A Newton Girls Softball Coach's Guide to Sports Connect

This document is designed to be a guide for how Newton Girls Softball uses the Stack Connect platform.  While the platform has a lot of bells and whistles, this document focuses on what you actually need to know as a NGS coach.

1. Schedule: To schedule events, please use the website to ensure that things work properly.  
2. Manage RSVPs: Families will use the app, Game Changer, to see schedules and RSVP. This is also where you will see RSVPs. 
3. Messaging:  You have multiple options for messaging parents.  The platform provides you with (1) chat via the Game Changer app and (2) email blasts via the website.  You can also use anything else you desire.

The document below walks you through each of these.

Pre-Season Checklist:

1. Make sure you have a login to the website (www.newtongirlssoftball.com).  If you are a parent-coach you have this from enrolling your child.  If not, please sign up.
2. One coach on the team needs to activate your team in the Game Changer app (https://gc.com/home/download). To do so, login to the app using the same email of your account on the website.  Click the + symbol in the upper right corner and then select “Import Sports Connect.”  Your team should appear.
3. Email families asking them to download the app and sign in using the same email address that they used when enrolling their child.    

Scheduling Events

As a coach, the primary thing you will be scheduling are practices. Here are instructions for how to schedule a practice. 

In short:

1. Log into the website (www.newtongirlssoftball.com).
2. Navigate to your team’s homepage.  The easiest way to do this is to find your and your child’s team name on your account homepage which is the first page you see after logging in.  Click on the relevant team name.

  3. Click on Calendar.
  4. Click on Create Event.

You can use the same approach to update your events later on. This information will be automatically published to the Game Changer app.  Parents will also get an email with the new information if you wish.   Note that you can do this from a mobile device as well.  It is not as pretty but works fine.

Note that information flows from the website to Game Changer but not from Game Changer to the website.  So you can NOT update events on Newton fields from the Game Changer app. 

To ensure that you are booking on fields and times for which we have permits and to avoid conflicts with other teams, all events on Newton fields MUST be booked through the website.  If you create an event solely in Game Changer (e.g., a tournament game not on a Newton field), it will work but will not show up in the website.

Checking Event RSVPs

The website publishes roster and schedule information to the Game Changer app.  As a coach, you can check the RSVP status of your team by clicking on the event and then the Player RSVP line in the middle of the screen.  

You can send a notification reminder to families who have not RSVP'ed by selecting the No Reply tab.

Note that information flows from the website to Game Changer but not from Game Changer to the website.  So you will not see the RSVP information in the website.

Messaging

To communicate with your team, the options are limitless.  We provide technology for two approaches.

1. Chat is available in the Game Changer app.  This tends to be best for quick time sensitive things.   This can be found in the Messages tab at the bottom of the screen.
2. Email blasts are available via the website.  To send one, go to your Team page and select Email (two to the right of Calendar).

Of course other techniques (text threads, Whatapp, regular email, etc) also work.  One thing about which to be sensitive is that some families ask for multiple parents/caregivers to be on the communications so we advise doing something for which the entire coaching staff can be sure to include all appropriate people.  For email, Google Groups can be an easy tool.