Sports club digitalisation: where to start and what to combine
The short answer
Start with an inventory of what your club keeps track of: members, fees, teams, training, rotas and communication. One system rarely does all of that equally well, so you combine membership software with an app for the teams. Koach Club is that second part for volleyball clubs, with no membership records and no payments.
Sports club digitalisation rarely starts with a plan. Usually there is a treasurer with a spreadsheet, a coach juggling three group chats and a board that is not quite sure who plays where. This article gives you an order to work in: what to map first, which systems to combine, and where Koach Club fits into the picture.
Sports club digitalisation: start with an inventory
It is tempting to pick an app first. Turn that around: write down everything your club keeps track of today, who does it and where it lives. Almost every volleyball club ends up with the same six areas.
- Members. Who is a member, since when, with which contact details, and who is allowed to see them. That usually sits with the secretary or the membership secretary.
- Fees and other payments. What each person owes, what has come in and who still needs a reminder. That is the treasurer's job.
- Teams and squad planning. Which player is in which team, and what that looks like next season. Often the technical committee or the youth coordinator.
- Training and matches. The programme, attendance, lineups and results. The coaches handle that, week in, week out.
- Rotas and duties. Which team trains in which hall and when, who referees or keeps score, who works the bar, and who has already done their compulsory duties.
- Communication. Messages to a team, to the parents and to every member at once.
Next to each area, note two things: who does it now, and where it lives. On paper, in a spreadsheet, in an inbox, in a group chat or in someone's head. What you end up with is not a software problem but a map of your club. The areas marked "everyone" or "nobody in particular" are your first candidates. That is where information gets lost today, and that is where going digital pays off most.
Which system for which job?
Membership software is built around members and money; an app for coaches is built around teams, training and matches. There are also all-in-one club platforms that cover a bit of all six areas. Their strength is one place and one login for the whole board; just ask, area by area, how far each one really goes, especially for what coaches do every week. If you go with more than one system, use the one built for each area, and agree up front which system answers which question.
We make Koach, so read the right-hand column as the word of an interested party; the middle column applies whichever brand you choose.
| What you digitalise | Where it belongs | Koach Club |
|---|---|---|
| Member list with join and leave dates | Membership software | No, but a list of every player from the teams |
| Collecting fees, invoices, direct debits | Membership software or your bank | No, but tracking who still owes what |
| Bookkeeping and annual accounts | Accounting software | No |
| Sign-up form, website, online shop | The club website | No |
| Teams and squad planning for next season | The app your teams work in | Yes |
| Training, attendance, lineups, live scoring | A volleyball app for coaches | Yes |
| Hall schedule and duties | Rota software or a club app | Yes |
| Messages to all members | Email or a club app | Yes, to members with an account |
Running two systems side by side works, as long as you set one rule: the membership software answers who is a member, the team app answers who plays where. Never let both answer the same question, or within a season you will have two lists drifting apart. How to choose the membership software itself, with the questions to put to a vendor, is covered in choosing membership software for a sports club. Which club platforms exist in different countries, and how Koach Club works alongside them, is in the comparison of club platforms alongside Koach Club.
In what order should you digitalise a sports club?
Switch everything at once and nothing switches over properly. This order keeps the club running while you change.
- Decide which system holds the member list. One source, one owner. If your membership records work, leave them alone; the problem is usually somewhere else.
- Start with the teams. That is where most information is created: who trains, who drops out, who moves up to another team. A coach only keeps an app up to date if it helps them with their own lineup, their attendance and their matches. Start with two or three teams whose coaches are keen, and expand once it runs.
- Then rotas and duties. A match-day rota or a fair split of duties needs teams and a fixture list. If the coaches put their matches in the calendar, that is already in place after step two.
- Then communication with all members. A message to the whole club only reaches people with an account. After a few weeks of team use, that is far more people than on day one.
- Money last, or separately. Do not switch payment systems in the middle of a season. What you can do: track who owes what, alongside the payment link you already use.
- Plan your exit before you start. Ask every vendor how you get all your data back out, in a plain file and without needing them. A club that ever switches wants to take its own data along.
Go live in the quiet weeks before a new season, not in the rush of the first match weeks. That way you set the teams up properly once and nobody has to keep anything in two places. The rest of the preparation is in the volleyball season checklist.
Where Koach Club fits in
Koach is an app for volleyball coaches, on iPhone, iPad, Android and in the browser. Coaches work in their own team: roster, calendar, training with attendance, lineups and live scoring. The board does not have to retype any of it. The Club plan adds a club layer on top that adds up what the teams are already doing.
You open the Club dashboard from your profile. It has the tabs Overview, Members, Team selection, Team log, Club duties, Match day, Venues, Organisation, Contributions, Email and Admins; which ones you see depends on your club role. A tour of every tab is in the club dashboard for your volleyball club. Going through the areas from the inventory:
- Teams. Under Members you see every player from every team in one list; contact details are visible only to the roles allowed to see them. Under Team selection you lay drafts for next season side by side. Only Make final actually moves the players, and the new coach sees their numbers under Previously with other teams.
- Rotas and duties. Under Venues you set which team trains in which hall and when. Under Match day you assign referees, scorekeepers and hall stewards, shared out fairly with Assign automatically. Under Club duties Koach keeps count of who has done their duties.
- Money. Under Contributions you track who owes what, with your own payment link attached. Koach does not process payments itself.
- Communication. Club announcements live in the app under your profile and arrive as push notifications for members who have the app on their phone. With Email you send a message from the club's own domain to members with an account; you connect that domain once. Within a team, the coach sends announcements, polls and tasks; there is no chat and no private messaging.
- Oversight. In the Team log the club leadership reads each team's latest sessions with attendance, programme and report, and sees which teams need attention.
We set up Koach Club with you. There is no trial on Club: tell us how your club works today, and we will get the teams and the coaches ready together with you. If you coach one team yourself, you can start with it in the app right away.
Book an intro call Start with your own teamWhat Koach Club does not do, and how you get out
Koach does not replace your membership records. There are no join and leave dates, no invoices and no direct debits, and you cannot import a member file: players get in when a coach adds them to their team or when they use their invite link. There is no sign-up form for your website and no online shop either. And Koach is for volleyball only: a multi-sport club needs something else for its other sections.
The way out is taken care of, though. At the bottom of the Overview tab sits Export everything: one ZIP with the club's teams, players, sessions, attendance, reports, notes and assessments. Only the club manager and a board member can create it. Contact details are deliberately left out; they belong in your membership records. Exactly what is in it, and how to handle it with care, is in the club export: all your club's data in one ZIP.
Who Koach Club is for, and who it is not for
It fits a volleyball club with several teams, where the coaches each use their own lists or apps and the board has no view of what happens in the teams. It also suits a club that wants to share out rotas and duties fairly without one volunteer piecing it all together by hand. Your membership records stay where they are, or in a spreadsheet if the club is small.
It does not fit if your biggest problem is collecting fees: then you need membership software with invoicing first. Nor if you want one system for a multi-sport club, a website with registration and an online shop, or if your teams play beach volleyball. How a club starts with one team and grows from there is in an app for your volleyball club.
What does it cost, and is there funding?
Club costs €9.99 per month, or €8.33 per month on a yearly plan, for unlimited teams and coaches. Players and parents use Koach for free. There is no trial on Club; you book an intro call through the form on the clubs page. If you coach one team yourself, Coach costs €2.99 per month and you can try it free for 14 days, no credit card needed. When the teams sit on the club account, Club is cheaper than separate Coach plans from four teams upwards: four times €2.99 is €11.96 per month, against €9.99 for Club. All prices are on the pricing page; in the App Store and on Google Play you see the price in your own currency.
Some governments, sports councils and governing bodies run schemes to help clubs go digital. Whether there is anything for you, and on what terms, varies by country and region. Check with your national governing body, your sports council or your local authority before you sign up for anything, and ask straight away whether a subscription counts or only one-off costs.
Fit the inventory on one sheet. Three columns: what gets tracked, who does it and where it lives. Have each board member and two coaches fill in the sheet separately. Where their answers differ is where your first job lies.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to digitalise a sports club?
It depends on what you digitalise and how each system charges: per member, per team or per club. Ask every vendor, and count the setup time your volunteers put in. Koach Club costs €9.99 per month, or €8.33 per month on a yearly plan, for unlimited teams and coaches. Players and parents use it for free. Club has no trial; you book an intro call through the clubs page.
Are there grants for digitalising a sports club?
Sometimes. Some governments, sports councils and governing bodies run schemes for digitalisation, but whether there is anything for you, and on what terms, varies by country and region. Check with your governing body, your sports council or your local authority before you sign up for a subscription, and ask whether ongoing costs qualify or only one-off costs.
Can one app run everything for a sports club?
Rarely equally well. Some club platforms bundle a lot, and one login is convenient for a board; just ask how far each part really goes. Membership records and money need something different from teams, training and matches. That is why membership software alongside an app the teams work in is often the better setup, with a clear agreement on which system answers 'who is a member'. Koach Club is the second part: teams, training, rotas, duties and club announcements, with no membership records and no payments.
Can we import our membership list into Koach?
No. Koach has no member file import and does not replace your membership records. Players get in when a coach adds them to their team, or when they use their coach's invite link. Under Members the club leadership then sees every player from every team in one place. Your membership software stays the place where you track who is a member.
How do you get coaches and members on board with a new system?
Start with the coaches who get something out of it themselves, for their lineup, attendance and matches, and let their teams set the example. Coaches join the club with the club code the club gives them. Players and parents join with their coach's invite link and use Koach for free. They only get push notifications in the app on their phone, so ask everyone to install the app rather than just using the browser.
Digitalise your club, starting with the teams
Club has no trial: book an intro call through the clubs page. Want to see the app for yourself first? Start with one team.
Get started with KoachOr read first what the volleyball coaching app does.