Phase Three: Implementation
Uniforms and equipment
After you have succeeded in establishing your new organization, it will be time to purchase uniforms and equipment. Pay a visit to some of the sporting goods stores in your area and ask to speak to the manager. Many sporting good stores do screen-printing of uniforms and will be very happy to help a new club get off the ground, as they will also benefit as you grow.
Equipment needs may be expensive unless you are willing to ask for donations from local businesses, or buy from used sporting goods stores. If you know the person in charge of all the soccer balls, cones, vests etc. for the existing club see if he has any spare equipment you could use. This approach as it will keep you in the "loop" with some of the folks connected with the existing program who share the mission and values of your new club.
Insurance
Most leagues now require that clubs purchase liability insurance and accident and medical insurance covering players, managers, coaches, scorekeepers, and volunteer officials.
Publicity
After you have worked out all of the details you will want to make sure that all children and families know about the registration dates and the ability to play for the new club. Because you may not have a list of the children cut from the existing program, it will be important to get the message out by any means possible.
Talk to the sports editor of your local paper and send information to local radio stations and the cable access channel. If you are lucky, the sports editor will write a story about what you are trying to accomplish. At the very least, the newspaper will run notices about registering for your club. Be aware, however, that as soon as your organization and the reasons for starting a new club are made public the critics may come out of the woodwork. Newspaper articles may be great PR for our new organization, but very poor PR for the board running the existing club, which may be cast as entrenched and out of touch with the needs of the community.
Trust in yourself and remember: if you are a child-centered organization in which the needs of the children come first, it doesn't matter what the naysayers may say. As long as they do not slander you or try to ruin your good name, hold your head up high and turn the other cheek, knowing that you are doing something that benefits the children.
Adapted from the book, Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports (Harper Collins) by Brooke de Lench. Brooke is the Founding Executive Director of MomsTEAM Institue of Youth Sports Safety, Founder of MomsTEAM.com, and producer of The Smartest Team: Making High School Football Safer (PBS). You can follow Brooke on Twitter @brookedelench.
Updated July 24, 2015
