by Pete Sprenkle, reprinted with permission from A Youth Baseball Coaches Tool Kit   (with side notes from WebBall's Richard Todd)

The most important consideration in planning and managing a trip is to do whatever is necessary to insure that your players are safe, comfortable and have a good time. Playing ball is the reason for the trip, and if the items mentioned are properly taken care of, players can focus all their attention on the game. Too many people spend time worrying about whether the motel has a pool, where the team will eat, who rooms with who, etc. and forget why they are on the trip. If you do a good job of planning and communicating with players and parents, so that items such as these are not a concern, your players will respond by playing as well as they can.


When planning a trip, first establish a travel schedule and make sure you have a sufficient number of drivers. Be sure that you have enough vehicles so that everyone has a seat belt. Allow plenty of time to arrive at the field early enough for your team to use the rest room, change into their uniforms, properly stretch and warm up prior to the first game. Keep in mind that it is just as important for players to be mentally ready to play as it is to be physically ready.

So make sure you provide enough time for players to get focused on the task of the day - playing ball! If you travel over two hours allow time for a rest stop. Finally, make sure that every driver signs a Team Driver Information Form verifying vehicle registration and insurance.

If the trip is a one day event, travel to the field in the morning and return home at night, the primary thing to consider is lunch. If you will not get back home until after the dinner hour you should plan to take the team to dinner.  Suggestions on eating out are included in the Meal Planning section.


If you are planning a trip involving one or more nights of travel, there are several ways to handle the cost and management of the trip...

1 Everyone is on their own 

The coach tells players time and location of the first game and that’s when the team gets together. Parents handle all arrangements and costs for rooms and meals. Players and parents travel on their own, determining the schedule which gets them to the field on time.

Advantages:

• Less administrative work for the coach.
• The team budget, thus the player fee, will be lower.

Disadvantages:

• Less control for the coach, players and parents can get lost or be late.
• The team does not travel or eat together, missing a chance for team building.
• Parents must give their children money for food. Money can be lost or misspent.
• Players may not eat properly, either in quantity or healthy foods.
• No chaperones, although most players will end up staying with their parents.

2 Coach selects, parents book 

The coach selects the accommodations and restaurants, the parents make the arrangements and pay for rooms and the meals as the trip progresses. Players and parents travel on their own, determining the schedule which gets them to the field on time.

Advantages: 

• The team is together, for the most part, during the trip.
• There is a better chance that players will eat properly.

Disadvantages: 

• More organized and disciplined than the previous approach, but still minimal control for the coach.
• Players and parents can still get lost or be late.                               

3 Team control  over everything 

The coach [or appointed parent] selects the accommodations, reserves rooms for players, chaperones, coaches and parents, and notifies parents who wish to travel with the team. The team eats all their meals together; parents are encouraged to eat with the team.

The coach plans the travel schedule [based on game times], everyone meets at a predetermined time and place and the team travels as a group. All expenses are paid by the team. Cost of rooms and meals are included in the team budget and therefore the player fees.

Advantages:    

• The coach has more control of the team as the team is together for the entire trip.
• There is little chance of a player getting lost - although it is possible for the entire team to get lost - that has happened!
• Players do not have to bring money for meals or rooms.
• The players have chaperones in the rooms.
• Generally the costs are lower than when everyone does their own thing.

Disadvantages:

• The team budget, and therefore player fee, is higher.

This series continues with pages on accommodation, meals, and practices. (See side menu)