Running a youth sports club isn’t easy. As a small club leader, you’re probably wearing a dozen hats, stretching budgets, and trying to keep everything moving without burning out. The good news is you’re not alone. Large club leaders have faced these same challenges, and there’s a lot to learn from their growth playbook. Growth may not be easy, but it is achievable. Here are a few places our experts recommend you start:
Start with growing from the bottom of the pyramid up. “It’s very important that clubs start with a strong grassroots program that’s not competition-based, but about learning and falling in love with the game. That’s how you are going to build loyalty with your families and eventually grow your competitive teams,” says Shelley Forrest, Head of Administration and Director of Operations at Far Post Soccer Club.
Matt Tunis, Partner & Director of Operations at Chicago Empire FC, agrees. “A lot of clubs fall into the trap of concentrating on their best performing teams, when in reality, the future of your club is your youngest players. The number one sign a club is not doing well is when you look at how many 8-9-year-olds they have registered and they only make up one team of seven. That’s the future of your club. Growth will always start with your youth.”
Understand your club’s role
in the larger ecosystem. “Self-awareness is also tremendously important, and not every club has it,” says Steve Danbusky, Executive Director at Beach FC. “In order to grow, you need to understand your limitations and your role in the overall youth landscape. As a smaller club, maybe your role is developing players and helping them get access to better leagues, more professional coaching, or just the next step overall.”
Christian Hamm, Admin Director of Club Operations at Indy Eleven Academy, adds that by focusing on what your club is good at instead of trying to be what other clubs are, you can really move the needle in a better way. “You can still look at other clubs as a model, but you should just be learning from them, not trying to be something you’re not. Take those ideas and implement them in a way that is yours and growth will follow.”
Engage with your community. “There are so many ways you can reach out to your community,” says Loudoun Soccer Chief Executive Officer Mark Ryan. “Whether it’s through sponsorships, fundraising, or maybe hosting local events that tie to the game. Maybe it’s holding summer camps or daycare programs. All of these things provide benefits to your local community while still bringing in revenue that helps your club grow.”
Cory Munro, Chief Business Officer at Charlotte Independence, also placed high emphasis on sponsorships and growing relationships within your community. “What’s really helped us grow is the partnerships with municipalities and having them support and believe in us,” she says. “It’s helped us solidify our footprint in the community and is especially beneficial when you don’t own your own fields or property.”
Go through some strategic planning exercises. This allows you to take a moment to define where you want to go and set clear goals to help you get there. Danbusky notes: “When you have ambition to grow larger, you need to be ready to invest in both people and facilities, which is a big ask. Having a clear roadmap of how to get to a point where you can do that will help make navigating that journey easier.”
Ryan can’t emphasize enough the value of technology in helping you plan the future of your organization. “Make sure you’re set up with good technology. That is huge,” he says. “Good technology helps you forecast. It helps you figure out what’s working and what’s not. It helps with your budget, with deciding where you’re going to invest your resources, and it gives you accurate data. All of these things together will help make your club run smoother.”
Note: This post is part of a larger series called “Small Clubs, Big Wins” where top youth sports leaders share their wisdom with smaller clubs. For this purpose, smaller clubs are defined as organizations with 100 players or fewer.
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