How Top Youth Sports Organizations Are Thinking About Registration Differently

How top youth sports organizations are rethinking registration and thinking about it differently to drive growth.

The landscape of youth sports registration is growing, and leading organizations are embracing new, more efficient ways to handle sign-ups, communication, and financial management. With the right strategies and tools in place, clubs are not only streamlining the registration process on the administrative end, but also creating a more seamless experience for players, parents, and staff. 

In this section, we explore how top youth sports organizations like Parkway Hoops, Steel City FC, and PRIDE Girls Lacrosse are using innovative registration approaches and thinking about it differently to drive participation and growth in their programs.

Parkway Hoops Takes Community Approach to Growth and Registration

Parkway Hoops, a community-driven basketball program based in Brooklyn, NY, has seen remarkable growth. What started with one young athlete has now expanded to over 500 youth players, all thanks to a strong focus on accessibility, community involvement, and the right technology partner to support the program’s growth.

Founder Peter Panousopoulos attributes much of this success to the program’s dedication to making basketball available to everyone in the community. “It’s developed into this basketball program that grows with the kids who are part of the program,” said Panousopoulos.

“It will be our fourth high school graduating class where anybody that has played at the program graduated high school and went off to college… and that’s something I’m really proud of.”

A key part of Parkway Hoops’ success lies in its ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with parents, athletes, and coaches, and TeamSnap for Business has been instrumental in this.

Love of the Game: Growing Youth Sports Sign-Ups and Participation Rates in 2025

TeamSnap is dedicating this month to helping organizations like yours boost sign-ups and ignite a passion for sports. This page serves as a hub for expert insights, including a free webinar, a new e-book, and other resources designed to help you increase registrations and keep kids on the field, the court, or at the rink in 2025.

Putting the Player First: Steel City FC’s Innovative Approach to Player Development and Registration

Steel City FC, a prominent youth soccer club in Pittsburgh, has redefined how soccer development is approached. How? By focusing on long-term player growth. 

Founder Tommo Ovenden knew that he wanted to build a club with a clear pathway from youth to intermediate to adult players. But, he would need the right technology partner to manage the complexities of such a larger and growing soccer program. 

With the help of TeamSnap for Business, Steel City FC centralized key aspects of their operations — registration, scheduling, communication, and rostering — into one platform. “The technology and centralization are really, really important for what we wanted to do,” says Ovenden. 

This centralized approach allows the club to keep administrative tasks organized while focusing on putting the player’s development at the forefront.

Take Pride in Ultimate Growth: Katie McMahon-Gates Drives Success with Streamlined Registration

Katie McMahon-Gates, Executive Director of both PRIDE Girls Lacrosse and ULTIMATE Lacrosse, has succeeded with incredible growth by focusing on an organized and sustainable financial model. 

When McMahon-Gates founded PRIDE Girls Lacrosse in 2016, the program had just eight teams. Fast forward to today, and PRIDE is now a Top 20 youth and high school lacrosse program with 22 teams in two locations. TeamSnap has been crucial, enabling her organization to handle every aspect of administrative duties: registration, payment collection, financial reporting, and more. 

“All the kids have signed up, signed the waivers, and know the policies because they’ve gone through the registration system,” McMahon-Gates says. TeamSnap’s platform has allowed her to manage everything, all in one place. Gone are the days of collecting checks at her office desk — TeamSnap provides real-time visibility into her club’s financial health, which has been a game-changer for long-term planning.

“We don’t have to have coaches collecting money, directors collecting money, it just goes right through the platform.”

Get the Full Playbook: Master Your Registration Strategy

Want to dive deeper into proven strategies for a seamless and successful registration season? Download The Ultimate 2025 Registration Playbook to get expert insights on:

• Understanding the complete youth sports registration landscape – parent, athlete, and family expectations
• Proven strategies to boost participation and sign-ups this season
• Winning tactics to grow your organization’s reach
• Optimizing your registration process – make your life easier! 
• How technology can help you scale and succeed

Don’t let registration challenges hold your organization back. Get your free copy today and take control of your 2025 season! 

Download Now

Watch the On-Demand Webinar: 5 Tips To Boost Player Registrations and Increase Access To Youth Sports in 2025

This interactive webinar brings together TeamSnap experts and youth sports leaders to discuss proven tactics for increasing player registrations, improving accessibility, and creating an environment where young athletes fall in love with the game.

What You’ll Learn:

• Trends in Youth Participation: Discover the current trends affecting youth sports registrations and how to leverage these insights to your advantage.
• Growth Strategies and Tips: Learn effective communication and marketing strategies to connect with families, including social media campaigns, website optimizations, local outreach, and community partnership to help increase player registrations
• Registration Technology: Learn how to leverage technology to streamline the registration process and boost player sign-ups… especially with brand-new features on TeamSnap registration 
• Financial Accessibility & Sponsorships: Explore funding options and sponsorship opportunities that can reduce barriers to entry for families and ensure that every child has the opportunity to participate.
• Success Stories: Hear success stories from organizations that have successfully increased player registrations and enhanced access to youth sports.

Let’s make 2025 the year your organization thrives — more sponsors, less stress, more of the funding you need to succeed, and more time at the practice and gameday fields!