In this month's newsletter, we will provide updates on the SSIA's government affairs efforts and the 2021 Conference, along with sharing how the Marketing Committee's online review campaign can benefit all members. We will also highlight several sponsors and partners, and provide links to recent webinars.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Krissy Greenleaf at krissy@ssia.us.
~ Your SSIA Team
Our Continued Response to COVID-19
Last month, the Executive Committee extended our contract with Terri Lakowski and Active Policy Solutions. As Congress continues to hold up federal relief and SSC operators are struggling with either finding facilities or returning to play, we will be directing our focus to member activation and education from a local and state level in order to:
Develop advocacy resources and tools to support SSIA members in local advocacy efforts, such as:
Handouts on organization appropriate for policymakers
Resource sheets for how to identify appropriate contacts, schedule a meeting, hold a meeting, meeting talking points, etc.
Provide monthly trainings/webinars to SSIA members on advocacy issues and topics
Support SSIA leadership in member communications regarding critical legislative developments and policy issues
Additionally, Terri is offering a 20% discount on her rates to SSIA members interested in diving deeper with her on local issues they may be facing. Contact her at tlakowski@activepolicysolutions.com.
2021 Conference Update
With so much uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and member feedback from the second Industry Impact Survey in August (see graph below), the 2021 SSIA Conference is going virtual.
This was a difficult decision to make; however, it was made with the health and safety of our attendees and staff as our top priority.
We remain committed to delivering high-quality knowledge sharing and education in a safe environment. Stay tuned for more information on the virtual conference soon!
Boost Your Online Reviews
This month, the Marketing Committee announced an initiative to help member clubs increase their positive online reviews. They started with Yelp and Google, and plan to coordinate similar efforts with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn soon.
Big THANKS to our Marketing Chairs, Brooke Jreisat of Beach City Sports, Omid Rafiei of Houston Sports & Social Club, and Marvin Guelce of NJ Play for putting this together!
If you'd like to be included on future efforts to promote your league, please complete this quick survey. Please direct questions or comments to brooke@beachcitysports.com.
A Message from Our Sponsors & Partners
Volleypods and pickup teams are the new league - pickup hybrid model for sports clubs. As you continue to brainstorm safe ways to return to league and pickup play, you may be wondering how other sports clubs are shifting to safely adapt to our new sports reality. Here are a few “hybrid” model ideas that will inspire you as you plan for the winter season!
Friend pods with repeating games
SSIA member Big City Volleyball launched “Volleypods” through OpenSports in September, allowing existing groups of friends, teammates or classmates to sign up to play together in a private setting for 6 weeks on a fixed schedule. BCV offers a fixed per player cost for up to 12 players per pod.
Team bubbles with repeating games
Also following the league setup, some soccer clubs are setting up “Pickup Teams” with each team having upwards of 25 spots for a set number of weeks at a fixed price per player. Every week, those same 25 players are split into two teams and can play each other in an intra-group game, meaning players play with the exact same people over the course of the short season.
Open play pods for friends without repeating games
Lastly, for the most low-commitment model, you could set up Drop-in/Pickup style pods, in which groups (i.e., of family/friends) only register on a one-off basis, instead of joining for a set number of weeks.
Learn more about some of the pros and cons of each model as well as how to set up one of these COVID-friendly league/pickup models in the article linked HERE. To set this up or to learn about other awesome features we’ve developed like our pre-game Health Check tool, we’d love to hear from you at alicia@opensports.net.
Baden Sports is offering 25% off of all SSIA portal prices through 2020! To take advantage of this AWESOME deal, follow the below steps:
The Premium Kickball Kit includes 12 KB10 kickballs and a mesh carrying bag. Enjoy an additional 25% off through 2020 by following the steps mentioned above!
SSIA members save over $1000 on average when they switch to Gravity Payments! Gravity has partnered with SSIA to offer members exclusive pricing:
Members annually processing $0-$1,800,000 receive a discounted rate of 0.18% + $0.10/ transaction
Members annually processing more than $1,800,000 are eligible for customized rates
They make it easy to understand exactly what the cost to accept credit card payments will be without any hidden fees or surprises! Contact Anthony Ursua at aursua@gravitypayments.com with any questions you may have about making the switch to Gravity!
October Webinars
Thank you to Lael Morgan and Rosa Navas from Ottawa Sport & Social Club for presenting the "Commitment to Diversity and LGBTQI2S+ Inclusion Case Study" on October 23rd! The recording and slideshow are available in the members-only Locker Room under Member Benefits - Diversity Equity & Inclusion.
Thank you to LeagueApps for inviting the SSIA to co-host this month's two-part Town Hall Series on October 22nd and 29th! Click HERE to access the topic, "Innovative Solutions for Adult Sports Programs to Take Into the Winter". Click HERE to access "The Future of Adult Rec Programs". The recordings are open to the public.
