Member registration with custom club fields and parental approval

Every sports club has unique information requirements for member registration. Standard fields like name, email, and birth date are essential, but clubs often need additional data specific to their sport, local regulations, or organizational needs. Holdsport's member registration system combines flexible custom fields with built-in parental approval workflows, allowing you to collect exactly the information you need while maintaining appropriate consent for youth members.

Create unlimited custom fields tailored to your club's requirements – medical information, skill levels, equipment sizes, emergency contacts, insurance details, or any other data points you need to track. For youth members, the system automatically requires parental approval before registration completes, ensuring compliance with child protection regulations and giving parents visibility and control over their children's club participation.

Flexible registration system with customizable fields and consent management

Custom club fields allow you to extend the standard registration form with any additional information your club requires. Create text fields for open-ended responses, dropdown menus for predefined options, checkboxes for yes/no questions, date fields for time-sensitive information, or file upload fields for documents like medical certificates or insurance cards. Each field can be marked as required or optional, and you can set visibility permissions controlling who can see each field's data.

For clubs in regulated sports or those requiring medical documentation, file upload fields enable members to submit necessary documents directly during registration. Store medical certificates, insurance cards, parental consent forms, photo permissions, or any other required documentation attached to member profiles. The system tracks expiration dates for documents, alerting administrators when renewals are needed.

The parental approval workflow activates automatically for members below a specified age. When a youth member registers, the system requires a parent or guardian email address. Parents receive an invitation to create their own account, link to their child's profile, and approve the registration. Parents gain visibility into their child's activities, can manage registrations on their behalf, and receive all communications about their child's participation.

How to set up member registration with custom fields and parental approval

Create custom club fields:

• Navigate to club settings and custom fields configuration
• Click "Add new field" to create a custom data point
• Enter a field name and description
• Select the field type (text, dropdown, checkbox, date, file upload)
• Mark whether the field is required or optional
• Set visibility permissions (visible to all, coaches only, or admins only)
• Configure expiration date tracking for time-sensitive fields
• Arrange fields in the desired order on the registration form

Configure the registration form:

• Choose which standard fields to include in registration
• Add your custom club fields to the form
• Set the age threshold requiring parental approval
• Customize registration confirmation messages
• Configure which teams new members can register for
• Set up automatic welcome emails for new registrations
• Enable or disable self-registration versus admin-only registration

Set up parental approval workflow:

• Define the age below which parental approval is required
• Customize the parent invitation email template
• Configure what permissions parents receive for child accounts
• Set up notifications parents receive about activities
• Enable parents to register additional children using the same account
• Allow parents to update their children's information
• Configure privacy settings for parent-child relationships

Manage incoming registrations:

• Review pending registrations awaiting approval
• Check that all required fields have been completed
• Verify submitted documents are valid and current
• Confirm parental approval has been granted for youth members
• Approve or request additional information before finalizing
• Assign approved members to appropriate teams
• Track registration completion rates and bottlenecks

Maintain member data over time:

• Monitor document expiration dates and send renewal reminders
• Update custom field requirements as regulations change
• Archive old fields while preserving historical data
• Export member data including custom fields for reporting
• Audit custom field data for completeness and accuracy
• Allow members to update their own information as needed

Why use custom fields and parental approval in registration

Regulatory compliance becomes straightforward when you can collect and store exactly the information required by your sport's governing body or local regulations. Medical certificates, insurance proof, parent consents, and photo permissions can all be collected systematically during registration rather than chased down later. Having this information organized and accessible prevents compliance issues and makes audits simple.

The parental approval system provides legal protection and peace of mind. For youth sports, having documented parental consent is essential. The system creates a clear audit trail showing when parents were invited, when they approved registration, and what information they consented to. This documentation protects the club while giving parents appropriate oversight.

Parents appreciate the visibility and control the approval system provides. Rather than children signing up for activities without parental knowledge, parents receive notifications, can review what their children are registering for, and maintain ongoing access to see participation and communications. This transparency builds trust with families and reduces miscommunication.

Custom fields eliminate the need for supplementary forms and manual data entry. Instead of collecting standard information online and then chasing members for additional required details through separate forms, everything is captured in one registration process. This completeness reduces administrative burden and ensures you have all necessary information before members begin participating.

Document management becomes centralized and trackable. Medical certificates, insurance cards, and other required documents are stored with member profiles rather than in filing cabinets or scattered email attachments. The system can automatically flag expiring documents, ensuring you proactively request renewals before certificates lapse.

Data quality improves when you control the format and validation of custom fields. Dropdown menus ensure consistent responses rather than free-form text with spelling variations. Date fields prevent invalid dates. Required fields ensure no registrations slip through missing critical information. This structured approach maintains database quality and makes reporting reliable.

The flexibility to adapt fields over time means your registration system grows with your club's needs. Add new fields when regulations change, remove outdated requirements, adjust field types as you learn what works best, all without technical expertise or external development. This adaptability ensures your registration process stays current and effective.

For clubs with multiple sports or age groups, custom fields can be configured differently for different teams. Competitive teams might require performance history and competition experience, while recreational teams keep registration simple. Youth teams need parental consents while adult teams don't. This segmentation provides the right balance of information collection for each context.