensive practice and warm-up t-shirts.                                                                                                                
• Screen print all banners, t-shirts, and posters as well as the uniforms because it will create a more professional looking product and ensures everything looks the same.                
• Create social media pages for the team and keep them updated.                                           
• As the team becomes established consider hiring a business manager that is separate from the team manager. They will handle the tasks like contacting sponsors, balancing financial accounts and updating the social media accounts. 

Running a sports team should be fun, but it requires an effort to keep it profitable. Eventually, it should make enough money to support itself or at least to reduce some of the financial burdens on the athletes. Run properly, nearly any community will have enough interest and opportunity for most types of sports teams to organize and enjoy a long history of play.