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How to start a youth basketball league
7 Tips for Starting A Youth Sports League in Your Community
If you saw our recent post on finding the best youth sports organizations in your community, you know that there's a lot that goes into a great league. But what if you went through your local leagues and came up empty? If you're truly passionate about your child or yourself being active in your local community, think participation in sports improves character, or are just simply passionate about community youth mentorship, then it might be time to consider starting your own league.
In a League of Your Own
It's no small feat to start a your own sports league. There's a lot of planning, organization, and even some marketing involved. To help get you on the right track, we've compiled 7 tips for starting a youth sports organization, league or team in your own community.
7 Tips for Starting A Youth Sports League in Your Community
1. Location, location, location.
You need to know this before you try to do anything else.![]()
Before anyone can decide if they’d like to get involved with your fledgling league, they will first want to know what the commute is like. Speak to representatives of your local parks, schools, sports complexes, activity centers, and neighborhood fields to find somewhere that fits your budget and size needs.
2. Make a budget.
Speaking of your budgetary needs, it’s time to lay those out. What is your financial goal -- are you starting a profitable business, or do you just need enough to cover expenses? How do you plan to collect membership fees? A service like Venmo or PayPal is ideal because they minimize cash handling and provide an automatic record of transactions. Sit down and figure out how much you’ll need per registrant to cover a facility, referees, equipment, and uniforms. And don’t forget that if you use SquadLocker to outfit your league, you won’t need to chase any of that cash down -- OR struggle with sizing “guesstimates” -- because uniform orders are placed by and shipped to the individual players.
We can also help you design a logo and get your gear shipped in two weeks or less; one less hurdle between you and your first game.
3. Introduce yourself.
Once you’ve secured a place to play and formulated a budget, it’s time to give your organization some structure and presence. Create a social media account on a platform that you think will be attractive to your target demographic and use it to broadcast each exciting step as you pull together your league. Spread the word to friends and family and recruit them to join and cross-promote. Your social media page is also a great place to lay out the rules and standards of behavior to which you will adhere.
4. Get what you need.
Now it’s time to purchase any equipment you’ll need. Before you buy, find out what (if anything) will already be provided by your chosen facility. To help save on costs, consider asking local businesses to sponsor your team in exchange for wearing their logo on your apparel or using it in any promotional materials.
SquadLocker offers digital coupons for just this purpose (and others!). Ask local businesses or organizations to donate digital coupons to help sponsor your player's uniforms.
5. Stay organized.
You’ll almost certainly want your roster to include each player’s first and last name, jersey number, phone number, and parent contact (if applicable), but you can also choose to include other information you need easily accessible; just keep it manageable and up-to-date. For a template and more suggestions on organizing your roster, see our blog post here. It’s a good idea to keep all your league-related documents in one place; Google’s suite of office tools is a great place to organize your records, but make sure that you keep any personal information secure in accordance with any and all privacy laws. Keep your passwords strictly confidential.
6. Cover your bases.
Keeping your players healthy is one of the most important considerations for any sports league commissioner at the best of times, but it is even more imperative -- and challenging -- in the current environment.
Make sure that your COVID protocols are up to par by following the steps laid out in SquadLocker’s eBook, Building Your Return to Play Plan.
7. Time to play!
Be sure to take lots of photos and post them back to social media, and create your own hashtag to make it easy for players to tag and promote your brand new league - and if you have fans who want to show their colors right off the bat, SquadLocker can help you set up a spirit wear and uniform store. Now, tell the coach to put you in -- you’re ready to play!
How to Start a Select Basketball Team
In recent years, basketball has reigned as the #1 team sport in the U.S. According to Sports Business Daily, more than 60 million people over age six play the sport. And 20 million youth between six and 17 play basketball.
Due to the sports’ immense popularity, many people are wondering how to start a select basketball team to grow the game in their area.
Starting a select youth basketball team requires passion and dedication - and a ton of time.
But the rewards of seeing young players improve skills and build confidence can make it all worthwhile. Follow these steps to get started!
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Choose the Focus of Your AAU Program
When you first form a select basketball program, you probably have big ideas. You may dream of traveling across the country to compete in national events. Or you may want to build a competitive high school basketball program in your area by helping to develop players early.
Those long-range goals may take years to reach. At first, you need to make decisions about team or club structure. If you plan to register with the Amateur Atheltic Union (AAU), you should know you’ll be setting up an AAU club. In the AAU structure, a club can consist of a single team or many teams. Note that there are three levels of AAU club membership that range from $30 to $300.
Also, you should know that there are other select basketball organizations besides AAU. You can look into the National Travel Basketball Association (NTBA) or regional travel leagues in your area.
You need to ask yourself some critical questions as well:
Are we focusing on one age group or multiple?
Are we offering both boys and girls basketball?
What do we hope to achieve in three years, or five, or 10?
Will your program be based in one community, or an entire region?
Do I want this to be a volunteer run program? Or do I want to have part time employees coaching and running the teams?
These focusing questions and others will help you scope your initial efforts and plan for the future.
Once you have an initial overview of the program you want to start you need to start promoting the new organization.
The easiest first step is to name the organization and create a social media page on either Facebook or Instagram. No need to try to do too much at first, just create a social media page for your teams and announce yourself to the world! You can post the initial goals of the organization and potential tryout dates, age groups, etc.
You should also get a high quality logo for your program. Nowadays you can get access to professional designers easily using services like Upwork or Freelancer. Just create an account and post a simple task for logo or branding creation, and you’ll get applications from designers to work on your logo for you. You can probably get a nice logo created for around $50.
A logo will go a long way toward establishing credibility for you club and getting interest from potential players.
Set Up a Website and Online Payments
When you’ve named or organization and created a logo, setting up a website for your basketball program can also be a simple process and will be a credibility builder for your new organization.
A website should serve as the central location to post information like rosters, coaching profiles, your Mission Statement, and organization history. You should also use your website to register players for tryouts and collect club fees, post tournament schedules, and list event recaps.
As your program grows you can also list organization accomplishments - like tournaments won, college commitments, and academic achievements as your club progresses.
Depending on the software provider you choose for your program, you can also run online registration and communicate with parents through your website.
A website is a great tool to promote your basketball program throughout the year, and also manage all of the administration for your teams.
Form Your First AAU Basketball Team
After you’ve established your initial focus, you are ready to form your first team. You’ll need to secure a coaching staff first.
Parents with high school or college playing experience or current high school players may make good coaches. If you can find like-minded parents that have experience playing or coaching, you might be able to build a coaching staff for your team quickly.
Once your coaching staff is in place, it’s time to select players. You’ll want to hold open tryouts to find the right mix of players and aim to recruit a few standouts.
Try to work with the local high school programs or recreational youth programs to get the word out about your organization.
Getting your roster set is a huge step. Tell everyone to register for an AAU membership if you plan to participate in AAU basketball tournaments. Make sure your team is signed up with NTBA if you want to take part in that league’s events.
Secure Locations and Set Up Schedules
Now you are ready to start holding practices. The advantage of having a select team is that you can choose practice times that work for everyone involved.
Keep in mind that select basketball is a big commitment. And that youth athletes need time for rest between practices and games to avoid the risk of overuse injuries and burnout. According to NBA youth basketball guidelines, players age 11 and under should have at least two rest days per week, with athletes age 12 to 18 needing at least one rest day. The NBA also recommends the following maximum weekly limits for young players:
Make sure not to overwork your players.
Practice time should be limited to a couple of days per week, especially if they haven’t entered high school yet.
In choosing a practice location, put safety considerations first. The AAU facility checklist offers excellent tips, such as:
Make sure the playing surface is in proper condition
Ensure the playing area has proper markings
Make sure lighting is adequate
Ensure that facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms are in good condition
Often, secondary schools or recreation centers are good facility options. You’ll need to consider available space, times, and costs in selecting your practice venue.
Select Events and Calculate Costs
After you’ve established your team and practice schedule, you can start researching events. On the AAU website or Exposure Events, you can search by age, state, event type, and more. Youth basketball tournaments take place across the United States, nearly every weekend of the year.
However, you’re likely to want to stay closer to home during your first seasons of select basketball.
Keep in mind that tournament registration fees can add up quickly. And travel costs can add up for families too. According to cost data from USA Today High School Sports, playing on a very active team that travels most weekends can cost families up to $5,000 for two seasons of play. If your team can secure sponsorships, you may be lucky enough to lower those costs down to as little as $500 annually.
Start Growing Your Select Basketball Program
For many talented athletes, a select program is a better fit than rec basketball. If your community doesn’t yet have a select team, why not consider starting one? Elite teams help top players improve basketball skill levels and develop their talents.
Select basketball is a big commitment for parents, players, and coaches. But select teams offer young athletes a chance to compete at elite levels. And some tournaments offer exposure to college basketball recruiters.
You can play a significant role in helping a gifted player maximize potential by starting a select basketball team.
Additional Resources
The 6 Top Youth Basketball Drills for Coaches
How to Build a Website for a Youth Sports Program
The Best Tools for Nonprofit Sports Organizations
How to Find Companies that Sponsor Youth Sports
How to Apply for Grants for Youth Sports
How Youth League players ended up in basketball and who they look like
Stories of young talents.
Konstantin Bakaenko (Zenit-2)
How did you get into basketball : “My father was a professional basketball player and I went to the playground with him since childhood. At the age of 8, I started playing football, went to the section for two years, and then I realized that it was impossible to break through to a high level in my small town of Bratsk in the Irkutsk region. That's how I got into basketball. Bogdanov Alexander Mikhailovich became my first coach, he was also my father's mentor.
It was this person who saw in me not only growth, but also potential. "
Idol : "There are a lot of good players in the National Basketball Association, but Russell Westbrook is my favorite."
Dmitry Khaldeev (Samara-2)
How I ended up in basketball : “My mother brought me to basketball. She knew my first coach and suggested that I go to basketball. I attended several trainings and I liked it. That's how I got into basketball."
Idol : “I don't have one favorite basketball player. Naturally, as a child, I, like many, liked many celebrities like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James, but I never singled out any of them. In the game plan, I try not to be equal to someone specific, but I try to create my own style of play. Of course, I watch the players who play in my position and take various techniques and movements from them, but for the most part I rely on what I do best.
Maxim Dorofeev (Yenisei-2)
How I ended up in basketball : “As a child, I had a friend with whom we lived in the same house, went to the same kindergarten, and then one class at school. He was tall enough for his age, a head taller than me, and his parents enrolled him in basketball. And since we were inseparable, I went to basketball with him. I liked the training so much that I quit judo and began to devote all my free time to basketball.”
Idol : “There used to be a show that showed recaps of all the games of the day, then I admired the game of Steve Nash. I was very inspired by the way he gives assists, scores points and leads the team. In honor of him, I took the number 13, which I still wear on my game jersey.
Gleb Suvorov (Khimki-2)
basketball from the city of Kemerovo. One day I came to the gym just to look at their training and I liked it so much that I didn’t miss any more of their training in the gym, I just sat and watched, and when the gym was free, I just tortured my mother to go with me to throw.
She is my own basketball player and she taught me the basics: two steps, a shot from under the basket, a little dribbling. For which I am grateful to her. Upon arrival home, the coach came to the school and began to recruit a team, so I went to basketball after classes, and after one year I was taken to the strongest team in the city and then I already played for them. The team was really 97 years of birth, but I had something to strive for. »
Idol : "I've always really liked Dwyane Wade's playing, although I followed many players and tried to learn a little bit from everyone."
Sergey Rozhkov (Avtodor-2)
How I ended up in basketball : “Before basketball, I tried myself in hockey, I will say that my memories are not the best! After the first training, I realized that this was not for me. My mother introduced me to basketball when I went to school. I think the fact that my parents themselves played basketball at school played a huge role.
Idol : “Favorite player is LeBron James, they call him the king of basketball for a reason. And I try to equal Eric Bledsoe, his style of play is very impressive.
Alexander Ershov (CSKA-Junior)
How I ended up in basketball : “Since the age of 4 I have been involved in various martial arts, such as kickboxing, taekwondo and judo. One day, my mother suggested that I go to basketball practice. I didn’t mind at all, I obviously had an interest in it, but I still didn’t understand whether I needed it. After the first match of professional teams in my life, when my mother and I went to the Yenisei, I said with confidence - “Mom, this is mine!”. It was 3rd grade. From that time, one might say, my path in basketball began.
Idol : “I've loved LeBron James since I was a child, I took a lot of elements from him. But then another small forward was added to his favorite players - Kevin Durant.
Yegor Shcherbinsky (Nizhny Novgorod-2)
How did you get into basketball : “I started playing basketball in Tula. In first grade, I was taller than all my classmates. After the announcement of recruitment to the basketball section, my parents enrolled me in it. In the beginning, I didn't show any interest in basketball, because until the second grade we didn't learn any elements of basketball, especially since I tried to play football at the same time. But in the end, I chose basketball. My first coach, Artamonova Natalya Viktorovna, at the end of the third grade, showed me to the Tula coach Sergei Nikolayevich Shaulov, who was recruiting a team born in 2000. The review went well for me. We participated in various competitions with the Tula team, after which I had a great desire to train and play basketball at a high level.”
Idol : “Before, when I played at number 4-5, my idol was American power forward Blake Griffin, I really liked his style of play under the basket.
Now I am in the position of 3-4 numbers and try to be equal to Andrey Vorontsevich.
Sergey Krivykh (UNIKS-2)
How did I get into basketball : “As a child, I played football, I really liked it and I didn’t even think about basketball. Probably, if not for my older brother, I would never have come to basketball. When I was little, my brother often played in the yard with the guys on the playground, but they didn’t take me, they said that it was too early. That's how I got interested in basketball. This prompted me to sign up in the second grade for a section with my first coach Nenashev Alexander Vasilievich.
Idol : “I can single out several basketball players in my position whose game impresses me. But I can't pick just one."
Timofey Gerasimov (Lokomotiv-Kuban-2)
How did end up in basketball: “I have a family of athletes! Dad was engaged in basketball all his school years, and later he even managed to play one year at a professional level for the Udmurt national team in Izhevsk.
Mom played only at school. My older brother has also been playing basketball since childhood. I started playing in the section at the age of 7, because before that I didn’t pass by age, although I first took a basketball in my hands at the age of 3. At the age of 12, I realized that I could not imagine my life without basketball, so I began to train harder, watched different games and began to dive deeper into the world of basketball.”
Idol : “By far the best basketball player of all time is Michael Jordan. But I always got goosebumps from spectacular passers like Steve Nash and Milos Teodosic. In terms of dribbling, I liked the game of Allen Iverson and Kyrie Irving. I try to take something useful from each of them and develop my style of play.”
Sergey Tkachenko (Parma-2)
How I ended up in basketball it was still in the third grade, I really wanted to try myself in training. My school physical education teacher a few days after that agreed with my first coach to see the section, after which I started playing basketball.
"
Idol : "My idol has always been and is Kareem Abdul-Jabar with his incredible hook."
PBL - Professional Basketball League
History of PBL
The date of birth of the Professional Basketball League is the date of official registration of the non-profit partnership "Professional Basketball League" on August 6, 2010. However, the idea to create the League arose long before that, and they managed to move from words to deeds after the well-known scandalous events with the audio recording that stirred up Russian basketball.
June 15, 2010 ten leading clubs of the country in a joint communiqué announced their withdrawal from the Board of Basketball Superleague and the intention to establish a new, professional and independent league to hold a basketball competition among the best teams in Russia.
“We are convinced that only the independent status of the tournament under the management of the bodies established by the clubs guarantees a high level of competition, fair play and contributes to raising the level of Russian basketball,” said the now historic communiqué, which was signed by the leaders of the nine participants in the Super League A season 2009-2010 and the winner of the Superleague B season 2009-2010 BC "Nizhny Novgorod".
“We are fully aware of the necessity and importance of the decision we made, we are ready to bear responsibility for its consequences and will make every effort so that the updated League championship returns the respect and interest of fans in our country and abroad, attracts spectators to the stands and students to sports schools.”
On June 21, 2010, the first Council of the Professional Basketball League was held in Moscow, following which the charter was adopted and the leadership of the League was elected. Andrey Vatutin, President of PBC CSKA, was elected Chairman of the PBL Council, and Ginas Rutkauskas, Sports Director of Dynamo, was elected General Director.
The result of more than two months of painstaking work of the league management was the draft Regulations and the Calendar of the First Championship, approved at the next League Council on September 2, 2010. It also announced the creation of the PBL Youth Championship.
The decisive event in the still young life of the PBL was the achievement of an agreement with the Russian Basketball Federation.
On September 21, 2010, members of the RSE executive committee unanimously voted for the signing of a three-year agreement on the transfer of the rights to host the Russian championship to the Professional Basketball League.
It is worth noting that the day before, the meeting of the Chairman of the Council of the PBL Andrey Vatutin and the President of the RSE Sergey Chernov with the Minister of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy Vitaly Mutko took place. From the moment the new league was created, the minister treated its formation and first independent steps with great attention and support, demonstrated deep knowledge of the situation and helped to come to difficult decisions on many key issues. Vitaly Mutko's personal participation in a new project for Russian basketball, as well as the constructive position of the RFB and PBL management, allowed the executive committee to carefully discuss the transfer of rights and make historic decisions that will determine the vector of development of professional basketball in Russia in the coming years.
