7 Reasons All Sports Organizations Should Have a Website in 2020

No matter what type of sports team or organization you run, there is no denying that your sports team would benefit from a website. Given how much we use the Internet on a daily basis, if your sports organization doesn’t have a website, it’s like it doesn’t exist at all.

While it’s true that a website is an investment, it’s also true that your website can become your best team member. And in this post, we’ll share 7 reasons why we think all sports organizations need a website in 2020.

7 Great Reasons Why All Sports Organizations Need a Website in 2020

If you’re serious about growing your sports organization, then getting a website done should be your first step. Here are 7 reasons why you need a website for your sports team or organization.

1. A Website Makes You More Discoverable

When someone searches for a sports organization or a team in your area, are you one of the results? With a website, your organization can easily show up as a relevant result in the search engine result pages. 

When your organization or team is more discoverable a whole new world of possibilities opens up, which brings us to our next point.

2. A Website Opens Up New Possibilities

The most important benefit is that anyone can easily look up your organization and find you online. However, a website brings other possibilities for your team which include:

• The ability to attract new fans, followers, and patrons
• The ability to make extra money for your team
• The ability to promote and market your sports organization more efficiently
• The ability to get better press coverage as members of the press can easily find you online and get details about your organization or sports team
• And the ability to simplify the recruiting process

3. You Can Save on Your Marketing Budget

Think for a moment about the marketing efforts you’re currently putting out to promote your sports organization or a team. Then, think about how much each of those marketing campaigns is costing you and the return on investment you’re getting. 

A website can help you save on your marketing budget simply because it has the potential to attract more organic traffic from the search engines. Visitors who search for a sports term related to your organization can easily land on your site because it shows up as a relevant result. 

4. A Website Makes It Easy to Recruit New Members

Your website can facilitate the process of recruiting new members. Instead of requiring potential members to come to your venue and manually screening them, you can have them fill out an online application and hold interviews and tryouts for the selected applicants.

5. You Can Make Extra Money for Your Team

Making money from membership dues is all well and good, but sooner or later you will find yourself in need of more funds. As mentioned earlier, you can easily earn extra income simply by having a website. 

For example, thanks to easy to use platforms like WordPress and numerous plugins, you can create an online store and sell team merchandise. Another way to make extra money for your team includes the ability to accept donations on your website and you can even sell sponsorship packages.

6. A Website Helps You Build Credibility

Sports fans, like other Internet users, are always searching for interesting sports news and information. When you have a website that’s regularly updated, you instantly become more credible as a source of reliable sports news. 

Sports fans and your followers will be more inclined to come back to your website for more news and engage with your organization at the same time, if you have a website than if you merely post on Facebook or Twitter.

7. You’re In Control Over Your Online Presence

Finally, a website allows you to be in full control over your online presence. You control what you post, what your visitors see, and how often you post. There is no third-party algorithm that might make your posts invisible for a majority of your followers and fans like there is on social media platforms. 

Not to mention, social media platforms can become irrelevant practically overnight (remember MySpace?) which means your social media presence and profile on that platform can simply disappear.

The Easiest Way to Build a Website for Your Sports Organization

Now that you know why you need a website for your sports organization, let’s briefly go over the easiest way to build a website.

1. Buy a domain name and a hosting package

The first steps towards building a website for your sports organization is to buy a domain name and hosting package. The domain name is what the visitors will type in to get to your website while a hosting package will house all the files related to your website. 

In most cases, you can purchase your domain name at the same time as purchasing a hosting package, and some hosts will even throw in the domain name for free. 

Keep your domain name short and easy to type and consider using your organization’s name as the domain name. As for hosting packages, remember that cheaper is not always better. Be sure to choose a host that has a great reputation and is known for quality customer support. 

2. Install WordPress

Once you have a domain and your hosting package, you’ll want to install WordPress. WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems out there that powers more than 30% of all websites online. It’s easy to use and is open-source and free to use. 

On top of that, WordPress comes with thousands of free themes and plugins that allow you to turn your website into a powerful online presence. You can easily sell products, add a blog to post news and updates, accept donations, make it easy for people to get in touch with you, share your content, follow you on social media, create rich profiles for your team members, and more.

3. Install SportsPress

After you have installed WordPress, be sure to install our plugin, SportsPress. You can install the basic version for free and upgrade to the Pro version later on as your team grows. 

SportsPress will make it easy to create team member and player profiles, post about upcoming events, and display match or game results in a visually appealing way.

Final Thoughts

A website for your sports organization will bring you many benefits, from making your organization more discoverable to helping you market your organization round the clock. 

Download our cheat sheet that lists all the reasons why you need a website and gives you an overview of how to get started with building your website.