Sports Mama Tip: The Gifts Coaches Really Want!

We've all been there before. The season is beginning to wind down and it's time to start thinking of coaches gifts. If you're like me and are struggling to come up with (new) ideas, you won't want to miss this post!

I recently reached out to a bunch of coaches, and asked them what their favorite gift they ever received was. You might be surprised at the answers... spoiler alert, gift cards didn't make the cut. In fact one coach said, "wife takes cash/gift cards anyway!". Ha!

So what do they really want? Here were the top three responses (in no particular order):

A team photo signed by their players.

A ball signed by their players.

Handwritten thank you cards from their players and players' parents.

As you can see they all had a common theme, hand written memorabilia from their young athletes.


So the moral of this blog post, Sports Mamas? Sometimes (what we may think of as) less is more...especially when it comes to coaches gifts!






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Sports Mama Tip: End of Season Party Checklist

Fall Sports came to an end for us this weekend. No. 3 had his last soccer game of the season and both No. 1 and No. 2's football teams fell just one game short of the championship. Such a heartbreaker!


Though we don't have anymore practices or games, my job as team mama (for No. 1's team) is not yet done. I'm currently working on finalizing details for our end of season festivities.


Here is MY end of season party checklist to help make YOUR end of season party a breeze!

2 weeks before:

• Book your end of season party. Some of my favorite places include bowling alleys, laser tag, or local sports bars. You could also have a potluck at the field or even your home. Kids aren't picky, they'll be happy with whatever you decide!
• Collect money for coaches gifts. I never specify a numeric amount when collecting. I always let parents give what they want/can. Click HERE for 6 personalized gift ideas!
• Order trophies/players gifts. Some of my go-to non-trophy ideas include medals, photo books, and t-shirts.

1 week before:

• Send out invites. Don't wait until the last minute. You want the entire team to be able to make it!
• Collect party money. The cost should not all fall on you and coach. During football season, we have a touchdown jar which usually covers our parties in full. No need to ask for money at the end of the season!
• Order a cake. Photo cakes are always a big hit!

Day before:

• Send out a reminder email. Life gets busy. You don't want a player to miss the party, because their parent forgot to add the date to their calendar.
• Pack a party bag/box. I tend to forget things when I wait until the last minute. Be sure that you have your camera, coaches gifts, and player gifts packed and ready to go.

Day of:

• Pick up the cake. Schedule it to be ready several hours before the party, so that it's one less thing you have to worry about.
• Arrive about 15-20 minutes earlier than the team. This will give you time to get your self situated, decorate, and work out any last minute issues, should they arise.

During:

• Let others help you. You shouldn't have to do it all. Find volunteers to help you set-up, serve food, take pictures, and clean up.
• Enjoy yourself! Because you're the real MVP, mama!

Team Mama Idea: Football End of Season Party Ideas for CHAMPIONS!

The end of football season is always so bittersweet. I always try and make our end of season parties extra special for the team as the season is long and hard. And when you win the championship, you deserve nothing short of the best.


We sent our boys (and coaches!) out with a BANG! And best of all, it was all completely covered by our touchdown jar. We raised $570.60!!!


I was a co-team mama for No. 1's team, so I had extra hands to help me plan and set-up. So helpful! We reserved a private area at a local sports bar. The boys range in age from 9-13, so this worked out perfectly.


We arrived about an hour before the scheduled start time to decorate.


We ordered each player and coach a personalized t-shirt. The front had their picture on it and the back had the entire roster, including both names and jersey numbers.

We draped them on the back of the chairs. They loved them!


One of the other co-team mamas made each boy a bag of treats. Aren't they cute?

I ordered the trophies from Trophy Depot. They are quick and reliable. Our club actually paid for them since our boys made it as far as they did!

I also printed out a picture of each player with his family and the championship trophy. CVS offered the white border as an option, and I'm so glad I went with it. It definitely made them look extra special!

We all ate while watching the championship victory on the big screen! Coach also made a highlight reel of the entire season. The boys really enjoyed seeing themselves on t.v. They were clapping, and oohing and ahhing after each play!

I think it's pretty safe to say that they enjoyed their food! And then there was cake, because no party is complete without cake (or a cupcake cake!).

It was so funny to hear them talk about who "ate" who.

We allowed the boys to put their shirts on AFTER they finished eating. Ha! And paused to take a bunch of pictures, of course.

Then it was time for gifts. And boy did they get a bunch. In the words of their head coach, "this is more like Christmas than a football party". They deserved it all. Such an amazing group of players, coaches, and parents!

In addition to the shirts and trophies, they also received personalized Gatorade water bottles from one of their assistant coaches.

Such a cool and practical gift! What athlete can't use more water bottles?

And an 11 X 14 high resolution photo from their head coach. We will definitely be getting ours framed!

This photo totally screams, "Look ma, we're famous!" to me.

For coaches gifts, we collected money from the parents and purchased them each personalized footballs from Etsy which the boys autographed.

We also gave them gift cards purchased with the leftover money. So well deserved!

Everyone had a great time.

Including us mamas! Who may or may not have planned to dress alike...

The saying says, "Go big or go home". And that's exactly what we did. We love our boys. Go Admirals!

Now it's time to rest for a couple of weeks before our weekends are filled with basketball.

Until next season!

***Be sure to click on the links below to see some of my previous end of season party ideas:

End of Season Party Ideas

End of Season Party Ideas- II

Team Mama Idea: Football End of Season Party- II

Football season has come and gone. At least for No. 2. Unfortunately, his team did not make the playoffs. They were bumped up into the American division this year (the toughest division of them all). They made a good run, but still fell a little short.


Here's what we did to celebrate a well fought season.


I booked our party at a local bowling alley. Two hours (one hour of bowling, one hour in a private party room) and your choice of pizza, burgers, or hot dogs with drinks for $16 a kid. Of course, I went with pizza. Almost every kid I know loves pizza. The cost was almost completely covered by our touchdown jar. If you don't know what a touchdown jar is, click HERE to find out. Our grand total came to $224.24, so all I had to collect was $3 per player! How awesome is that?

It also happened to be our quarterback's birthday, so his mama volunteered to bring the cake... and ice cream!

I just LOVE photo cakes.


Coach Hubby and I awarded the boys with personalized medals. I ordered them from Trophy Depot. They looked way better in person than they did online. I was even able to customize the neck ribbon to match our team colors! We also printed out a picture of each player which added even more of a personalized touch.

For coaches gifts, I began by sending out an email to our team requesting donations. I never specify a numeric amount, in fact I always indicate that no amount is too small (or too big!). I find that more people are willing to give, when the amount is left up to them.


I ordered each coach a 23oz. personalized beer glass. I found them on Etsy. Click HERE if you'd like to purchase one yourself. They have their name, the team name, and year on them in our team colors. I absolutely love how they turned out!

I also gave each coach a gift card which was purchased with the leftover donation money. Who needs a gift card holder when you can put them directly into the beer glass? Cheers!

The team had a blast.

Until next season. Go Admirals!


***Click HERE to read my most recent ideas and HERE to read some of my past ideas.

Football Cake & Cupcakes

No. 1's birthday always falls during football season (usually on a practice night). Well, this year it falls on a game day, so what better way to celebrate than with his teammates and a football cake AND cupcakes!

Here's what you'll need for the cupcakes:

• Boxed cake mix
• White frosting
• Burgundy icing color
• Gold decorating gel
• Gold cupcake liners

I began by baking the cupcakes according to the instructions on the box. While they cooled, I worked on my frosting. I won't even lie, burgundy is a tough color to achieve! I feel like I had to use a ton of icing color, and they still didn't turn out as burgundy as I would have liked. Oh well. Once they were completely cooled, I iced and then added each player's jersey number to them.

On to the cake. Here's what you'll need:

• Boxed cake mix
• Chocolate frosting
• White decorating icing
• Football shaped cake pan

I again followed the instructions on the box, changing nothing except for the type of pan I used. I purchased a football shaped cake pan from Michaels. Don't forget to use a coupon! Oh yeah, the pan also called for a longer baking time than the box did. When the cake was completely cooled, I took a serrated knife and sliced off a tiny bit of the middle so that when I flipped it, it would be leveled. Before removing it from the pan, I took a butter knife and went around the sides to loosen it up a bit. After that, I flipped it over, gave it a bit of a pat, and out it came!


I began decorating the cake by icing it with a very thin layer of the chocolate frosting first, also known as a crumb coat. When the crumb coat was applied, I stuck the cake in the fridge to let it set. Once it was set (no longer sticky to the touch), I added the final, thicker layer of chocolate frosting. I then took the white decorating icing (which already had a piping tip attached-I love that!), and drew on the laces. That's it! It was my first attempt at a football cake, and I must say, I really like the way it came out!

It's also my turn to bring snacks to the game. For halftime fruit, I sliced several navel oranges (click HERE to see how I do it) and placed them in snack sized baggies. For post-game snacks and drinks, they will have Gatorades to help wash down the cupcakes. I also grabbed some goldfish crackers for the little siblings.


I can't wait to share them with the team tomorrow. Go Admirals!






*** Update: We won! Victory never tasted so SWEET!!!

*** Here's my most recent take on football cupcakes! I used blue liners and orange sprinkles to match our new team colors as well as chocolate icing for the "footballs" and white cookie icing for the "laces". Easy peasy and the team loved them! #WINNING

*** Click HERE for my basketball cupcakes and HERE for my soccer cupcakes! ***