Ready, Set, Prep!
Before we kick off a new season at Sportball, there are countless hours of planning, training, and preparation that go into making your experience a great one. That’s why weโre taking you behind the scenes at Sportball HQ to learn how we painstakingly get ready to have an awesome season with you and your little athletes. Read on to learn more about what goes into preparing for the season ahead.
A sneak peek at our proprietary coach learning and development platform, Acorn.
Hiring & Training Coaches
Our work kicks off well before the start of a new season with the hiring, certification and ongoing training of our beloved coaches. It’s a process we take seriously to ensure you and your kiddo(s) have a blast in all our classes.ย
With 30 years of experience and expertise under our belts, we’ve designed and refined our coach training processes to be comprehensive, interactive and most importantly, effective. All Sportball coaches are given regular updates in training to maintain our programsโ quality, safety and relevance while providing ample opportunities for them to learn and grow with us over time, from Rookie through to Master-level coach.
Our proprietary coach learning & development portal, provides detailed videos, manuals, and documents with information and ideas on how to improve areas of their classes, from class management to age-appropriate progressions. Our newer coaches are thoroughly taken through our protocols and procedures in workshops and staff meetings, and have various coaching guides at the touch of their finger through our coaches app. Tips and tricks found in our Coach Clubhouse can also support new and experienced coaches navigate their programs. (Ps. We’re always on the lookout for amazing coaches. Learn more about Sportball’s coaches and how to apply here.)
During the season, you may see your local Coaching & Programming Standards team or Mentor Coaches out at your program, who visit sites to check in on programs and provide ongoing feedback to coaches. Feel free to say hi ๐ to them and let them know how your Sportball experience is going – we love to hear your feedback!
Staff Meetings
In the week leading up to a new season, our mandatory in-field staff meeting helps us ensure all our coaches are ready to hit the ground running. At these meetings our area managers try to strike a balance between engaging team activities and important policies/procedures for your child’s safety and well-being at our programs. During these meetings, we practice warm-ups, sport-specific skills and storylines for each age group. Coaches are challenged to think creatively, work together, and use their experiences to inspire others.ย
At Sportball, we value and recognize the hard work our coaches put into making our programs fun and engaging, and their background in topics like kinesiology, education, and competitive sports play is reflected in our mosaic of skillsets and physical literacy knowledge. Which is why we also take this opportunity to promote our MVCs up the ranks, empowering them with more responsibilities, like coaching on their own or mentoring new coaches.
BTS footage from one of our coach staff meetings.
Merch
Staff meetings are also where coaches receive merchandise for distribution at classes. We prepare these packages for coaches to pick up once our attendance lists are created. This season, we had over 250 locations across Canada and the U.S.!ย
Our coaches hand out merchandise as purchased at these locations, sorting jersey sizes and balls. In certain areas, we also have community merch days, where we provide purchased merchandise ahead of our seasonโs start to registered families.
Oodles of new goodies coming to a field near you soon ๐
Equipment Inventory and Cleaning
With each new season, equipment inventory and cleaning is imperative to a great start with new and returning families. This includes counting and organizing our rotational sport equipment, like baseball bats, golf clubs and hockey sticks, so coaches across the city can retrieve ready-to-go bags. Our replenishable items, like stickers, bubbles, and “popcorn” (i.e. tennis balls), are refreshed for equipment bags. We track and maintain our equipment for longevity and quality, replacing damaged items as soon as possible.
Coach Maddie having a little fun conducting inventory counts on our soccer balls. โฝ๏ธ
As we gear up for another amazing season ahead, weโre proud to give you a glimpse into the care, preparation, and passion that goes into every Sportball session.ย
We canโt wait to welcome you to another unforgettable season of play, learning, and growthโsee you on the field/gym soon!
Ps. If you’re not yet registered, find a program near you today.
Pps. If this is your first season with Sportball, consider checking out this article on how to prepare your child for a successful Sportball season to show up game ready ๐
About the Author:
Ronda Robinson is the Product Lead and a Mentor Coach at Sportball for the last 4 years. She is a recent graduate with a Master of Arts in Child Study and Education from University of Toronto. Ronda has a passion for designing curriculum and writing on childhood resilience.
