Why does every youth sports league insist that I download some crappy app for messaging?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:coaches get paid to sign up.

No, we don't. Although I suppose it's possible the leagues do?

Relax, OP. There's only like two or three of them out there. They're useful for things like scheduling AND communications. And it helps prevent communications and messages get lost among your other e-mails and text messages.

NP — I like to keep a small digital footprint. Schools are the same way. There are official apps and then there a teacher app faves of the moment. Why do we spend taxpayer dollars when teachers each of their own favorites. It is ridiculous.

For one team we have several apps:

GameChanger which includes a messaging feature.

TeamSnap for coaches and parents

Some other communication app just for the parents to communicate about carpool / event coordination (eg, team meals)

Then there is the booster’app

And the app for general sports admin (turning in health and permission forms), communicating with the AD and trainers



for travel season, there are the tournaments that have their own apps for getting updates on tournament results, schedule or field chamges, etc.

For 1 team! That’s miserable. Why does the team use team snap and gamechanger? I’ve used both and think with the exception of the game tracking feature in GC they do the same thing.

I have kids in multiple sports. I currently have 2 teams using SportsEngine, 2 teams using GC and 1 using TeamSnap. Then the occasional tournament site and school registration site. TeamSnap is my least favorite because of the pop up ads. I have had other teams use text message groups which was by far the most annoying. I’d get so many notifications and my messages would get clogged with “larla will miss the game,” “Larlo is running late” and then “great game team” messages. At least the app notifications are separate.

I wish managers/coaches would instruct parents to message individual player info (running late, sick etc) to just them and not the whole team chat. That would cut out most of my notifications. I try to notify individually, but other parents seem to want everyone to know.

[Anonymous]

I actually like them in theory, but I think they could be better and I wish all teams used the same one. Right now I have SSU, GC, TeamSnap, and Sports Engine on my phone. It is … a lot.

[Anonymous]

Just change your settings so you stop getting notifications. Log in and look for messages if you need to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just change your settings so you stop getting notifications. Log in and look for messages if you need to.

I tried this and ended up missing things because the coach added them fairly last minute and I didn’t check.

The same would happen with emails as I don’t get alerts each time I get an email.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just change your settings so you stop getting notifications. Log in and look for messages if you need to.

I tried this and ended up missing things because the coach added them fairly last minute and I didn’t check.

The same would happen with emails as I don’t get alerts each time I get an email.

I keep notifications off.

I will check the app a few hours before a game or practice and then right before we leave the house.

I keep all possible uniforms and gear in a separate bag that gets packed along with our chairs.

I am never the first one to respond to a team inquiry and I don't care.

[Anonymous]

It would be fine if DC were just involved in an athletic team and there was only one app. But each *type* of activity has their own apps. So if your kid is in music, sports, scouts, and/or some other thing at school, that's multiple siloed forms of communication. I only have one kid, and I don't think DC is involved in a lot, but we have separate apps for the school-year team, the summer team, another school activity, and scouts. That's 4 apps just for one kid. At least I can opt for email for a couple of them.

[Anonymous]

I'd say the majority of people on here are dissatisfied with the apps. I certainly am. I hate them, and I've tried to talk to coaches and league administrators, but I always get stonewalled. How do we fix it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the majority of people on here are dissatisfied with the apps. I certainly am. I hate them, and I've tried to talk to coaches and league administrators, but I always get stonewalled. How do we fix it?

As a league admin, I’ll tell you when our old site’s app got shut down (we were on League Athletics, RIP), people complained.

We offer app integration but don’t require anyone to use it. You can do everything via our website and email. Most people use the app.

And yes, it costs us. A lot actually.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't mind it if there was just one app that everyone used.

[Anonymous]

Its easier for the coaches rather than typing in all the email addresses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the majority of people on here are dissatisfied with the apps. I certainly am. I hate them, and I've tried to talk to coaches and league administrators, but I always get stonewalled. How do we fix it?

Because, the sad truth is parents don't actually want the information and complain no matter how we attempt to deliver it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its easier for the coaches rather than typing in all the email addresses.

weird complaint. coaches inevitably do that at least once at the beginning of the season. and they could just turn that into a group list. after that, they'd only have to type in the group name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the majority of people on here are dissatisfied with the apps. I certainly am. I hate them, and I've tried to talk to coaches and league administrators, but I always get stonewalled. How do we fix it?

Because, the sad truth is parents don't actually want the information and complain no matter how we attempt to deliver it.

Parents don't want to know when and where to be? As a parent, nothing aggravates me more than showing up at the designated place and time only to find out that it was rescheduled at the last minute and the only notice of that change was 1 chat message from the coach in the app amid 10 other messages that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its easier for the coaches rather than typing in all the email addresses.

weird complaint. coaches inevitably do that at least once at the beginning of the season. and they could just turn that into a group list. after that, they'd only have to type in the group name.

The rec league auto loads the teams into the app.
The coaches never have to type out email addresses or send emails.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its easier for the coaches rather than typing in all the email addresses.

weird complaint. coaches inevitably do that at least once at the beginning of the season. and they could just turn that into a group list. after that, they'd only have to type in the group name.

The rec league auto loads the teams into the app.
The coaches never have to type out email addresses or send emails.

You misunderstood my comment. Every team my kids have ever been on has begun with an EMAIL to all the parents, even if communications were eventually moved over to an app. To send that email, the coach must type in all the email addresses. Since that's happening regardless of whether there's an app, and since that can easily be converted to a group email list, the earlier complaint that coaches prefer the apps so that they don't have to type parent emails doesn't hold up as a legitimate reason for force us to use the apps.