Yahoo Finance The SI Play app takes the pain out of managing your kids' sports teams
Ah, summer Little League. Just the thought of it brings back memories of freshly cut grass, the crack of the bat, and the sound of my coach yelling at me for lying down in the outfield.
Unfortunately, while I spent my time kicking over ant hills and trying to see if I could fit my head into my glove’s webbing — I couldn’t — my parents had to keep track of my games, who was playing, and where they were held.
But a new app from the folks at Sports Illustrated could make keeping track of your youth sports teams far easier. The SI Play app, which is available for Android and iOS, is an offshoot of Sports Illustrated’s existing SI Play desktop platform and is meant to make it a bit easier for parents, kids and coaches to keep track of their teams’ games.
Available as a free download for SI Play subscribers, the app gives users a complete look at their teams including where they are playing, when they have upcoming games and what each player and parent should bring.
Players can also view their stats on digital trading cards, get live score updates, watch tips videos for their sports, post photos and send group messages.
Parents can also use the app to manage multiple children’s teams. So if you’ve got three kids playing softball, volleyball and soccer, you’ll be able to track all of the information in one place.
SI Play isn’t some small-time operation, either. Sports Illustrated says it already has 10 million members including players, coaches and parents. And there’s plenty of room for growth. The multibillion-dollar US youth sports market is made up of 40 million kids between the ages of 5 and 18.
If the app takes off and draws even a portion of the additional 30 million youth sports players. it could be an absolute boon for Sports Illustrated and its parent company Time, Inc.
Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
