Background

In 2009 Kenny King founded Alliance Youth Sports to provide Arizona families more opportunities to enjoy youth sports and the quality family entertainment that results. Alliance has a staff of five handling football, track and cheerleading divisions. The football division, which serves 7- to 14-year-olds, comprises 64 teams with 25-30 players on each. Though football is Kenny’s main area, all staff members, whatever their division, chip in during specific seasons to help one another keep the games going, focused always on helping Alliance athletes compete at their highest level, learn leadership skills and become lifetime pupils in the classroom and on the field.

On the field with Kenny King, Executive President

When Kenny King decided to develop a youth sports organization, he had something very specific in mind. As a kid who was big for his age, he learned first-hand what it was like to be 10 years old and play against guys three years his senior, guys more mature and with more time in the game, just because his size/weight matched theirs. It was a startling disadvantage, and one he wanted to remove from the lives of youths entering the football arena. For Kenny, it’s all about the game. Thus he developed an independent organization that would bring a level playing field to the fore, while emphasizing education, fun, safety and family participation.

What prompted you to turn to online league management software

With nearly 2000 players across three different sports activities, I initially wanted to create my own database. Then I discovered Active Network, Sports. I was hesitant at first, but Active’s customer service team helped convince me it would simplify my work. I found that Active’s database did what I wanted.

How was the start-up for you?

Not knowing the program, it was tough at first. But after working with customer service – they take as much time as you need to walk you through it – it was great. I’m eager to learn and I discovered just how much the online registration software helps when you know what you’re doing.

What is one of the biggest advantages of having online registration?

Well, we still do on-site registration and take registrations by mail. But we cover an area of about 100 miles, so it’s tough to be everywhere. The online registration option is great for those who can’t make it to on-site registration and for us, when players input their own data, we know the information is correct. This helps so much that we are considering offering lower rates for those who sign up online. We absolutely get our money’s worth from Active.

How else do you use the league management software?

The software allows us to automate team assignments. With 64 teams and three unique sports activities to participate in, it’s a big convenience and time saver

How has Active online registration software increased participation?

We also use the email system to let everyone know when the season opens, when registration will start, and how to participate. It’s definitely made a difference. Tons of kids always want to play and this helps us let them know what they need to get started. Active’s software helps us get that information out and keep families in the loop. I think the families are happy to find a sports organization that isn’t weight‑based, that teams‑up their kids based on maturity. We’ve gotten no complaints

We also use the software to help recruit volunteers. We’ve customized the registration process to include this, giving parents a chance to indicate what they want to do. It’s made a big difference because now everyone is aware that they can contribute something to Alliance

Active Network—Helping leagues GET, MANAGE, BUILD

GET: With Active software’s broadcast email capability it’s easy to get word out about an upcoming season’s registration, along with what players need to get started. Plus, online registration helps Alliance reach a population covering a 100-mile area, getting more kids involved in the game.

MANAGE: Alliance football alone has 64 teams with 25‑30 players each, so effective, efficient team placement means everything. With Active’s interactive database, team assignments are much easier to manage. And having players input their own information eliminates errors on the organization’s part.

BUILD: The Alliance team has customized registration to include volunteer recruitment, giving parents a chance to indicate what they’d like to do. It’s made a big difference; now everyone is aware that they can contribute something and help build the Alliance community.

Schedule a demo with an Active Network representative to see if Active can help streamline how you manage your league