Starting a youth track club

Costs are fairly low. Consider liability. Have a good waiver. I think usatf will provide some insurance but you have to be a registered club and satisfy some other basic criteria.

Equipment needs are minimal if you're focusing on running. If want to train the high jump or PV, then it starts getting expensive fast but most youth teams don't bother with such things.

Thanks. Planning on keeping it to running and long/tj. Sounds like the first step is to get resistered.

Dealing with Youth means SafeSport training and background checks for the coaches, and liability insurance for the club.

Gk467 wrote:

Costs are fairly low. Consider liability. Have a good waiver. I think usatf will provide some insurance but you have to be a registered club and satisfy some other basic criteria.

Equipment needs are minimal if you're focusing on running. If want to train the high jump or PV, then it starts getting expensive fast but most youth teams don't bother with such things.

Costs are low??? Are you kidding me??

I'm on the BoD of a local track club and you are dead wrong. Liability coverage for yourself and coaches is imperative. You need at least $5mil of coverage.

You will need first aid certification for yourself too. Coaches training courses, advertising to get kids, you will need to pay our coaches something too.

If you are just offering running you probably need $3k to5k in equipment however if you are offering hurdles you can double or triple that number (Competition hurdles are $200+ each and breakaway practice hurdles are $40 to $50. Oh you want to do high jump do you...$10K for matts, stations and poles. Throws you say? Increase your liability coverage and another $5k for javs, shots and discus.

Good luck

$3-$5k in equipment just for running? No way. Maybe down the line if you are going to buy a FAT system and/or other electronics, but that's not something you need up front at all.

Completely false. Assumed troll. 0/10

BoD? For a track club. lmao. $5m? lmao x 2 Maybe some of the giant clubs operate that way but not the other 99%.

Certification, sure. Takes a little time and very little money.

Nobody I know advertises, its called word of mouth, start with a few kids (assuming OP has such or else why would he be starting a club)

Every youth coach I know is a volunteer.

$3-5k? What do you need 1000 batons?

Hurdles are expensive, you did get that much right.

Maybe in your area they are volunteers but most clubs pay their coaches anywhere from $50 to $500 a month. Most athletes and parents aren't even aware of this plus coaches get some coverage for expenses at meets (lunch/gas) $25 a day is normal

Price out an insurance policy giving you adequate coverage. That's not cheap depending on how comprehensive your coverage is. You are looking at about $500 in my state.

You need starting blocks don't you? 8 x $250 per block = $2000

Cart for those blocks is $500

Mini plyometric banana hurdles $100 (if you don' know what these are you don't know track

Training hurdles $25 x 20 = $500

Proper hurdles 8 min x $250 - $2000

Miscellaneous training equipment (medicine balls, training parachutes, stretch bands, small weights, stop watches, cones, etc). $500 to $1000

Where are you going to store this stuff? You may have to rent a storage trailer or something. $500/year minimum.

So where are we $$ wise? $7500!!!!

Wake up people it's not cheap. Sure you can provide no equipment and just tell kids to run around the track but then you really aren't a track club are you.

Our club offers throws and high jump (no pole vault) and we have well over $70000 in equipment and it does forever. We need 64 new hurdles to host our meets the quote was $25000.00.

Welcome to reality

You must be in a wealthy neighborhood. This is a good thing, as I'm sure the kids enjoy nicer equipment and greater opportunity. The thing is, you can do it for far less money up front - many clubs start this way and eventually build up to what you have explained. Here are a few ways to get things going until you have more money from dues / memberships / donations / etc...

Starting blocks - You can find these in the $70 range. This saves you $180 per set.

Cart for blocks - You can find / build this for $50-$60. Savings - $440

Hurdles are pricey, but You can find them also around $70 each. You are teaching beginners. It's ok not to have top-of-the-line equipment to start. Savings - $180 per hurdle

If you are starting a club you most likely already have a bunch of cones and a couple of stopwatches. Medicine balls and parachutes are optional upon start-up. Call it $30 for more cones.

I can store the hurdles & blocks in my shed until i work out an agreement with the local track/schools. Most likely you 've already figured this one / know the people to talk to out if you are starting a club. Not a big deal.

Hosting meets isn't going to be something a beginning club does in the first year. Again, get more people on board in the community and then you will have the funds to run a club as successful as El hefe's.

Just do your best with what you have. Anything is better than nothing in neighborhoods that have nothing.

DPizzle wrote:

I'm thinking about starting a youth track club in my area as there are none as close as I would like. Anyone have experience with this? Looking for tips on how to get started. What do I need to do and what are the start up costs?

USATF offers decent insurance at decent prices. You will need to register the club with USATF. All coaches and anyone who will have alone time with the kids (think parents driving kids other than their own to the meets) will need to go through USATF's background check (even if they have already had a background check elsewhere) and do the SafeSport online training. All practices have to be declared in advance through their website (it's really easy to do). All kids need a waiver.

Most new clubs start out by working out a deal to use blocks/hurdles/etc from the high school they are renting the track from. Obviously you have to negotiate that with the school, but don't assume you need to buy a bunch of stuff right off the bat.

Set up a 501c3 and incorporate a non-profit entity in your state. This will allow you to accept tax deductible donations. It will also limit your liability, which is very important. It is not hard to do. Just ask anyone who has kids who are in sports whether they know someone on the board of a little league or other sports club. They will probably be able to share with you the forms they used or direct you to an attorney or accountant who will help set it up pro bono.

Insurance is also a must. But you have to form the entity before you get insured. Also, your practice facility will require you to name the school as an additional insured and have minimum policy standards.

Once you get things set up, develop relationships with parents to get volunteers to do a lot of the behind the scenes work. Get someone to do the bookkeeping. Get someone to solicit sponsorship. Do not try to do everything yourself. You will just find that the club takes up all your time if you do not have lots of help.

Thanks everyone for great feedback!

I disagree!

Starting a running club is the most simple and inexpensive of all youth sports. You don't need to be an official club starting out. Initially it can be a group of kids of family and friends who like to run. If you are an ex runner, enjoy working with kids and have the time, that all your need starting out. You don't need to be a coach, you don't need to have any coaching experience and you certainly don't need to pay anyone to help you. As you progress, you will need membership, uniforms and registration with the AAU and/or USATF. At that point, those organization will prove the legal, insurance and safesport infrastructure. Becoming a registered AAU and/or USATF club will only cost you about $300 bucks, all of which can be paid through membership fees. What I have described is how about 90% of youth clubs came into existence. As you grow, you will eventually want to get some coaching training/certification. equipment, access to a track, specialist coaches and eventually it can cost as much as anything that grows. Btw, youth coach are innovative, you can make starting blocks, hurdles and even a long jump pit and get your throwing implement from Play-it-Again-Sports. - Good Luck

When the 2nd Recess youth club started in San Diego they held the workouts in conjunction with the adult track club workouts. That made it real easy for me as a parent to bring my kids and I could keep an eye on them during our workouts.