Get rid of the email list...

Most organizations use email lists to keep people informed.  Get rid of them.  The amount of time you'll spend managing an email list and the problems you'll get when you miss someone, just isn't worth it.  There are better ways.  We had a situation where a player wasn't on the email list, missed an email about a game location change, and went to the wrong location.  Man, did I get grief for that.  People's emails change.  You will always get someone new who needs to be added to the email distribution or have someone change their email.  So it will impact your list.

Pick a technology that where people can manage their own membership or subscription.  Two very popular options are Facebook and Google user groups.  In Facebook, create a group and make yourself and someone else in a leadership position an admin and make the group closed so that membership has to be approved by someone.

Setup for each year.  For example, if you're using Facebook, when you create a group, have the year in the title.  Create at the start of each season, and close down last years at the same time.  These groups will pick up a LOT of traffic.  Recreating each year helps to make sure the membership is current and relevant.

Pick a technology that will manage documents and files.  We have club hand books, hand books from the league, rosters, driving directions, league standings, etc. that we need to make available to everyone.  Facebook allows this.  If you don't use Facebook, you may have to pick another technology to support this, such as www.skydrive.com or Google drive.

We setup a phone line through Google Voice where we leave messages for the team.  This is useful for last minute changes.  People will call the line and hear the latest information.  This is helpful when there are iffy weather conditions or there is some last minute issue with the field.  This is free.

We've used a service called www.squidoo.com to setup a page that lists out all the field location information.  This includes information on address for the field, how long it takes to get there, where to eat afterwards, does the field location have a bathroom.  You can see our page at: www.syracuseeaglessoccer.com. 

You will always have someone on the team who doesn't do email, doesn't do Facebook, doesn't do....  In those cases it's up to them to find another family to partner with to get communications.  Make this clear at the parents meeting at the start of the season.

Document any details about a particular tool you're using.  For example, if you're using Google Voice, document how to update messages.  You'll include things like the phone number, pin number, what options to set, and maybe even a template for what to say.  This goes to the club secretary.

I'm waiting for some tool that will turn a Facebook group into a physical book!  I think Blurb may do this but haven't tried it.  At the end of the season, a Facebook group has a very cool history of the season: joy of wins, agony of losses, funny stories, pictures, etc.