Creating Your First Team

Welcome to Huddleswim! This guide will walk you through creating your first team and getting started with the platform. Teams are the foundation of your organization and contain all athletes, meets, and results.

Creating a New Team

Prerequisites

Before creating a team, ensure you have:

A Huddleswim account with Coach or Admin privileges
Basic information about your team (name, location, contact details)
Team registration information (for Club teams)

Step 1: Navigate to Team Creation

Log into your Huddleswim account
From the main dashboard, click "Teams" in the navigation menu
Click the "Create New Team" button

Step 2: Basic Team Information

The team creation process uses a multi-step form with three sections:

Required Basic Details

Team Name: Full official name of your team (e.g., "Riverside High School Aquatic Team")
Team Abbreviation: Short code for your team (maximum 6 characters, e.g., "RHS")
Team Type: Choose the type that best describes your team:
- High School: For high school teams (fully supported)
- Club Team: For club teams (coming soon)

Team Registration (Conditional)

For Club Teams (when available):

Team LSC: Local Swimming Committee - required for club teams
Team Registration Code: Official registration code - required for club teams

For High School Teams:

LSC and registration codes are optional but can be added if available

Step 3: Team Location

Complete the venue and contact information:

Required Address Fields

Address 1: Primary street address of your team
City: City where your team is located
State: Select from the dropdown list
Postal Code: ZIP or postal code
Country: Select the country (defaults to United States)

Optional Address Information

Address 2: Additional address details (suite number, building name, etc.)

Step 4: Contact Information

Provide communication details for your team:

Required Contact Details

Team Email: Official contact email address for the team
Primary Phone: Main contact phone number

Optional Contact Information

Secondary Phone: Additional phone number (cell, fax, etc.)

Step 5: Review and Create

Review all entered information across the three steps
Use the step navigation to go back and make corrections if needed
Click "Create Team" to finalize the setup

Updating Existing Teams

Accessing Team Settings

Navigate to your team dashboard
Click "Settings" in the left sidebar
Look for the edit icon (pencil) next to team information sections

What You Can Update

Basic Information

Team name (use caution - affects all historical data display)
Team abbreviation
Team type (if conversion is needed)
LSC and registration codes

Location Details

All address fields
Contact information
Phone numbers and email

Team Configuration

Lane configurations for meets
Entry limits and restrictions
Default meet settings

Multi-Step Editing

Team information is organized into the same steps as creation:

Step 1: Basic information (name, type, LSC, registration)
Step 2: Address details
Step 3: Contact information

You can navigate between steps or use URL parameters to jump to specific sections.

Team Types and Settings

High School Teams

Current Status: Fully supported

Features Available:

Complete meet management
Athlete roster management
Results tracking and analysis
Division management
Grade-based organization

Typical Setup:

Grade levels: 9, 10, 11, 12
Divisions: JV, Varsity, etc.
Season-based competition

Club Teams

Current Status: Coming soon

Planned Features:

Age group management
USA Swimming integration
LSC reporting capabilities
Year-round training tracking

Advanced Configuration

Division Management

After creating your team, set up divisions:

Go to Settings → Divisions
Create divisions appropriate for your team type:
- High School: JV, Varsity, Freshman, etc.
- Club: Age groups, skill levels, etc.
Assign athletes to appropriate divisions

Integration Settings

Configure connections with external systems:

Meet Management Software

HyTek Meet Manager compatibility
Seed file export capabilities
Results import functionality

Swimming Organizations

USA Swimming database connections (for applicable teams)
LSC reporting setup
Meet scheduling integration

Lane and Pool Configuration

Set up default meet settings:

Lane Selection: Even, Odd, or Custom lane assignments
Pool Type: Short Course Yards (SCY), Long Course Meters (LCM), etc.
Default Limits: Entry limits per athlete

Best Practices

Initial Setup

Complete Information: Fill in all available fields for better integration
Consistent Naming: Use official names that match other swimming databases
Verify Details: Double-check all contact information and addresses
Save Registration Info: Keep LSC and registration codes current

Ongoing Management

Regular Updates: Review team information quarterly
Contact Currency: Update phone numbers and email addresses promptly
Address Changes: Update facility information when teams relocate
Registration Renewal: Keep LSC and registration codes current

Data Integrity

Abbreviation Consistency: Use the same abbreviation across all systems
Name Stability: Avoid changing team names unless absolutely necessary
Backup Settings: Document your team configuration for reference

Common Configuration Scenarios

New High School Team

Create team with full school name
Use school abbreviation (e.g., "RHS", "WEST")
Add school address as team address
Set up divisions (JV, Varsity)
Configure grade levels 9-12

Established Team Migration

Create team matching existing records exactly
Import athlete roster using bulk import
Set up divisions to match current structure
Import historical meet data if available

Multi-Team Organization

Create separate teams for each group
Use consistent naming conventions
Set up shared divisions if applicable
Coordinate settings across teams

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Team Creation Errors

Problem: Required field validation errors

Solution: Ensure all required fields are completed
Check: Team name, abbreviation, city, state, postal code, email

Problem: Abbreviation too long

Solution: Use 6 characters or fewer
Tip: Use common abbreviations for your school/organization

Problem: Invalid email format

Solution: Use a properly formatted email address
Example: team@school.edu, not just "team contact"

Update Permission Issues

Problem: Cannot edit team information

Cause: Insufficient privileges
Solution: Contact an Admin user for your organization
Note: Only Coaches and Admins can modify team settings

Integration Problems

Problem: Team not appearing in external systems

Cause: Missing or incorrect registration codes
Solution: Verify LSC and registration code accuracy
Contact: Your LSC representative for correct codes

Team Deletion

When to Delete a Team

⚠️ Warning: Team deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.

Appropriate Scenarios:

Test teams created during setup
Duplicate teams created by mistake
Teams that are permanently discontinued

What Gets Deleted:

All team data and settings
All athlete records
All meet information and results
All historical data

Safe Alternatives

Instead of deletion, consider:

Mark as Inactive: Keep data but hide from active use
Archive Data: Export important information before changes
Transfer Athletes: Move athletes to another team first

Integration with Other Features

Athlete Management

Team settings determine athlete registration requirements
Divisions created here are used for athlete classification
Contact information is used for athlete communications

Meet Management

Team location is used as default for home meets
Lane configurations set defaults for meet creation
Entry limits apply to all team meets

Results and Reporting

Team information appears on all reports
Abbreviations are used in meet exports
Contact details support result distribution

What's Next?

After creating your team, you'll be able to:

Add Athletes - Start building your roster by adding individual athletes
Create Meets - Set up competitions and meets for your team
Import Results - Upload results from competitions using various file formats (HY3, CL2, etc.)
Manage Events - Configure event divisions and settings

Tips for Success

Pro Tip: Take time to set up your team settings correctly from the start. It's easier to configure everything initially than to change settings later when you have athletes and results in the system.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't rush through the information entry - verify all details are correct
Make sure your team abbreviation follows your organization's conventions (6 characters max)
Verify all contact information is accurate
For Club teams, ensure Team LSC and Registration Code are properly selected
Double-check address information for accuracy