Last email, we covered what's new in the PlayerFirst Club App. This time, we're covering your digital storefront: your club website.
Here's the mindset shift for this season: Team management is moving out of your website and into the Club App. Schedules, rosters, and team information don't need a login-gated page anymore. Your website's primary job now is to show the experience, retain families, and acquire new ones. We don’t sell tryouts; we sell the club experience, and that happens 365 days a year.
YOUR WEBSITE IS YOUR DIGITAL STOREFRONT
Rosters, schedules, and communication now move team management to the Club App. Which means your website has a new job: convince families why they should choose and stay with your club.
If the club section of your website is still bare or behind the login button, it’s time to replace it with your story, your proof, a clear timeline to tryouts and a few other new tools that PlayerFirst just launched.
WEBSITE CHECKLIST
About Us or Club Overview
A club snapshot that helps differentiate your club and answer “why choose us?”
Include social proof such as commitments, alumni, director bio, championships, and more
Team, Type, or Age-Specific Pages
Pages breaking down your club experience at each age level
Include: event schedule, practice cadence, coaches, gear package, and any other unique selling propositions
Can be individualized per team or segmented (EX: high school, middle school, youth)
Structure
Clear click flow: what journey do you want your families to take on your website?
One page tells one story. Don't make a family hunt across five pages to understand one program
No content that should be login-only - that should live in the Club App
Copy
Short and clear headlines
Short paragraphs: 1-3 sentences and no more than six lines per block
Use bullet points when possible
Write for a parent skimming on their phone between activities
Images
Real high-quality images
Images or graphics should complement or support copy
No text-heavy graphics. Search engines and Ask PlayerFirst can't read text baked into an image
Calls-to-Action (CTA)
One primary CTA per page: "Register” “Contact Us” “Learn More”
CTA appears near the top and again near the bottom
Consistent button styling site-wide. Buttons are decision triggers, not decoration
NEW TOOLS TO HELP YOUR WEBSITE WORK HARDER
PlayerFirst has new website tools to help you put these best practices into action:
Create urgency with Countdowns
Add a dynamic countdown to tryouts, registration deadlines, events, or the start of your season. Connect it directly to a program, set a custom date, or automatically feature what’s coming next - set it once and let PlayerFirst keep it current.
Show your experience with Video Headers
Bring your club or event to life by adding video directly to your website header. Use highlights, athlete moments, or event footage to give prospective families an immediate feel for your experience.
Turn your track record into social proof
Tap into the new College Logo Bank to showcase alumni, commitments, or college coaches attending your events.
SEO & ASK PLAYERFIRST: SAME RULES APPLY TO BOTH!
Ask PlayerFirst is the little question mark at the bottom of your PlayerFirst website that prompts our Intercom AI agent. It scans your website to answer the questions families ask most: "What ages is this for?" "Where do you practice out of?" "How much does club cost?" Search engines and AI do the exact same scan to decide if your site should rank when families search for club programs near them.
Both need the same thing from us: important, up-to-date information, written in plain text.
Why does this matter?
If families can’t easily find the answer on your website, neither can Google or Ask PlayerFirst. Keep important information clear, current, and easy to find so your site can attract families and answer their questions.
Best practices
Write important program details in plain text
Do not include important information inside graphic images. Google and Ask PlayerFirst cannot scan text in images
Any graphic on your website should be a creative complement to the copy, not a source of information
Answer commonly asked questions directly on the page: age groups, cost, location, season length, tryout dates
Use clear headers (like the sections in this email). Both Google and Ask PlayerFirst use headers to understand what a page is about
Keep information up to date. An outdated schedule or old pricing page actively hurts you, as Google and Ask PlayerFirst will still serve that information as if it’s real
Include an FAQ section (now available as a Page Template)
This work arms Google, AI, and Ask PlayerFirst with accurate answers to commonly asked questions and can influence family decision-making.
WHAT CAN YOU DO NEXT?
Audit your club section. Put yourself in an athlete's shoe and ask yourself what am I missing?
Add one new storytelling element. Try a countdown, video header, college logos, or FAQ.
Pick your 5 most-asked questions and make sure the answers exist as plain text or in your F&Q section
Run through the checklist above on your top program page
NEXT UP: How to get more sponsorship dollars for your brand using templates and toolkits