Let TeamSnap take the Hassle out of Kid's Teams

If you are a parent then you know how much of a headache kid's after-school clubs and teams are. How many times have you turned up to swim club laden with changing bags, baby chewing the goggles, struggling to get all that hair under the swim cap only to find the pool closed and  'we did email you half an hour ago' from the front desk. Or perhaps it's the weekend you've driven for 45 minutes to find out that the Saturday league football match is actually at the pitch just around the corner. Oh well, perhaps he'll make it on for the second half...

​All the hassle sucks the fun right out these recreational activities which are meant to enrich our lives. I'm fed up of checking my email every 5minutes to find out if classes are on, off or moved. And it must be twice as stressful for the organisers who have to keep everyone in the loop.​

Little E practising for gymnastics squad

​Enter TeamSnap,  a new platform designed to put all that stress in the past by revolutionising communications between coaches, players and parents. I've got your attention now right? Thought so.

​So how do you get started on TeamSnap? Well firstly the Coach or Manager of the club/team needs to sign up. They can then invite all their Team Members to join. ​If your Coach/Manager has not signed up already you can send them an invite to join. I'm sending about 8 invitations to all our various clubs right now...

​But it isn't just for Coaches and Team Members. oh no, here is where it gets interesting, parents (yes, US!) can also have accounts to keep up to date with all the team information.​

​Once you are all set up with TeamSnap you can track members availability, schedules, confirm locations, track tasks and so much more. It is designed to make the whole process or organising a group of people effortless. And the most important bit, the communication is simplified and streamlined. Everyone knows email is an unreliable way to ensure everyone has seen your message, especially with last minute changes. With TeamSnap people who have been designated as coordinators can send emails or text alerts to everyone (or just a few) on the team at the same time. So if he pool is closed you phone will beep with a message before you have wrestled everyone into the car.

Everyone from the coach to Harriet's Nan is listed differently so you know exactly who is who. You can add notes, addresses, phone numbers and more to each entry. Plus can't remember what Joey looks like but you need to give his Mum back that lasagne dish? Don't worry there's a photo next to his name - Hallelujah!

​With IOS and Andriod apps available TeamSnap is also super easy to use on the go. Not sure where the new netball pitch is? In the schedule each event is listed separately including any notes, the arrival time and via the app the location will appear as a map - bingo. It even lets you see who has confirmed they are coming and who is bringing refreshments.

​You can set yourself a reminder if you think you are likely to forget about Scouts as it's on a Monday and who remembers stuff on a Monday? or even export the schedule to your Outlook calendar so it is immediately synced with the rest of your life. It is that easy.

​TeamSnap is also not just for teams! If you are part of any group be it a book club who meet at different places and different times each week or are organising an event between a few people. ​I love how easy it is to use, but yet so thorough so I have invited all Little E's coaches to sign up for TeamSnap to make all of our lives that bit easier. I would encourage all parents with kids in teams to do the same.

For more information about TeamSnap, visit them on Facebook and Twitter. You can try out TeamSnap with a fantastic four month FREE trial. (You don't need a credit card to sign up!)
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This is a collaborative post