Kickoff Commitments

Deep in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, Mid-Valley Oregon Pop Warner is home to six unique associations and 1800 eager young athletes. Founded 8 years ago, Mid-Valley has since become one of the largest leagues in the region. After several years of exponential growth, it became clear to league board members that a digital solution was necessary. Program Director Ronda Marlega oversees all six leagues in such towns as Silverton, Corvallis and Salem.

In the huddle with Ronda Marlega, Program Director, Mid-Valley Pop Warner

Q: Before you began using LeagueOne online registration, how were you registering players each season?
A: Before we started using Active’s software, we were relying on a binder and hard copies. It all became more than we could manage on sheets of paper and in notebooks. When we started looking for a player database, we heard that Pop Warner was making the transition to Active, knowing that, we made the switch. We were in early. It was really a no-brainer.

Q: How did you introduce online registration to the six associations that make up Mid-Valley Pop Warner?
A: Initially, those of us at the league level controlled everything. Once we got comfortable with the software, we introduced individual associations to it, as well. We saw that a change needed to be made and we moved ahead with it. The growth of the league had gotten to the point that the five of us couldn’t do it anymore.

This past season, online registration was really embraced by both the associations and the parents. It is such a good management tool for us since we can click the mouse and know exactly where we are in every division. We’re able to keep a minute-by-minute update of how full our programs are getting. From that perspective, it’s huge.

Q: Do you use online registration to fundraise?
A: The scholarship donations are wonderful. We really don’t market the tool heavily, but we use it and we catch a few bucks. We’re delighted to have it.

Q: How does online registration impact volunteering?
A: The job we do now isn’t so daunting, so it has helped us recruit more volunteers and use those volunteer hours more wisely. We used to have a secretary input all of the registration forms into a spreadsheet. We knew that whoever got that job would just be stuck at their computer. When you get at least 50% of kids registering online, you’re down to just a handful that you have to enter manually. It makes a volunteer’s job far more manageable. Online registration has helped us with promoting, inputting manual registrations, reconciling. For that workload to go away, it’s been huge. A great asset. It has freed up so many of my volunteer hours.

Q: What was the most unexpected benefit of using LeagueOne online registration?
A: Since we open up online registration in February, a full three months before our first in-person registration, this software has given us a window into the future. We know how many spaces we need to fill, how much of a marketing budget we need and all that. It has been a huge help in becoming more efficient.

Q: How did the initial set up go with Active and how has ongoing support been?
A: Ongoing support is fantastic and it keeps getting better every year. The original implementation process was pretty seamless. Over the years, things have gotten even more user-friendly. The Active staff communicates with me in a language that I can understand. What we have today is pretty tailored to our specific needs.

Q: How many hours per year do associations save by not having to manually register everyone?
A: Coming up with a hard number is difficult, but I will tell you, without online registration and without the other tools you offer, there is no way we could function with the kind of growth we’ve had. We save at least 50 percent of our registration time thanks to online registration. There is no way I could get volunteers to process the amount of work we’d have to do if we weren’t using an online solution.

Q: How much are you saving on printing costs each year with online registration?
A: We’re saving thousands of dollars per year using Active. When you’re a non-profit league operating on a shoestring budget, saving anything is something we all get excited about. I know that what we spend every year to use Active is paying off in spades.

Active Network is the official technology partner of Pop Warner Little Scholars

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