Justgo insights

Creating a Winning Website: A Comprehensive Guide for Sports Clubs

Published on 18 May 2023

Just like a winning sports team needs a solid game plan to achieve success, your sports club’s website needs a comprehensive strategy to make an impact in today’s digital age. A strong online presence is now essential to attract and retain members, promote events, and manage overall administration.

But for many sports clubs, building a winning website can feel overwhelming, especially for volunteers with limited resources. That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive guide to help you understand the required elements, navigate the process and build a website that stands out and achieves your goals, no matter your size and budget.

By the end of this guide, we hope you’ll be ready to create a website that takes your club to the top of the digital leaderboard!

Why does my sports club need a website?

Sports clubs like yours face unique challenges when it comes to building an online presence and engaged community. Unlike traditional businesses, sports clubs rely heavily on community support and engagement in order to thrive, so a well-designed website is essential when working towards that end. Here are a few reasons why your club might want to consider a website:

Stay connected: Think about it like this—your website is like a virtual clubhouse where you can share all the latest news, events, and results with your community. It’s a place where people can find out more about your club, check out your facilities, and even buy merchandise, tickets and memberships. By providing your visitors with regular updates, you can keep them engaged and enthusiastic about your club.

Attract new members: When people are looking for a sports club to join, they want to see that the club is active, professional, and has a great reputation. A well-designed website can help you showcase your club’s achievements, facilities, and community involvement— thus building credibility with potential members. You can also use your website to post testimonials from current members, in order to provide a personal touch which can help to build trust and respectability.

Build a brand: Your club is more than just a team. It’s a brand that represents a set of values and ideals. A website provides an excellent opportunity to showcase your brand and build a strong recognition of what your club represents. It should be visually appealing, easy to navigate, and provide valuable content to your visitors. By creating a strong brand identity, you can build further loyalty and trust amongst your community members.

Improve communication: One of the biggest challenges for sports clubs is keeping everyone informed and up-to-date. A website provides a centralised platform where you can post news, updates, and information. You can also use your website to communicate with other clubs, sponsors, partners and other stakeholders. By improving communication, you can ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Top things to consider when choosing a website builder

Choosing the right website builder for your club is a big decision. You want to ensure it checks all the boxes, is easy to maintain, impresses your visitors, and doesn’t compromise on quality. After all, who has time for complicated site maintenance?

To help you make the best choice, here are some key elements you should look out for when selecting a website builder:

Drag-and-drop interface: You don’t need to be a tech whiz to build a great website. Look for a website builder with a user-friendly interface that allows you to navigate and create your site easily. It’s like playing with virtual building blocks—just move things around until you’re happy with the layout and design. From colours and fonts to page layouts, you can make it uniquely yours without the hassle of understanding how to write HTML code.

Mobile responsiveness: Mobile devices are practically glued to people’s hands these days. Ensure your website looks amazing on screens of all sizes by choosing a builder that prioritises mobile responsiveness. That means your site needs to automatically adjust to look great on any screen—whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or computer. A seamless and enjoyable user experience on any device is a must.

SEO support to boost visibility: What good is a website if no one can find it? Getting found online is crucial. A good website builder will help you optimise your site for search engines. Look for features like adding a site path, optimising keywords, and generating sitemaps to improve your search rankings.

Sell with ease: Selling club merchandise, memberships or event tickets online should be a breeze, so it’s essential to choose a website builder that seamlessly integrates with your membership system and acts as your virtual shop window. Look for a builder that allows you to showcase your products and handles payments smoothly. With the right website builder, you’ll have all the tools you need to sell with ease and maximise your club’s revenue potential.

Connect with social media: In addition to a club website, having a strong social media presence can significantly help spread the word about your club. Find a website builder that lets you easily connect your social media accounts, display social media feeds and add social sharing buttons. Share the latest happenings within your club, and expand your online reach.

Seamless integrations: Integrations are a core factor to consider when picking a website builder. Make your life simpler by selecting a website builder that seamlessly integrates with third-party platforms like your membership management system, payment gateways, or social media. Streamline your operations and save valuable time.

Are you considering all of your administrative needs at the same time?

We get it. The world of website builders can be overwhelming. There’s a seemingly endless array of options out there—generic website builders, templates, custom designs, and even the option to hire a software developer to do it all for you.

But let’s pause for a moment and consider something crucial: your website is more than just a standalone product. It’s intimately connected to your club’s activities, events, communications, and overall management. And let’s be honest, building and maintaining a website that does all of this has the potential to be costly and complicated.

Imagine having all the tools you need to seamlessly integrate with your website, just so you can connect and manage all your administration in the simplest way possible. No more juggling multiple systems or dealing with compatibility issues.

Are you imagining an extremely costly, completely customised solution? Well, stop right there—because JustGo understands the importance of this holistic approach, which is why we have worked so closely with organisations like yours and have a continually developing SaaS solution that offers you almost everything you’ll ever need.

With JustGo, you can effortlessly sell memberships, create events, sell tickets, communicate with your members, and more within the same system that powers your website. No more worrying about costly integrations or maintaining multiple platforms. Our all-in-one solution streamlines your administrative processes, saving you time, effort, and headaches.

And here’s the best part: Our website builder is not only feature-packed, but it’s also loved by hundreds of satisfied customers. We’re constantly improving and adding new features with every software release to ensure you have the latest tools at your disposal.

Why the JustGo website builder could be right for you

JustGo has everything you need to create a stunning and professional online hub for your club.

With JustGo’s drag-and-drop widgets, building your dream website becomes a breeze. From captivating text and eye-catching images to dynamic event widgets and social media feeds (see pictured below), you can effortlessly customise every element to reflect your club’s brand and unique personality. Want to showcase your club’s location? Just drop in a map widget. Need a contact us section? It’s just a click away. The possibilities are endless.

But it doesn’t stop there. JustGo understands the importance of visibility in the digital landscape. That’s why our website builder allows you to optimise your website for search engines (SEO) and automatically ensures it looks stunning on any device, whether it’s a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. With mobile-friendly responsiveness built right in, you can engage your audience wherever they may be. It’s the best place to promote your club activities, upcoming events and important dates such as membership renewal.

What sets JustGo apart is its seamless integration with our membership management system. We’ve created a one-stop-shop where you can showcase your club’s details , advertise your upcoming events, provide a user-friendly shop window, manage email communications, and sell memberships all from one place. It’s the ultimate all-in-one solution that streamlines your operations and keeps your club thriving.

Don’t worry if you’re not a tech wizard. JustGo’s website builder has been designed in collaboration with sports clubs just like yours, with simplicity in mind. You don’t need to be an expert to create a professional-looking website that stands out from the crowd. And if you ever need a helping hand, our world-class support team is always ready to assist you every step of the way.

Let's take a look at what you can produce with JustGo

Here’s a quick demo of a rowing club website we created using the JustGo website builder.

The home page features a clean and organised layout, complete with a header that provides easy access to various club pages. The “Signup” button connects directly to your club’s membership management system, allowing new members to join your club effortlessly.

We’ve designed a membership page that presents all the membership tiers and pricing options available at your club. This page makes it easy for potential members to find the information they need with just one glance.

Let’s take a quick look at the user-friendly navigation menu on our website. It’s designed to help visitors easily explore and navigate through the site, ensuring the best browsing experience. On the left, you’ll find the various menu options that allow visitors to access different sections of your website.

In addition, we also offer the option to integrate a social media feed directly onto your website. This allows you to showcase real-time updates and engaging content from your social media platforms, creating a dynamic and interactive experience for your visitors (right).

Take a peek at our Events widget, a powerful tool that seamlessly integrates with your JustGo Events module. This widget pulls data directly from your events module and displays it in real-time on your website. With this feature, you can showcase your latest events and tournaments at your club, keeping your visitors up-to-date with all the exciting activities taking place.

Want to help members find you easily? Our website builder allows you to include a map and contact details, making it a breeze for new and existing members to contact your club. Whether they’re looking for directions or have a question, they can instantly reach out to you.

Finally, here’s our Contact page, where you can showcase your club’s amazing administrators, volunteers or board members. This feature adds a personal touch to your website, allowing visitors to get acquainted with the faces behind the club. By putting a human touch to your online presence, you create a welcoming and approachable impression, encouraging visitors to reach out if they have any questions or need assistance. It’s all about fostering meaningful connections and making your club stand out from the crowd.

Tips for making the most of your sports club website

As an admin or volunteer for a sports club, you know how important it is to make every resource count. That’s why having a website for your club can be a game-changer, but it’s not enough to just set it up and leave it.

To make the most of your website, you need to keep it updated and ensure there is dedicated personnel to maintain it. Make sure to promote it through your social media channels, email newsletters, and any other channels you have at your disposal.

With a little bit of effort, your website can become a powerful tool for attracting new members, promoting events and activities, keeping your current members engaged, and bringing in potential new members. So, keep these tips in mind and make the most of your club’s website!

Make the most out of your online presence

At JustGo, we’re passionate about supporting sports clubs of all sizes and budgets. We believe that every club deserves a professional website that represents them well.

Your club deserves the best, and the JustGo website builder delivers just that. Join the thousands of sports clubs that have already improved their online presence with JustGo’s website builder, and let’s work together to take your club to the next level!