When Nick Anderson took on the role of house league director of the Notre Dame Youth Baseball Association, he encountered a web platform that had been put together in stages over the years. And, more importantly, didn’t provide any of the features they needed to grow their organizations. So with the help of Nick, Notre Dame Youth Baseball brought in SportsEngine HQ to expand their capabilities, enhance digital presence, and help grow their organization, both now and going forward.
When Nick Anderson moved into his role of house league director, the association was using a very outdated web platform. “It had been pieced together over the years,” notes Anderson. “There was one guy who knew how to update it, and it had none of the features we needed to grow.”
The Notre Dame Youth Baseball Association serves a tri-county area of central Illinois. With about more than 25 teams and nearly 400 athletes, the program has plans to grow quickly. The problem was their league management software wasn’t helping them out.
But then Anderson remembered his previous positive experiences with SportsEngine from when he was with the local hockey association. “It was clear we had to make some improvements to our software,” notes Anderson. “And I knew SportsEngine was an all-in-one solution that could do everything we needed.”
At first, there were some questions on cost from the other directors, as they hadn’t invested in league management software. “But you have to understand the value,” Anderson notes. “SportsEngine has paid for itself many times over since we began using it.”
One of the immediate benefits Notre Dame Baseball saw using SportsEngine HQ was the Team Builder feature.
“For the first time, we could easily group kids together by school, age, or any other grouping needed. I can’t tell you how much time that has saved us, all the while improving the experience offered to our members.”
Another piece Anderson and the others rely on are all the built-in communication features. “As a director, I can send the exact message I want to send to the people who need it,” he notes. “And as a coach, I can quickly and easily get in touch with all my players and parents right in the app.”
“Being a communications guy, this is such a game-changer. It’s easy to keep everyone up-to-date with clear, consistent communications and never leave any time for doubt to creep in.”
As Notre Dame looks to attract new athletes and further promote their program, they are finding help from SportsEngine and the SquadLocker feature there, too. “Now we can design and offer the jerseys and warmups that keep the kids excited,” notes Anderson. “And they ship it directly to the player’s house, so coaches aren’t struggling through boxes of jerseys.”
In fact, SquadLocker has proved so popular, they have found an added benefit. “Selling gear to our parents and fans has turned into a way for us to make some extra money and lower costs to members,” he beams. “We’re helping more kids play and give our fans something they want. It doesn’t get any better than that.”