This is the first article in our Roadmap to Success: SportsEngine Play series. Explore the full series and learn more about what SportsEngine Play can offer you here.
You likely clicked on this article because you are interested in bringing a live and on-demand broadcast video solution to your youth sports organization, and for that, we applaud you. Video is an essential tool for your organization to engage with your fan community, provide additional value to your members, develop athletes, and give your coaches tools to do their job better.
In this article, we will discuss some reasons why it’s important for your youth sports organization to invest in a video solution this season. And hopefully, this better equips you to bring this decision to your board with confidence.
Provide Value for Your Members through Video
1. Engage Current Members and Recruit New Members
There are many ways to reach current and future members, maybe nowhere better than social media. Video is proven to be highly engaging and shareable. Families love to share highlights and videos of their youth athlete playing the sports they love. By giving them video to share, you are not only helping to promote your athletes, but promoting your organization as well, which leads to growth. It’s the modern version of “word-of-mouth” marketing.
2. Help Your Athletes Grow
Social media plays a crucial role in athletics, and with the growing popularity of NIL, it’s something that youth athletes will need to become more aware of. Helping to build your athletes' social brand and profile can help them immensely when it comes to college recruiting and planning for the future. Creating a video program at your organization can set young athletes up for success in the long run as they will have first-hand access to create highlight clips to share with coaches and on their social media channels.
3. Develop Your Athletes On and Off the Field
It’s important not to forget about the crucial role coaches play in helping to develop athletes as well. They have direct day-to-day contact with athletes. By providing them with live video and on-demand replays, you are unlocking a - tool for coaches to look at to help them teach athletes important skills and showcase important team learning lessons. Video is just another tool in a coach's toolbelt to reach their athletes however they might learn best.
Continue on to Phase 2 of the Roadmap: Searching for a Video Provider
About Marie Fitzgerald
Marie Fitzgerald is a Director, Product Marketing & Content Strategy at NBC Sports Next. She currently works to ensure the customer's voice is ever present in the way we build, communicate, and improve the SportsEngine platform. She is also the co-host of the For the Love of Sport podcast, celebrating the stories and people who make youth sports happen.
Marie grew up playing soccer and basketball, and you can find a Bucky Badger bobblehead, a Chicago Cubs W flag, and a Man City scarf proudly displayed on or around her home desk in Whitefish, Montana. Marie was recently named to the Augsburg Women's Athletics All-Decade Team for the 2010s.
Connect with Marie Fitzgerald