How to Start an Team?

[Petrina Winfield-Gordon]

Overview

Very often parents and coaches are interested in starting their own club basketball team, and want to know how it's done. It is simpler than most would believe. Keep in mind, anybody can start a team and there are a lot of people out there who found some players and gave themselves the title of coaches. However, if you want to do it right and avoid a lot of headache, this manual will explain how.

The steps in forming a club team are:

1. Developing a philosophy for your team,
2. Analyzing time, cost, and commitment
3. Finding a coach
4. Finding committed players,
5. Joining AAU and obtaining insurance
6. Finding a practice facility.
7. Entering tournaments and leagues
8. Important websites & contacts

Step 1: Develop a Philosophy
The first step must be developing a philosophy and the most important question that must be answered is:

Will it be a recreational team where everyone gets equal playing time or a competitive team where playing time must be earned?

There are plenty of club teams that fall into both categories. Some of the more common recreational Teams are school teams that want to stay together for the AAU season, many times formed by the local high school coach who wants to develop a feeder program. Competitive Teams are formed through tryouts or invitations and the players usually come from all over the area. There mission is to bring together very talented players in order to elevate their level of play and the goal is to win AAU qualifying events. Cost, time, and commitment are very important things to consider and they are addressed in the next section. The answers to these questions must be decided before attempting to find a coach and players. If the coach and the players
don’t buy into the philosophy of the team it will eventually lead to problems and hard feelings. The philosophy of the team can help to determine how you will go about finding players.

• Do you enlist a volunteer parent to coach or do you pay a local high school or college coach?
• Will you run statewide or local tryouts?
• Will they be open tryouts or by invitation only?
• Do we just want to keep the school team together for the AAU season?

Obviously, competitive teams will probably want to go with open tryouts and recruit a very knowledgeable coach that does not have a child on the team. On the other hand, a recreational team can lend itself to either local tryouts, no tryouts (school team), and have a volunteer parent coach.

Step 2: Time, Cost, & Commitment

TIME
Your philosophy will determine how long your season will run and how far you want to travel. This needs to be established in order to determine the cost. A good starting point is 1-2 weeks after the local school leagues finish and a good ending point might be the local AAU Association championships (late May). Some teams look for a really prestigious tournament to end their season with, such as a Reno, Las Vegas, or San Diego tournament during Memorial Day weekend. The competitive teams traditionally end with the AAU national championships or a NCAA viewing tournament during July.

COST (expenses)

Of course, always round up by at least 10% and plan for the unexpected. Typical expenses would include:

1. INSURANCE: $30 - $300 for club, $16 for coach, $14 per player. see joining AAU.
2. PRACTICE: 2-3 per week. gym costs vary from free to $70 per hour.
3. TOURNAMENTS: 2 per month, budget $250 per tournament.
4. UNIFORMS: Numbers on front & back. Should be reversible. Range is $30 - $110 per set. Shorts, shooting shirts, warmups, travel bags are all optional
5. COACHES: Typical stipends range from $500 - $1,500 per season. Most clubs cover the motel, food ($20 per day), and gas ($40 per tournament). Many hotels will ‘comp’ the coaches room if all of the parents stay at the same hotel. Consider coaches attire.
6. ADMINISTRATIVE: Bank charges, postage, printing, first aid kit, basketballs, ball bag, whistles and score book.

COST (income)

Once the expenses are determined, then you can figure out a plan to pay them. Obviously fundraising is vital and one of the benefits of joining AAU is the possibility of hosting a tournament. These can generate thousands of dollars and your local AAU basketball
chair will help you organize it (see joining AAU)..

OPTION 1: Pay as you go. Divide each expense by the number of players and collect money.
OPTION 2: Monthly payments. Establish a monthly fee. Problem if projections are off.
OPTION 3: Upfront fee + monthly payments. Charge enough to purchase insurance, uniforms,
and the first month of practices & tournaments. Present parents with a monthly invoice to cover
estimated expenses for upcoming month.

I have outlined several options, although I recommend Option 3 for first time clubs. Option 3 offers several advantages. There are no refunds if a player cannot finish the season, it has the flexibility for changes in schedules, and can account for changes in the projected expenses.

Another item that must be addressed is the semantics of how money is collected or raised and bills are paid. You need to consider filing for a Tax ID Number with the county and opening a checking account. Otherwise, all of the parents will have to pay cash or write checks to an individual, who in turn would pay the bills out of an individual, personal checking account.

COMMITMENT

An absolute essential step is to schedule a parent meeting before any practices or collection of money occurs. Do not “sugarcoat” anything, be very clear and up front so that each parent can make a commitment. The single biggest headache is the family who quits the team in the middle of the season because they became overwhelmed with the commitment involved. The following needs to be addressed:

• PHILOSOPHY: Be very clear on playing time.
• COST: Over estimate. Talk about fundraising, but don’t count on it.
• TIME: Can everyone attend every tournament and 90% of practice.

Step 3: Find a Coach

Once you have established your philosophy, you need to find a coach who will abide by that philosophy. Many clubs start with good intentions, but problems arise when some of the parents and/or coach want to become more competitive. Regardless of how competitive the team will be, the selection of the coach is one of the most important decisions that a team can make. The coach should be knowledgeable in basketball, and a good knowledge of how to teach the sport to boys and girls is an important bonus. The most important consideration is how the coach approaches the game with respect to winning and losing.

Recreational Teams: Recruit a coach from within the teams parent group or perhaps someone’s relative. Maybe the local Jr High or high school JV coach will be willing if the parents pay for all of the travel expenses.

Competitive Teams: Parents can successfully coach these teams, however, playing time issues will invariably arise and will need to be confronted. Some times the well-intentioned dad-coach is actually harder on his own child, which can strain even the most healthy father-child relationships. The best scenario here is to recruit a local high school head coach, college assistant, or collegiate athlete. The parents may have to pay a small coaching salary and cover the travel expenses, but the headaches that are avoided are well worth the price.

Step 4: Finding Players

Once again your philosophy is a factor here. There are several considerations:

• Roster Size.
Determined by playing time philosophy, however, you will need a minimum of 7 and will not
want to exceed 15.

• Tip: Most teams carry 10 or 11, so there are enough to scrimmage in practice.

• Age and Grade.
Tournaments divisions are based on the player’s age or grade and are always based on your oldest player. Teams may play up but may never play down.

• Tip: It is my opinion a coach should not play a team up due to one player's age. Rather, it suggested that the coach find another team for that player.

• Tip: Most tournaments in Texas are AAU aged based, however, in some areas it may be grade based

• Residence.
If you are forming a competitive team and have plans of competing at an AAU national event, team members must live within the same Association as determined by the AAU code book. The geographical boundaries can be found at www.aauboysbasketball.org. Most club athletes are at a much higher level than the local community and YMCA leagues. Although your player (or team) may be superior locally, please remember that may not be the case on the club circuit.

TRYOUT ANNOUNCEMENTS
You may have to start announcing your tryout date several months before tryouts. You will need to distribute fliers to all of the school teams and recreation leagues. The local newspaper might announce your tryout date in its community sports section. If you plan on having a competitive team, you need to attend the regional or local all-star tournament or the top school tournaments to invite the top players.

CONDUCTING TRYOUTS
This is where the old saying about the importance of first impressions rings true. Your tryout needs to appear professional and organized to potential parents.

• It is not uncommon to charge a nominal fee ($5 - $25) to cover your costs of the tryout.
• Have receipts, money box, and change.
• Have an informational sheet to pass out to parents.
• Coaches credentials, costs, practice & tournament schedule

TIP: Have a 2’ x 6’ banner made -- they cost less than $20.

• Give every player a tryout number to pin on their shirt.
• Have 8 1/2 “ x 11” paper, safety pins, and markers. Numbers match coaches evaluation sheet (600’s are 6th graders, 700’s are 7th graders, etc).

• Try to assign quantitative numbers to skills assessments
• Timed dribbling station, number of free throws, number of 3-pointers in 1 minute.
• Conduct 3 on 3 competitions.
• Coaches rate on scale of 1 - 5 skills such as passing and defense.

TIP: Have an alternative date for follow-ups and scheduling conflicts

Step 5: Joining AAU and obtaining insurance

Once you have developed a philosophy, found enough committed players, and a coach willing to abide by your philosophy, there are some administrative details that need to be worked out. First, the coach should request a copy of the AAU boys’ or girls’ basketball handbook. The coach should read through the handbook and write down any questions they have. Second, you will need to obtain insurance since most practice facilities and tournament directors will require it. You should be very wary of entering a tournament that does not require it, since that is an indicator of a poorly organized event.

WHAT ARE THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH AAU BASKETBALL?

(A) AAU Club Membership (Starting at $30);
Youth clubs consist of youths under the age of 18, with at least one coach/instructor. The youth club fee starts at $30.00 - Level I, Level II, Level III - and covers any number of teams that are part of that club. A club may be one team or it may have 20 teams. A certificate of liability is a certificate issued from the AAU insurance company naming a club’s practice facility as the insured, providing a school district or the city recreation department with what they need to let that club practice. You must be a registered club to receive a certificate of liability.

The cost is $25 for as many certificates as you need if you request them 30 days in advance. $100 if you need them sooner. Go the www.aauboysbasketball.org for more information.

(B) AAU Individual Memberships;
All athletes and coaches must be AAU members. There are two types of individual memberships:

1. Regular Membership:
• Athletes $12.00
• Coaches $14.00

Liability and medical coverages in AAU sanctioned events only.

2. AB Membership:
• Athletes $14.00 per individual
• Coaches $16.00 per individual

Liability and medical coverage in non-AAU sanctioned events. Everyone from the team must have AB coverage.

TIP: Purchase the AB memberships. This will cover you if you join any local leagues or attend a non-AAU tournament, such as BCI or YBOA.

Teams can register online at the national aau website. If you want personal service and all of your questions answered, contact your association chairperson. The Texas is divided up into five associations and the contact for your association is on the national aau website: http://www.aauboysbasketball.org/blue/index.asp?a=local.htm


OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT AAU
The following information is important only if your team is competing in an AAU qualifier or national championship.

• Participating in a Bordering Association
An athlete may participate in her own Association OR in a bordering Association ONLY if he has permission in writing from the Registration Chairman of both Associations. A maximum of three (3) athletes will be allowed on a team from bordering Associations.

• Age Determining Date
The competing age of each player is his age on September 1st. For example, players born in January, April, August of 1994 are all considered 15&under athletes in 2009 AAU events. This is important in Texas because the boys born after September 2, 1993 are also considered 15&under athletes in 2009.

NOTE: A 13-year-old could play in the 15 & Under age division, but a 15-year-old cannot play in the 13 & Under age division.

Step 6: Finding a practice facility

Once you have joined AAU and your certificates of insurance have arrived, you are ready to practice. Almost any school district, city recreation department, or local church should rent their facility to you when you can provide the proof of insurance certificate. There may be the opportunity for you to practice in a facility without paying rental fees, however, is worth the risk to not have insurance?

The total cost would be $213 to insure 10 players and 1 coach with AB insurance, along with the cost for the certificate. This would provide both liability and medical insurance.

Step 7: Joining tournaments and leagues

In Texas, there is a tournament every month during the year and from March - July you could find a tournament on every weekend! Tournaments fall into one of the following categories:

• All-Star & Club Leagues ($350 - $900 for 10-12 games)
You sign up for these leagues as a team (the league director does not assign players to a team).

• Non-Sanctioned Invitationals ($150 - $350)
Anyone can rent a gym, hire some refs, and schedule a tournament. You need to be leary of these events because there is probably no insurance coverage. Also, the fact that the organizer did not take the time to sanction the event is probably an indicator of how other details of the tournament were taken care of (i.e. untrained referees, poor facilities, cheap awards, etc).

• Sanctioned Invitationals ($200 - $250)
Although AAU is the largest sanctioning body, there are other organizations that sanction and insure events, such as YBOA, NJB, and BCI. These events are good tournaments to attend, although the winners do not qualify for any type of national championship. Since there is usually one qualifier and one championship, teams will play in several of these events to get games. The directors of these events will often modify some of the rules such as age restrictions, clock, timeouts, etc.

• Qualifiers and Championship Events ($300 - $600)
These are the prestigious tournaments to attend. All national rules of the sanctioning body (AAU, YBOA, NJB, BCI, AAS) will be strictly followed. Local winners advance to regionals and nationals.

Finding a Tournament
The internet is crucial at this step, although once you join AAU, you will be put on mailing lists for the following year and will begin to receive tournament flyers in the mail. Almost all correspondence beginning with you contacting the director to him sending you your registration packet, brackets, and maps will be done by e-mail. I have listed some tournament websites at the end of this manual.

Entering a Tournament
Once you find a tournament or league, you contact the director. You will be sent a registration form that you send back in with your roster and fees. Since most are on a first come, first serve basis entries are sent in as early as 6 months and as late as 1 week prior to the event. Some of the Non-Sanctioned Invitationals will allow you to pay the day of the event, which is again, an indicator of the quality.

KEY WEBSITES

AAU FORMS
You can contact AAU at 1-800-AAU-4USA for the address of your local association office or call 407-934-7200 with any specific questions. The website is www.aausports.org, which will allow you to download the following forms:
Club Membership Application: Processed with your $30 club fee.
Multiple Registration Application: List all of your players & coaches to process with individual membership fees.
Request for Liability Insurance: Must be a member first. Needed to rent gyms.
Sanction Form: Necessary if you want to run a tournament.
Incident Report Form: In case anything happens, including medical injuries.
This website also has contact information, list of associations, insurance, and rules.

OTHER FORMS

None of these are required, but you might consider making your parents & coaches look them over. They are a Code of Conduct that are available at www.starting5ivebasketball.org

TOURNAMENTS
Gulf Coast District 25: http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=gulfaaubb
Southwestern District 26: http://www.nextlevelballer.com/.
South Texas District 43: http://www.ccstaau.com/
National Junior Basketball: www.njbl.org.
Youth Basketball of America: www.yboa.org.
Playthere.com: www.playthere.com
Basketball Congress International: www.bcibasketball.org
All American Sports: http://www.aasbasketball.com/
ACAhoops.com: http://www.acahoops.com/default.htm