UK Coaching is committed to inspiring coaches to spread the transformative power of sports across the nation. Through development programmes, events, and research, the lead agency for coaching in the UK is raising the profile of coaches to ensure coaching is recognised not only for its value in competitive sport, but for the wider benefits it has on people’s physical and mental well-being.
A key priority for UK Coaching is to help coaches reduce the amount of time they spend on admin to organise their teams, so they can spend time on what really matters: coaching the sport they love. UK Coaching is turning to the latest technology to help tackle this, with Spond becoming a strategic partner to help address this challenge.
The Spond app, which is completely free to use, provides a centralised, simple-to-use system and mobile app that typically saves grassroots coaches over two hours in admin time every week. Its safe environment also means organisers comply with data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Using Spond, coaches can invite members to practices, games and other team activities, and it's easy to keep track of who is coming and who isn't. In the case of children, guardians can reply on behalf of their child, though if a child does say they're attending a game then a guardian gets an instant notification to check it.
You can share information, files and photos, chat in group conversations or over private messages, and use the platform across its mobile apps or in a web browser.
Spond can also be used to help improve the financials of a team. It makes it easier to collect subs, so a coach knows who has paid to play and who hasn’t yet, to ensure the team remains funded.