Step 1 of creating a new email is choosing who should receive it. Sprocket gives you multiple ways to build your recipient list, depending on whether you are emailing players, families, staff, or a larger club-wide audience.
What you’ll find in this article
The different ways to select recipients, and when to use each one
How the Additional Recipients field works
Tips for confirming the right people are included before you continue
Before you start
Club admins can create emails from Communications → Email with the Communications > Admin Communications permission.
Coaches and team managers can email from their Team Dashboard with the Communications > Coach/Team Manager Communications permission.
Start a new email
Go to Communications → Email (or your Team Dashboard, if you are a coach or team manager).
Select + New Email.
In Step 1: Select Recipients, choose one of the search options on the left.
As you select people or groups, they will appear in the Recipients area at the top of the page.
Choose the right recipient option
Use these quick guidelines to pick the best method:
Player Search: Best when you want to email players and their parents, and you want player-based filters like program or season.
Team Search: Best when you want to email a full team, including players, parents, and staff tied to that team.
User Search: Best when you need to email specific parents or specific types of users, without automatically including the full household.
Staff Search: Best when you want to email staff only, and exclude other groups like admins or board members.
User Groups: Best for mass communications where you do not need to review individual recipients.
Saved Groups: Best when you email the same set of people repeatedly.
Player Search
Use Player Search when your starting point is the player list.
What to know
Parents are automatically included on emails sent to players.
If a player has their own email address on file, they can receive the email as well.
Common filters you can use
First or last player name
Program Type, Program, Registration, Season, Team
Additional filters like gender, birth date range, registration status, test players, and player ID
How to use it
Select Player on the left.
Apply the filters you need.
Click Search.
Check the box next to each player you want to include.
Team Search
Use Team Search when you want to email an entire team at once.
What to know
Team selection is dynamic. The team membership is pulled at the time you compose the email.
The number shown in parentheses reflects total recipients and can include players, parents, and staff.
How to preview and adjust team recipients
If you want to see exactly who is included, click the team name in the Recipients area. You can review the Team Members list and adjust recipients if needed.
Note: Updating the team members list converts the selection into individual recipients, rather than keeping it as a single dynamic team selection.
User Search
Use User Search when you want to email users directly, especially when you need more control than Player Search provides.
Common reasons to use User Search
Email parents only, without selecting players
Email staff and parents together using user-level targeting
Email a specific parent, not the full household
Filters you can use
Search by first or last name, or email address
Filter by User Type (for example, Member/Parent and specific staff types)
How to use it
Select User on the left.
Apply your search terms and filters.
Click Search.
Select the users you want to include.
Staff Search
Use Staff Search when you need to email staff members, and you want to exclude other audiences such as admins or board members.
Filters you can use
Search by first or last name, or email address
Filter by Role
Additional filters may include program type, program, and team
How to use it
Select Staff on the left.
Apply the filters you need.
Click Search.
Select the staff members you want to include.
User Groups
Use User Groups when you want to send a broad communication without selecting individual recipients.
User Groups are designed for fast targeting. Each group shows a member count so you can gauge how large your audience is before you send.
Good to know:
Some user groups include Club Contacts. If you need help understanding what Club Contacts are and how they are used, see Club Contacts Explained.
Saved Groups
Saved Groups are reusable recipient lists you create during the recipient selection step. They are a good fit for recurring communications like a committee list, team managers, or a volunteer group.
To keep things consistent, see Creating Saved Groups for Email Communications for the full setup and management steps.
Additional Recipients
The Additional Recipients field lets you manually enter email addresses that are not part of your selected recipients. This is optional.
Enter email addresses separated by a comma or semicolon.
Use this for one-off additions, like an outside vendor or a staff member who is not in the system.
Before you continue
Before moving to the next step, take a quick look at the Recipients area at the top of the page to confirm:
You selected the right audience type (player, team, user, staff, or group)
The list size looks reasonable for your message
You are not unintentionally including extra recipients (especially when selecting teams)
If you run into issues
If your list looks incomplete, double-check your filters and click Search again. If you cannot find the person you need, try switching to User Search and searching by email address. If you are selecting a team and the member count looks off, click the team name in Recipients to review who is included.
FAQs
Why are parents included when I email players?
Parents are automatically included on emails sent to players for SafeSport compliance.
What is the difference between Player Search and User Search?
Player Search is based on the player record and automatically includes parents. User Search allows you to target specific users directly.
Why does my team recipient count seem higher than expected?
The number shown includes players, parents, and staff tied to that team.
Can I add someone who is not in Sprocket?
Yes. Use the Additional Recipients field to manually enter email addresses separated by a comma or semicolon.