App Fatigue and the Engagement Problem in Youth Sports Registrations

“Damn! I forgot my username and password for the player registration site.”  That is what so many sports parents are saying at this time of year as they try to register their kids for Fall season sports.  Are you getting sports app fatigue?

Forgot My Password – Again – Sports App Fatigue

It’s more than a headache when you plan to spend 2 minutes signing your child up for a sports program and then spend a half hour trying to figure out how to access your account because, in most cases, it’s been a full year since you logged into that registration site.  

I know first hand that it’s an alphabet soup of registration sites that your local sports program probably uses:  SportsEngine, LeagueApps, TeamApp, TeamSnap, SportsConnect, Blue Sombrero, Affinity Sports, GotSport and more. 

But what makes player registration such a headache for sports parents is that they rarely actually sign in to these registration accounts or engage with them throughout the year.  

So each summer, we are forced to search through our personal bank of usernames and passwords, trying to figure out which email/password combination we used. Then the inevitable happens: we have to reset the password yet again. 

Do I Really Need This App After I Register?

Probably, so don’t delete it. Remember you will sign in next season for another round of registration…..in all likelihood because your club or one of the National Governing Bodies (NGBs) requires it.   Most families just register their player and forget it. While some of these apps allow coaches to message parents, most people don’t use that feature. And none of these registration platforms were set up to include players in the conversation (what! seriously?). That is where the drop off happens. The “messaging” feature rarely gets used except to communicate a change in time, location or detail of an event (Insert yawn here). 

Full disclosure:  I am not just a sports parent who shares your frustration with the player registration process.  I am also the Founder and CEO of iSport360. One of the most engaging platforms in youth sports.  

How do we know it is engaging? Our customers log on an average of 12 times per week and spend over 4 minutes per visit.  

Think about that little stat. Are you logging in to your registration platform that often and actually seeing your child have meaningful exchanges with their coaches and teammates? How many times has your player actually communicated with the coach, received practice assignments or training videos using that platform? It’s not too late to change.

What Does 1 Single Youth Sports Platform Look Like?

It is our goal to finally give the youth sports community what they are literally begging for. One single platform. A platform that allows families to register players for any sport at the beginning of the season AND where coaches, players, parents and sports organizers can engage with each other in a collaborative way.  

When we say single platform, we are talking about the coach, player and parent using one single platform from registration through the season, when the team is together and throughout the week when they are between sessions. Parents start out with the registration process. Once their player is on the team then the parent and player see the schedule. They both know where to go and when to go. This is really important for the player. It empowers the player to make sure they are ready to go and allows them to own their business of being on the team. 

Player evals running during tryouts, self evals, mid season evals and end of season. See how your player progresses each season.  Then players can connect their team, share videos, photos and fun stickers. Coaches can assign practice plans to groups of players or just one, with helpful player development tools throughout the year to help ensure a great season for everyone.  

I’m quite certain if we offered this all in one place, you’d find value everyday and without a doubt you’d remember your username and password – and not have sports app fatigue.

Stay tuned friends….the future is not that far away.

About Ian Goldberg:

Ian Goldberg is the Founder and CEO of iSport360 but also a volunteer coach and #GirlDad of two teenage multi-sport athletes.  He is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Alliance for Youth Sports, a frequent speaker on topics in youth sports and an advocate for young athletes.  Prior to founding iSport360, Ian spent most of his career in digital marketing and digital product development and started his career at the White House working for the economic advisors to two US Presidents.

About iSport360:

iSport360 is a revolutionary youth sports technology platform that empowers player development.  Over 185,000 youth sports athletes, sports organizers, coaches, and parents depend on iSport360. iSport360 helps set individualized goals and share training videos, practice assignments, 360 degree feedback, player evaluations, sticker rewards and a Virtual Locker Room®.  We help stakeholders collaborate so their players can develop athletic skills and life skills. That’s why we have been endorsed and recognized by the biggest organizations in youth sports.