Ultimate Guide to Running Successful Sports Camps
13 best practices from over 25 years of camp experience that will bring athletes back year after year and take your camps to the next level.
TEMPLATE
Collect all the critical information on your athletes prior to event day to set your next program up for success!
An athlete’s experience with your camp or clinic begins well before they show up on event day. Oftentimes, the first impression with your brand is when registering for an event. This means that it’s critical that your registration process is organized and that you collect all the necessary information to run a successful program.
When creating the registration for your upcoming camps and clinics, it’s important that your athlete registration form is organized, and includes all the necessary fields to run a successful program.
Whether you’re collecting this information with pen and paper, or are using a sports registration software like Upper Hand, here are 6 components of a great registration form.
First, and perhaps most importantly, you must collect information about the athlete or participant. Particularly, your athlete registration form should ask relevant questions that help you gain an understanding of their skill level or background. For example, if you are running a large sports camp, you’ll want to collect information on each athlete’s years of experience or age, so that you are able to group athletes with similar abilities. This will help you set your sports camp agenda, and ultimately run a successful, valuable event for every athlete involved.
Likewise, if you are running a smaller, more focused clinic for a specific age group or skill level, you may wish to include space on your athlete registration form to list their current school or club team. This information will help you identify where your athletes are coming from (which can help you determine where to market future camps) and will give you an idea of the coaching they receive at their team practices.
Collecting contact information on your athlete registration form has numerous benefits for your business and your athletes. First, this contact information allows you to communicate important event details leading up to your event. Additionally, after an event you can continue to market future camps, clinics, or programs that may be a good fit.
Additionally, with club or school team information, you are able to see where your athletes are coming from, so that you can make more informed decisions when it comes to future camps or clinics.
Louis Whitlow, Owner of The Compound 256, often looks to his athlete’s demographics to make decisions about future programming. “If I look to run camps at high schools, I know where to pilot those programs. If I see that most of our kids are coming from a particular area, I can plan programs in their backyard.”
Of course, you never want to think about things that could happen. But, in the event that an issue arises, it is critical that you know who to contact. Be sure to collect at least one emergency or parent contact on your athlete registration form.
P.S. We’ve also put together a free incident/ injury response plan template, check that out here!
Let’s be honest – we all love getting free gear! Consider creating an event t-shirt that is included with registration. Not only can the shirt be worn at the camp or clinic, but it’s a great marketing investment. Not only does it make for a great team photo, but athletes will continue to wear this shirt after the event! Collecting your athletes’ t-shirt sizes on the athlete registration form will help you plan for inventory, which will help you maximize your budget and ensure every athlete gets their preferred size!
You may also want to include space on your athlete registration form for additional commentary from the athlete or parent. Think about the event in which your athletes are registering for. Is there any additional information that is vital to your event?
For example, if you are running an all-day clinic and are providing lunch, you’ll need to be aware of any food allergies or dietary restrictions. Or, if an athlete is recovering from an injury and has any restrictions, disclosing this information will inform you and your staff of rotations to keep a closer eye on them, or offer modifications. Think through your sports camp agenda to determine any additional fields to include on your athlete registration form.
Lastly, along with registration typically comes payments. If you are collecting paper registrations, you should also include payment details to keep track of your revenue and ensure you don’t miss out or lose track of any revenue. Including a section on your athlete registration form to internally mark payment details, for example the date and amount paid, method of payment, and who collected the payment, will help you leave a paper trail of these transactions.
Bonus Tip: In addition to the athlete registration form, every sports business needs an athlete waiver and release to protect both the athletes and the business. Don’t know where to start? Check out our free template here!
13 best practices from over 25 years of camp experience that will bring athletes back year after year and take your camps to the next level.
Propel athlete and client development by providing personalized assessments using this free athlete evaluation template.
Every sports and fitness business needs a client waiver, but many don’t know where to start. We’re here to help.