Home »
Misc »
How to start a youth basketball organization
How to start a youth basketball organization
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!
Skip to a Section...
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
Basketball at my school. In my yard. In my city! - Ramensky urban district
To rally players and coaches, amateurs and professionals - everyone who is not indifferent to basketball. To unite efforts, knowledge and skills to achieve common goals... Such tasks are set by the Autonomous non-profit organization "Ramensk City Basketball Federation". The general director of the federation, Dmitry Kovalev, is a lawyer, basketball player and just a resident of our city, who sincerely worries about the fate of his favorite sport. Dmitry headed the federation quite recently, but his enthusiasm, determination and a clear understanding of how to give impetus to the development of basketball in Ramenskoye inspire confidence: everything will work out!
- Dmitry, not for the first time in the Ramenskoye basketball environment there have been talks about the need to create a specialized basketball school in the district (now in the district).
Do you think this is the key to the future victories of Ramenskoye basketball?
- Such conversations are underway, and they come down to the fact that first you need to build a large hall, on the basis of which a sports school will be organized. For sure, it will be a universal hall, and, if this idea comes true, basketball players will share it with other athletes, carving out free hours in the busy schedule of sports sections. But I see another way of development. I am now creating a children's base, I strive to involve as many children as possible in basketball, to give them an early basketball education, which will further contribute to achieving high results. If a sports school is to be created, then it should immediately be filled with players, and those who will be able to compete for high places. The best of the best should come to school.
- How does the federation implement the idea of mass involvement of children in basketball?
- The Basketball at My School project was supposed to start in April, but the coronavirus pandemic forced it to be postponed to September.
The essence of the project lies in the fact that in the sports halls of secondary schools of the Ramensky city district, professional coaches will conduct basketball lessons for children of three age groups: preschoolers from five years old, students in grades 1 and 2, students in grades 3 and 4. Each group will study for one hour three times a week. The guys will have their own uniform, team, paraphernalia. We invite both boys and girls to train together. The federation sets itself the task of involving children in professional sports within the walls of their own school, close to home, without the need for long journeys. Several educational institutions have already joined the project, but I set myself the task of involving at least ten schools in the project. Training with your friends, classmates and students of parallel classes will bring the children to a new level of development emotionally, psychologically and physically, and help them better adapt among their peers. The child will become more active, developed, interested.
At the same time, the guys who are the most promising in terms of sports will form the basis of the Ramenskoye sports basketball school in the future.
- Now the youngest basketball players involved in the section are guys born in 2010. You recruit children from the age of five ... What is the reason for this?
- We don't want to waste time. The child, together with his parents, makes a choice, plays basketball for a year or two, and if he doesn’t like it, changes his mind, then at the age of seven he can switch to any other sport. At the same time, he will be already physically prepared. Coaches will help him take the first step, and then the child himself will choose which sport is closer to him. At the same time, he will successfully fit into football, boxing, and even checkers due to the already received sports training. In all progressive basketball countries, kids start at the age of five, so why should we fall behind?
- Who will coach the young basketball players? Does Ramenskoye lack professional mentors?
- Now the backbone is formed: about eight coaches.
We also keep in touch with the State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports in Malakhovka, which annually graduates young and ambitious specialists. There will be no shortage of trainers. Of course, we strive to ensure that professional, highly specialized coaches work with the guys. In addition to ours, Ramensky, there are also attracted: for example, an experienced coach from Spain, who now lives in Zhukovsky.
- Apart from the Basketball in My School project, what other ideas are close to being implemented?
- If possible, I would like to hold a big school tournament this year. Now the championship among schools takes place in a few days, and during the year the teams do not meet each other. There are many schools in the Ramensky city district, and it would be more interesting and useful if they played in a round robin system. We will create a unified school league, within which the teams will go to each other's games once a week, show real, strong basketball, to which classmates, teachers, and parents will come.
School basketball leagues already exist in Russia. For example, the school basketball league "IES-BASKET". In 2007, this project was launched in the Perm Territory… Why can't we do the same?!
- It's clear with children's sports... What other areas does the activity of the Ramenskoye Basketball Federation cover?
- Street, adult men's and women's basketball. This fall, I want to launch the Ramenskaya Basketball League project for basketball fans aged 18 and over, to hold tournaments for adult players. Many people go to Moscow to take part in tournaments. What for? Ramenskoye has all the conditions for this: halls and players who want to compete. Let's make a round robin system and invite judges. Statistics, videos and results will be published on our website ramfb.ru - everything will be beautiful! The Ramenskaya Basketball League, the Children's Basketball League and the Basketball at My School project will be launched next year. Do not forget about street basketball, streetball.
We will continue to hold tournaments in the fresh air! Basketball is a universal sport, you can play it from childhood to retirement: at school, at the institute, with friends, renting a hall, and on summer playgrounds. I am a living example of the fact that basketball life does not stop over the years. I think that this is correct.
- There are many plans and it would probably be difficult for a non-profit organization to implement them without the help of sponsors or support from the local authorities ... who did it. I want to thank the Administration of the Ramensky City District, the Committee for Sports and Youth Policy for their attention and support. We are not businessmen, not outsiders - the federation, together with the Administration, is developing socially significant projects. The administration provides the halls, the federation is responsible for organizing training. Such interaction gives results, raises the level of basketball, makes it more popular. Another task of our federation is to establish a dialogue with investors, to find people who are ready to invest in sports.
Sports can be investment attractive. There are entrepreneurs in the Ramensky District and not only who love sports and are ready to build basketball courts, but they do not know where to turn, where to start. To learn more about us, you can go to the site ramfb.ru, write or call me: E-mail address is being protected from spambots. Javascript must be enabled in your browser to view the address. or 8 (977) 539-87-06... The Federation is open to cooperation. At the same time, we understand that no amount of millions can replace the desire to work, the desire to direct all our efforts to the development of basketball.
- Do Rameni coaches and players have such a desire?
- Yes, of course. Our achievements clearly testify to this: Saturn under the guidance of coach Yegor Myasnikov became the winners of the youth championship of the Moscow Region, Sergei Karmazinsky’s Wolves return to the finals of the European Basketball League with medals from the All-Russian Mini-Basket Festival, the girls’ team Pchyolki reached the final of the European Basketball League.
Andrey Zaitsev, based in Ostrovtsy. If not for the virus, in May we would have seen the final of the youth Euroleague in Ramenskoye, at the Borisoglebsky Sports Palace. This, I think, is a very high level, a very great achievement, which few people know about. Ramenskoye pupils play in the strongest teams: Vladimir Ershov and Artyom Skvortsov became players of the strongest basketball sports schools in Moscow, Ilya Plynov is a player in the Moscow Region national team… There is a demand for our guys. But why raise players for other teams? We have everything to educate our talents, who will defend the honor of the Ramensky urban district. Russian professional basketball is not in the best position right now. Its level needs to be raised, so why not start with yourself?! We want to train gifted players, we can do it. We will protect, cherish and cherish, raise our Ramensky basketball!
Elena Svininnikova
Photo by Valery Korolev and from the archive of Dmitry Kovalev
Source: Department of the press service of the administration of the Ramensky urban district.
Youth organizations
MBU "Gatchinsky Palace of Youth"
Director Chernova Victoria Sergeevna
Directions:
Club of volunteers "TEAM-GDM"
Leading School
Prof.com
Labor teams
Dance studio "Green dance"
Theater and K
http://mbugdm.ru/
MU SOM "Youth Center of the village of Taytsy"
Address: Gatchina, st. Yuny Leninets, 2
Director - Nesterov Alexander Alexandrovich
Directions:
Tyro Club
Theater Studio
Karate
Football
Volleyball
Youth Council of the Gatchina Municipal District
Coordinator of the Council - Ivanov Andrey Evgenievich, tel. 881371-9-33-57
Directions:
Patriotic
Career guidance
Young Voter School
Leisure
Youth club Kommunar
Address: Kommunar, Antropshinskaya st.
, 293, tel. 812-467-68-62
Director - Andrianov Oleg Nikolaevich
Theater Studio
Music studio
Leisure
https://vk.com/club26161493
Tel. +7 952-246-44-20
Direction - search and reconnaissance work, archival activities
Regional public organization "Volunteering Development Center"
Head - Ovsyanik Daria Alexandrovna, tel. +7-911-266-83-85
Directions:
Volunteering
Volunteering
Social Engineering
Military Patriotic Club "Fatherland"
Address: Gatchina, per. Revolutionary, d.1, tel. 8-921-579-57-59
Hand Directions:
Drilling
Tactical-Special Training
Physical fitness
Fire training
Summer, winter, autumn, spring camp driver - Zhilin Vladimir Mikhailovich
"Volunteers of Victory"
Coordinator - Smirnova Ekaterina Vladimirovna, tel.
+7 921 184 80 87
SPK "Voevoda"
Head - Neshchadym Dmitry Vladimirovich tel. +7 903 093 88 90
SPK Rossomakha
Head - Shchiryuk Ksenia Andreevna, tel. + 7 906 260 69 13
Tyro Volunteer Club
Head - Nikonova Elena Yurievna, tel. +7 921 923 80 71
MVO "Angels of Goodness"
Head Aleksey Tulnev, tel. +7 953 142 96 82
5. Tab "Where to go in for sports"
MBOU DO "Gatchinskaya Youth Sports School No. 1"
Address: Gatchina, pr. 25 Oktyabrya, 1, phone: 8-81371-99177; tel/fax: 8-81371-99343.
Director - acting Petrova Galina Alekseevna
Sports:
Athletics
Freestyle wrestling
Acrobatics
Gymnastics
http://www.gtn.lokos.net/gatsport1/
MBOU DO "Gatchinskaya Youth Sports School No.
2"
Address: Gatchina, st. Krupskoy d.11 bldg. 3, DFC PNPI (office on the 3rd floor), phone: 8-81371-31-4-32
Director - Slutskaya Tatyana Nikolaevna
Sports:
Basketball
Box
Swimming
Rock climbing
Football
Chess
http://www.gtndussch.ru/
MBOU DO "Gatchinskaya Youth Sports School No. 3"
Address: Gatchina, pr. 25 Oktyabrya, 10, phone: 8-81371-3 -47-81
Director: Sadovnichy Mikhail Vladimirovich
Sports:
Tennis (Maria Vyacheslavovna, tel. 8-905-218-14-00)
Volleyball
Skating
Ski racing
Table tennis
Hand-to-hand combat
Judo
Air gun shooting
Football
Chess
MBOU DO "District Children's and Youth Sports School"
Address: Gatchinsky district, Novy Svet, 82, tel. 8 (81371) 68-190
Director: acting Hen Vitaly Vladimirovich
Sports:
Basketball
Football
Karate
Judo
badminton
Box
Kettlebell lifting
MBU "Gatchinsky City Sports and Leisure Center"
Address: Gatchina, st.
Sobornaya d.7a, tel. 8-813-71-906-21, 8-813-71-906-57
Director Russkikh Alexander Vladimirovich
Organization of sports and leisure work with residents of the city
Sports and recreation complex "Arena"
Address: Gatchina st. Knysha d. 14a, tel. 8-813-71-7-57-46
Sports:
Aerobics
Badminton
Recreational gymnastics group for pensioners
Table tennis
Modern and oriental dances
Gym
Floorball
Chess club "Debut"
Address: Gatchina, st. Sobornaya d.7a, tel. 8-813-71-9-36-22
Mayak Universal Sports Hall
Address: Gatchina, st. Chekhov, d. 9a, tel.: 8-813-71-9-09-01
Sports and recreation complex "Marienburg"
Address: Gatchina, st. Ryseva, 32a, tel. Address: 1, Lipovaya Alley, Gatchina (next to the Baltic Station), tel. Address: Gatchina, st. 7 Army, d.
