Photo Credit: Arena Sports
It’s Saturday on a crisp November morning in Seattle. Rain clouds are looming, and there’s an unmistakable excitement rumbling through the arena. It’s the kick-off of the winter session of indoor Youth Soccer Leagues at Arena Sports. The company owns four (soon to be five) indoor soccer facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Each year, more than 3,000 adult and youth teams—more than 36,000 players—participate in the leagues. Over the past 20 years, the company has learned a thing or two—or six—about running successful programs.
Youth leagues at Arena Sports are for kids ages 5 (U6) through high school. Teams are organized by gender, age, and skill level—offering an experience for both recreational and competitive players.
“When we first started, we only had one facility. We knew most of our customers by name and face, so logistically it was easier to make sure we were meeting their needs and letting them know about upcoming deadlines,” says Lee Perry, league director. “Now we have multiple locations, thousands of teams, and three indoor seasons per year. Through trial and error, we had to hone our systems and processes so they could be successfully scaled as we grew. We ended up building our own all-in-one software solution since there wasn’t one on the market with everything we needed. But through the years, we learned some valuable lessons and short-cuts—as well as minefields to avoid.”