Nearly every sports training program requires some sort of “sign up” process. Whether you turn in a paper form, or use an athlete registration software, event organizers typically collect valuable information prior to an event which helps attendees have a more positive experience.
What information is important to collect? While there are a number of factors to consider, here are 7 must-haves for your next sports registration form.
P.S. If you’re looking for an athlete registration form template, you can download a free copy here!
A sports registration form is a template that collects information which allows athletes to sign up for programs or events. Also called athlete registration forms or player registration forms, sports registration forms are utilized by sports coaches and trainers to collect athlete details, contact information, and payments. Whether you are running a team or club, or you offer classes, small clinics, or large camps, you should be utilizing a player registration form to track your registrants.
The first touchpoint your athletes will have with your events is often during the registration process. So, you want to make sure that this process is organized and runs smoothly. A proper registration form can help protect both your athletes and your business, especially if you include an athlete waiver and release form as well.
The primary goal of an athlete registration form is to collect information about the athlete that will be in attendance for your next event. These should be relevant fields about the athlete that help you gain an understanding of their experience or background. For example, if you are running a sports camp you may find the following information helpful:
Whether you’re running a large sports camp for a wide age range, or a more concentrated clinic for a specific position or skill, including this information on your athletic forms will help you set your sports camp agenda, and add value that keeps parents and athletes coming back year after year.
Your athlete registration form should also collect contact information, for example, email, phone number, and address, which can benefit you both before and after your event.
Demographic information like an address can also help you make more informed decisions that grow your business. If you see high attendance from a particular school or club team, you may be able to partner with them for future events. Or, if you’re looking to expand into a new location, you’ll know where you can find the majority of your target clients.
See how demographic reporting has helped The Compound 256 expand their programming!
While you never want to believe that bad things could happen, it’s important to be prepared and proactive. Should an issue arise, you must know who to contact. Your sports registration form should collect at least one emergency or parent contact.
Bonus Resources: Check out Upper Hand’s free Incident/ Injury Response Kit!
SWAG. Everyone loves it. And young athletes are no exception. Consider designing an event t-shirt that is included with registration. This will not only make for great camp photos and marketing materials, but it’s also a relatively small expense that will help you expand your brand. It’s important to remember that, if you are going to include an event t-shirt, you’ll want to collect sizes that will help you make your order in advance (so you can accurately plan ahead).
You may also want to include an opportunity for athletes/ parents to disclose any medical or injury concerns that are relevant to the event.
Here are some things you may think to ask for:
With registration typically comes some sort of payment. Whether it’s an initial deposit, or you’re requesting that registrants pay in full, you want to stay on top of your hard-earned money. If you are using a sports registration software, like Upper Hand, these payments are collected and managed via an online payment processor. If you are collecting paper athlete registration forms, you will want to include a section for internal use to track those payments as they come in, so you don’t miss out on revenue. This section should include a space to note the date, method of payment, and who collected the payment, helping you leave a paper trail of these transactions.
In addition to the athlete registration form, you should also include an athlete waiver & release form for athletes/ parents to sign. A waiver legally gives up a right, for example releasing someone from their liability for harm or damage that may occur from participating in an activity. Additionally, a release form will ensure you have rights to use any photos or videos from your events.
Looking for a place to get started? Download Upper Hand’s Athlete Waiver and Release Template!
Looking for a way to take your athlete registration online? Upper Hand can help. Schedule a demo today to see how you can grow your business with athlete registration software.
Don’t miss out on these related resources:
In our modern world, the Internet has become the go-to platform for individuals seeking information, services, or products. This holds for all business sectors, and sports training is no exception. A professionally built website that’s informative and user-friendly can be a powerful tool, driving your sports training business to new levels of success.
If your sports business has had the same website for a while, you may be managing your site on autopilot. However, just because you have a website, doesn’t mean it’s doing the best it can to bring in new clients. In fact, your site can easily become outdated in a matter of months if you haven’t bothered to do an evaluation of what is working. It’s important to take some time to see what’s really occurring on your