How to Start an Office Sports Team - Jane Fashion Travels

Office sports teams are a great way to build camaraderie and foster the spirit of teamwork in the workplace. Even relatively small towns tend to have a good number of office sports teams so there is always plenty of competition and lots of chances for a friendly game or tournament. From drumming up excitement among your coworkers, to designing the perfect uniforms and mascot, here’s the method for organizing an office sports team that everyone will be proud to support.

Create the Team

Begin by conducting a poll around the workplace to gauge interest, find out what sports people like playing, and how often they can commit to practicing. You may want to form one team that represents your entire workplace, or several teams to represent different departments or office locations. Post fliers, send out interoffice email, and post a notice in the office newsletter to ensure that everyone gets the message about the new team.

Join a Local League

No office sports team is complete without someone to play against. Check local listings for a sports league that is accepting new teams. Consider checking out a few league games before joining so you can be sure that the other teams are a good match for your office team. There is generally a small fee for joining a local league, so be sure to take this into account when budgeting for your team.

Gather Equipment

Equipment is usually one of the major expenses accrued by an office sports team, but some sports are much less expensive to organize. Outfitting a football team generally costs a lot more than outfitting a soccer or basketball team. Your office may be willing to pay to outfit your team if you present the benefits to them. If they are not, consider collecting dues from team members to make up the cost.

Organize the Team

Office sports teams are run on a fairly informal basis, but it is still a good idea to have a designated team manager and set practice times. Formal steps like these let team members know that you are taking your duty as organizer seriously.

Design Uniforms

Creating an identity for your team is one of the most fun parts and when it is done you will really feel like a team instead of just a collection of people who play together. Put out a call for team mascots. Team members submit their designs, and then everyone votes. Once you have settled on a mascot, name, and team colors, create uniforms on blank baseball tees. Many screen printing businesses will give you a discount on custom shirts if you buy them in bulk.

Office sports teams are primarily for fun, but setting a strong foundation when creating one ensures that it will enjoyed sustained support and interest for a long time to come.

photo not mine, credit to the owner: wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball