One thing we can say from experience is time management is half the battle when you’re a youth sports coach!
Luckily, there are plenty of great apps for youth sports coaches designed to help you make the most of your time. Whether it’s staying in contact with your team, planning practice drills and scheduling games, or just about anything else you can think of, there’s an app for you.
To help cut through the clutter and overwhelming number of apps to choose from, we narrowed it down to the top 5 best apps for youth sports coaches.
No matter what you’re looking for, one of these 5 is sure to be the perfect fit!
Bonzi/StackSports Connect
Editor’s Note: Bonzi is now also going by Team Connect, but continues to be marketed as Bonzi.
While not specifically designed for youth sports, Bonzi is a sports management app with millions of users worldwide. And because of its holistic approach, with an all-in-one approach to sports management challenges, it’s especially useful for volunteer coaches.
There are two options available when using the Bonzi app:
- Bonzi Team (now Team Connect)
- Bonzi League (now League Connect)
Bonzi Team offers time-saving solutions that help coaches communicate with their teams. You’re also able to create a website for your team, which you can access and manage via your computer browser as well as through the app, schedule announcements to be sent via text message and/or email, create and edit season schedules, and manage your teams’ roster.
If you need a little more flexibility, you can opt for Bonzi League instead. With Bonzi League, you’re able to choose which customizable administrative tools you want to include – and which to exclude.
However, Bonzi’s biggest draw card is the fact its flexibility and customization means you can build the app you need without paying for features you don’t.
Where to create an account: StackSports.com
Manage Your League
If you’re a first-time coach, you might not be ready to invest in a premium app just yet. And that’s okay!
Manage Your League lets you dip your toes with a free demo before upgrading to a paid account. This gives you a chance to test the app and see how useful you and your team find it without needing to pay anything upfront.
Similar to Bonzi/StackSports Connect, Manage Your League is available online and as an app, providing a fairly flexible solution.
The Sports League Management software includes:
- Sports Registration Software Manager
- Sports Schedule Maker & Generator
- Website Builder w/ Web CMS Template
- Multi Sport Clubs & Associations
- Officials Management for Referee & Umpire
- Volunteer Scheduling Manager
- Tournament & Playoff Bracket Maker
- Email & Text Communications
Each feature has several applications. For example, with the Sports Registration Software Manager, you get the League Registration Software, a Registration Manager with Team ID Look-up, and more.
Where to create an account: ManageYourLeague.com
Coach’s Eye
One of the biggest challenges for coaches is mastering feedback to ensure quick and quality improvements.
Coach’s Eye, an app designed for coaches to easily give players effective feedback, is the solution. To sum it up, Coach’s Eye lets you capture videos on the field, share and edit those videos, and even add commentary for individual player analysis.
For example, if one of your players struggles with a specific area of little league, you can record them and offer step by step instructions on how to improve.
Coach’s Eye is offered in two packages: individual and team.
The Individual Package offers basic HD recording capabilities with your phone or camera. It also lets you import videos from platforms like YouTube and Google Drive or your own videos using the app’s Web Uploader.
Additionally, you’re able to edit your HD videos with on-screen drawings and voice-over commentary. The Individual Package also includes premium analysis tools for highlighting important details, like slow motion effects and a stopwatch.
The Team Package offers everything included in the Individual Package, plus additional features specifically for coaches managing teams.
Both packages offer a free trial.
Where to create an account: CoachsEye.com
Teamwatch
If you’re looking for the leading team communications app for youth sports coaches then our Teamwatch app is without a doubt the solution for you.
The Teamwatch app has absolutely everything you need to manage your team effectively as a coach, manager, or even the club president!
With Teamwatch, you can:
- Create detailed rosters, complete with photos, to help keep everyone on your team (including the parents) in the loop
- Track player availability and attendance so you always know who’s going to be there and when
- Create a detailed schedule for practices, drills, matches, and team outings, including the exact time and date as well as addresses, so everyone knows exactly what’s happening where and when
- With the Overview feature, parents can receive turn by turn directions to all events, games, and facilities (linked to the event details on the Schedule tab)
- Easily communicate with your team through the messaging feature, complete with Team Chat, Posts, and Emails
- Enable Alerts to send and receive push notifications, ensuring no one misses an important update
- Share photos and videos with individual team members or everyone at once
Teamwatch offers two pricing levels: Free and Premium.
The premium version offers a few extra features and allows you to include up to 40 members on your roster (only 15 with the free version). Premium users are also able to manage multiple teams, perfect for the Little League coach training more than one age group!
You can get started free, with no obligation to upgrade.
Where to create an account: Teamwatch.app
USA Baseball Mobile App
As a first-time youth sports coach, you might find yourself overwhelmed when presented with the task of developing practice plans with appropriate drills for your players. And that’s okay – it takes years to get to a point where you:
- Know exactly what areas you need to work on with your team based on their age group and proficiency
- Which drills work and which ones don’t
- How to develop a complete practice plan with the correct drill progression for the best results based on your goals
The USA Baseball Mobile App can help you figure all of that out. And even if you’re already a veteran youth sports coach, using an app sure beats sitting with a folio pad figuring everything out by yourself!
It’s split into 3 different sections, which you can use together or separately:
- Practice Plans offers a whole library of resources you can use as is or adapt to suit your team’s needs
- Drills offers in-depth information on individual drills you can use to develop or supplement your own plans
- Strength/Conditioning offers guidance on appropriate exercises for coaches to give players to follow during off-season, pre-season, and on-season to help strengthen and condition their bodies
Best of all? The app and its resources are free to use!
Where to create an account: USADevelops.com
Conclusion
While by no means an exhaustive list of the best apps for youth sports coaches, we feel the 5 mentioned apps are the best of the best.
The first 4 we covered offer holistic communications tools to help the modern coach stay in touch with parents – as well as keep track of everything themselves! Each app has its strengths and its weaknesses. You might find yourself testing a few before finding the right one for you!
And finally, we included the USA Baseball Mobile App, which we feel offers something the others don’t: a tool you can use when planning your practices! This one is just for you and provides everything you need to know that parents typically don’t worry about.
Are you ready to join the 21st century of youth sports coaching? Then be sure to check out all 5 of the best apps for youth sports coaches – and welcome aboard!
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