1. What this Program Type is
Core Programs are your primary, season-long or year-long offerings. They are typically used for the main teams that represent your club, such as travel, premier, or top tier recreational teams.
Families registering into a Core Program are usually committing to a full season or full year of participation. Players are assigned to one or more teams within the Program, often after going through a separate tryout process. Once a player accepts their spot and completes payment, they are placed on the team that has been assigned to them.
Core Programs are where most of your long running team activity will live, including practices, games, and regular communication with families.
2. When to use this Program Type
Use a Core Program when you are running a primary team experience that spans a full season or year and you expect players to be assigned to specific teams.
Common examples include:
Full year competitive or travel teams
Seasonal core teams in a traditional fall or spring season
Club teams formed through tryouts that then train and compete together
Core Programs are a good fit when:
Players are expected to attend practices and games on a regular schedule
Coaches and directors need a stable roster for communication and planning
You want most scheduling and team management to flow through a single Program for that season or year
If you are running shorter, one-off offerings such as a single camp or clinic, a different Program type such as Supplemental, Training Sessions, or Tournament may be a better fit.
3. How registration works with this Program Type
Core Programs can support both open sign ups and invitation based flows.
Typical patterns include:
Invitation required after a tryout
Players attend a Tryout Program first. A Tryout Program is created separately and linked to the Core Program in the Tryout’s Basic Info step.
Selected players receive an invitation tied to a specific team in the Core Program.
The family completes registration and payment to accept the spot.
Once payment is complete, the player is placed on the assigned team.
Open registration into a Core Program
Families see the Core Program as an option in the Open Programs widget, based on eligibility.
The parent selects the appropriate registration, fills out required details, and pays.
Players can then be assigned to teams by staff after registration.
For Core Programs, registrations often:
Collect detailed player information, waivers, and payment (or a payment plan deposit) for the full season or year
Use eligibility rules such as age, gender, and past registration history
Offer different price points for payment plans, early bird rates, or add ons when needed
You can use a single Registration for the Program or multiple Registrations if you want to separate options such as age groups, locations, or payment structures.
4. How teams and rostering work
Core Programs are designed to support team based experiences, so the Team Type you choose is important.
For Core Programs:
Supported Team Types are:
Traditional Teams
No teams needed
Traditional Teams
Admins create teams within the Program.
Players are rostered to teams by staff, either before or after registration.
This setup works well when players are placed on specific squads, such as 2011 Boys Blue, 2012 Girls White, or similar team names.
Traditional Teams support full use of team based features such as communication and scheduling.
No teams needed
Use this option if your Core Program does not require team level organization in the mobile app or Calendar.
Players stay associated with the Program, but are not placed on teams.
Team specific communication and calendars are not available when this option is selected.
As with other Program types, once registrations have started:
Team Type cannot be changed.
This protects existing rosters and avoids confusion for families and staff. If you realize the team structure is not correct, it is best to adjust the setup in future Programs rather than switching Team Type midstream.
5. How this Program Type connects to other features
Core Programs sit at the center of several key workflows in the platform.
Relationship to Tryout Programs
Many organizations use Tryout Programs to evaluate players, then move accepted players into Core Programs.
The Tryout Program handles evaluation and selection.
The Core Program handles the full season experience once players have accepted and registered.
Calendar usage
Core Programs often drive a large portion of your scheduling.
Practices, games, and team events are typically created for teams inside the Core Program.
All events must fall within the Program Start Date and End Date when they are tied to this Program or its teams.
If the season is extended, updating the Program End Date allows you to schedule additional events.
Communication and mobile app
When using Traditional Teams, Core Programs support team specific communication in the mobile app and through messaging tools.
Coaches and admins can send updates to team rosters.
Families can see upcoming events and team information in one place.
Reporting
Because Core Programs usually represent your main offerings, they often play a central role in reporting.
Program Type and Season fields help group Core Programs together across years.
This makes it easier to compare participation, revenue, and retention from one season to the next.
6. Related articles
For broader context on how Programs work and how they appear to families, see:
You may also want to review:
Tryout Programs (for handling evaluations and selections before a Core Program)
Other Program Type articles in the Types of Programs section
FAQs
What is the main difference between a Core Program and a Supplemental Program?
Core Programs are typically season-long or year-long team based offerings. Supplemental Programs are better suited for shorter, one-off offerings such as camps or clinics.
Can I use open registration for a Core Program?
Yes. Core Programs can support open sign ups based on eligibility, or invitation based flows after a Tryout Program.
Can I change Team Type after families have started registering?
No. Once registrations have started, Team Type cannot be changed.
Do Core Programs support team communication and scheduling?
Yes. When using Traditional Teams, Core Programs support team specific communication, calendars, and scheduling within the Program’s Start and End Dates.