Things aren’t so easy today. Single sports no longer influence the scene the way they once did, with leagues sprouting up for soccer, lacrosse, rugby and other games that only a few decades ago weren’t represented. One of the results of this player pool dilution is that leagues have to draw participants from a much wider area in order to have enough players to warrant a league. That means the old notion of word of mouth information flow is pretty much out the door. Newspaper subscriptions have declined precipitously, so posting information there only reaches a small percentage of the people who want it. Not only that, but people have become accustomed to information in real time; they don’t want to wait until tomorrow morning to read about the score of a game in their league, they want to see the outcome as soon as it’s decided on their laptop or their iphone. In ninety percent of the cases I work with, the first thing I suggest is that athletic leagues turn to the Internet to solve their communication issues. What they may not realize is that a professionally designed sports website can boost the visibility and appeal of their league, make event coordination a snap, even offer merchandising opportunities to boost revenues. Better yet, features are available that help the organization to plan and schedule games, coordinating with coaches and officials. A well designed sports web site can become a real community for players, families, fans, league officials and visitors. A typical web site of this nature will include: # Team specific bulletins, team rosters and photos. # Downloadable schedules with automatic e-mail notification of changes. # Playoff elimination brackets with graphics. # Game results and team standings. # Player statistics. # Sponsor pages with page top display of team sponsors. # Pages for feedback, surveys and questionnaires. # Discussion forums. # List of area facilities, complete with maps and directions. # Exchange page allowing visitors to post equipment and other items for sale or swap. # Scheduling capability for officials. # News bulletins. # Ability for visitors to register to play for the season with secure credit card transaction. # Merchandise sales through an online store. While athletic organizations face challenges unheard of a few decades ago, when used properly the Internet can make running a league even easier than before.
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