how important is a website to recruiting?

[corlay]

some teams have a very robust web-presence, and others largely fly way under the radar.

wondering how much stock you all put into a team having a good website, facebook page, etc and how that might translate to public perception and (your team, not college) recruiting success?

 

[corlay]

yes. "recruting" to that organization.
I edited my original post for clarity...

thanks for the response.
I too believe that a strong web presence can give a team legitimacy in the public eye.
Some may bristle at this, in the sense that many teams are pretty dang boastful in their web content, and paint a picture of success a bit rosier than reality.
But overall, ai think a simple and tastefully done website can help an organization land on prospective players and families radar

 

[JAD]

Having a fancy team website it nice, but I will take a good individual skills video and an aggressive email campaign to the coaches (head and assistants) of the colleges your DD is interested in over a fancy website any day and twice on Sunday!

 

[sluggers]

To assume that a college coach is immune to advertising is more than a little silly.

 

[riseball]

I think you need to make sure that a Google search finds your team and a college coach can then get information about who you are, where you are playing, and some basics on the kids. Some teams are in stealth mode and totally off the grid. Others are way over the top, posting BS about their won/loss records in drop dead showcases and how they have several kids that are 2.4 home to first and their slowest player is 2.8.

 

[maksoftball]

I think that the fancy org websites are selling points to the players and their parents...not the college coach. Not sure how much stock I would put in college coaches actually perusing organization websites...they ain't got time for that. LOL.

 

[quincy]

But overall, ai think a simple and tastefully done website can help an organization land on prospective players and families radar

Keeping it up to date is important. If you go to the Website and the most current information is from a couple years ago it is a negative for me. You are better off not having a Website if you do not update it frequently with something, even if it is just pictures of the Teams having some fun.

 

[Cannonball]

I don't know if the intent of the OP was team, recruitment or personal website and I apologize for not reading all of the thread since I'm pressed for time. I did want to weigh in and mention that I have seen some bizarre individual websites created for and by players. One is way out there. The one from our player in our area is no longer up but when it was, did it cause controversy.

 

[#7sDad]

Keeping it up to date is important.

Totally agree. A bad site can do more damage than no website. Out of date info, 17 different fonts and colors, blaring music, poor layout and images, etc...
Keep it simple, keep it up to date, and keep it real. No need to embellish and put how many trophies you've won in the local tournaments, unless trophy hunters are what you want to attract.

Tell visitors about the coaches, experience, how you develop and grow kids, your philosophy, culture, values. Don't forget to tell them "where" you are and where you practice, so many sites don't do this. Also include need-to-know info about tryouts, processes, contacts, age of teams, players needed, etc.

Everything comes back to brand building. Clubs have to build a brand to attract a flow of the 'right' kids and parents. What is your club's brand all about?

 

[grcsftbll]

Bad sites with out of date info are the worst! I admit that I have a hard time taking any organization (business, etc) seriously that doesn't have a website, but a badly edited or out of date website is even worse.