Sports Teams

Coach bus rental for your sports team - how to find the best deal?

It’s the nature of professional and semi-professional sports teams to travel to destinations where they can compete against other teams. Whether it’s a youth club, a university team, dance performers, or any other sport, a coach would need to ensure that their entire team gets to their destination on time every time. Choosing a coach bus rental for your sports team will be one of the things that needs to be organized. But how do you find the best deal? First, let’s look at some of the reasons why you’d want to choose a coach bus rental for your sports team. Read more

by Bus Connection

Bus Charter services for sports teams - how to pick the proper one?

When a sports team is looking for bus charter services various factors have to be considered. Among them are the available budget, the safety rating of the travel bus rental company, and the quality of the service. We know looking for such a partner can be a tough challenge. Especially with all of the other responsibilities the coach and staff members have. We are here to help you with some tips on how to pick the proper company for charter buses. 

Demand for a bus charter with room for luggage 

Every sports team has a lot of luggage when there is travel for an away game. If you hire a bus charter company that offers a vehicle that doesn’t have enough room you and the players are going to be very uncomfortable. If it is a short trip you might get away with it. However, on a long journey, it will be very bad and bring a lot of discomfort to the team. 

That is why before each time you travel demand that you have charter buses that will be able to fit your luggage and have enough room and comfortable seats for you and the players. 

Rely on recommendations but check the reviews

A good way to start your search for a proper travel bus rental is to ask other coaches about the companies they are working with. This can be a good source of information. However, you need to do deeper research before you make the final decision. Check the customer reviews and the safety rating. These two things will give you a good glimpse of the quality of the bus charter company. 

Be sure the schedule of the charter buses is in line with your games

This is very important. Before the season starts you must be sure to give a copy of the schedule of your games to the travel bus rental company. If you arrange your trips one by one you risk that there will not be a charter bus available. However, if there are dates set in advance you will never risk being left behind. 

Look for travel bus rental with experienced drivers

When you are traveling for a game you need to be in good hands. The company you hire should have experienced drivers working for them. This is a better guarantee for safety and that the person will know their way around the state of Illinois. When you are rushing for a game this can be an important advantage for you. 

If you need charter bus services for your sports team, feel free to call us. We have over 14 years of experience providing transportation services in the Chicago state area. Just give us a call and we will take care of you! 

by Bus Connection

Transportation Services for Sports Teams - 5 Things They Miss When Hiring

Today any sports team has to look for transportation services. They might be needed when you travel to an away game, or if you need to give your fans recommendations about bus transportation services. In this article, we are going to focus on five important things that sports teams miss when they hire a transportation company in Chicago. 

Finding transportation services that leave room for luggage

When a sports team travels there is a ton of luggage with them. All of this has to go somewhere. Unfortunately, many companies that offer bus transportation services don’t consider that. The result of this can be that there won’t be enough space and the players and staff will be stuck together in tight space for the period of the whole trip. This is everything but comfortable. Remember to ask for extra luggage room when you look for charter buses or vans. 

Check the cancellation policy of the bus transportation services

Sometimes you are forced to cancel your trip. The game might be canceled due to bad weather or something else. There might be changes in the schedule of the games and many other reasons why you don’t get to travel. Remember to consult this with the company offering you transportation services. The best option is to be able to cancel without any compensation that you have to pay. If that is not possible, look for a cancellation policy with a reasonable amount. 

Finding a transportation company in Chicago from recommendation

It would be great to find bus transportation services that some other sports teams used and are happy with. While doing your research on hiring a bus charter company, check if some of the coaches or staff of other sports teams can recommend some transportation services they have used soon. In that way, you can save some time and have an option that already has experience in sports team transportation. 

Check if the fans are traveling with you

In many cases, not that many fans are coming to the away games of the teams. If you have some seats that remain empty, you can invite some of the supporters to join you. It will be an amazing experience for them and it can boost the motivation of the team. 

Plan some activities during the trip

Of course, sometimes the players just want to focus and travel in peace. However, there are times when the bus ride is the perfect time to have some fun activities to boost morale - telling jokes or even doing an improvised karaoke. If you want to be focused on the game ahead, you can talk about tactics or give some motivational speech to the team. The choice is yours.

If you are looking for transportation services for your sports team, feel free to give us a call. We have 14 years of experience providing outstanding charter services in the state of Illinois. With Bus Connection your team is one step closer to victory! 

by Bus Connection

Some tips for amazing performance of sports teams in 2022

Coaching a sports team is not something anybody can do. If you are in such a role you know that the start of the new year is a great time to build up the mentality of your squad for winning. When it comes to amazing performance every detail matters - from the sports team transportation to what they eat at home. In this article, we are going over some proven tips that will help your team have amazing performance in 2022.  

Be sure to have trusted partners

You want to focus on team preparation, right? That means that you need to find trusted partners for everything else related to the team. You need to browse the team transport options in Chicago, find places to order the sports equipment, and many more. The good news is once this is done, you don’t have to worry anymore and just stick to the training. There are three main things to look for in a trusted partner company:

• If they offer you prices within your budget; 
• If they offer quality product/service for the team;
• If they are good and honest people that respect deadlines. 

Once all of the above are covered you can work with them and be sure that the team will benefit from that. 

Get together with the players outside of the pitch

Okay, this is not one of those movies where the coach is holding a big speech or doing some crazy method to get the players to respect them. Just get your team together once in a while. In the summer you can visit a pool or have a barbeque in the open. Celebrate the wins and talk after the losses. It is not rocket science. The players will like being around each other and it can help them become friends. Sure, not everybody can be available all the time, but it is nice for a chance to do something as a team off the pitch as well. Try with group activity once a month. Bowling is a good start that everyone will love. 

Host meetings with the fans

Once in a while host a meeting with the players, staff members, and fans. Just lay some ground rules before the event that you share with the fan club like: 

• Everyone maintains good behavior; 
• You will hear each other out; 
• There will be time for photos with the team after the event. 

This can work great for both the fans and the players alike. This is a sign of respect for the people that come to cheer at your games. On the other hand, the players will be motivated by the presence of fans and the support they receive from them. 

Consider having a winning ritual

Sure, you are not going to win every time. However, when you do be sure to celebrate properly. A lot of teams have some sort of tradition that they do after a win. They get together for pizza, have a party, or something else. It is good for the morale of the team. You can discuss this with your staff and the players or check out what other teams are doing. Any good ideas are welcome. For example, some teams open up an expensive bottle of wine when they beat in some game where they were falling behind. 

Always be honest with each other

You need to establish a culture of open and honest communication between the staff members and the players. Each person from the team should be able to come to you and share their questions or something that is bothering them. This helps a lot when the team is not performing great. You can sit down and discuss a way out of the bad situation together. 

Every sports team has ups and downs during the year. During the first ones, everything is sunshine and rainbows. However, real winners show their spirit during the hard times. Follow our advice and you will have a team of winners. On the field and out of it. 

by Bus Connection

From losers to winners - 5 tips on how your team can perform better

So, you are riding in the sports team transportation with grim faces after the game you list? And is this another one of several losses in a row? Don`t worry, coach - we have your back! In this article, we are going to share with you some proven tactics that will help you and the team bring the wins back. Just follow our lead and you will do just fine. 

Figure out what is the problem with the athletic team

This bad series started somewhere with one bad performance before it spiraled to what it is today. Try to sit down and figure out what is the reason for bad performance. Maybe some injury occurred and someone that has a vital role in the team is not available? Or maybe some player left? Are there any quarrels in the team or the tone remains friendly? Maybe someone is having a difficult time in their personal life? You can`t remedy the situation without knowing what is the problem behind it. Start by figuring this out 

Be honest and open with the team

Be honest with the team. Avoiding the topic won't make it go away. Talk about the elephant in the room. If you play in a team sport, the players are likely feeling terrible. Some of them might be blaming themselves. Have an open conversation about the tight spot you are in. You need to get in their head that this is a temporary situation and it will go away if you work as a team. Sometimes you have to speak with each team member individually to get things going. Ask for their opinion and feedback. You might have missed something they have noticed. 

Get the fans to back the team 

When the team is in a tight spot, fans are more important than ever. Speak with the fan club and tell them the team needs support. Ask them to be more vocal and loud when they play. Get then to show up at practice and cheer. This will boost the confidence and morale in your ranks. When the players see the support they will know that they have not disappointed the fans. And that can mean a lot to them. You can even go further and have an open meeting with some fans. That will be great for both sides. 

A motivational speech is not always the key

You have seen all the great movies like “Remember the titans”, “Any given Sunday” and “Coach Carter”. All of them leave the impression that when things are bad one amazing inspirational speech can be the gamechanger for the bad times and after that everything will go great. The truth is that in some cases the members of your team don’t need to be motivated. They might already be. They might be frustrated because they have the motivation needed and are working hard and things are not going so great. In such cases, a comforting talk is needed to make things better. Read the situation and know what to do at the proper time for that. 

Focus on getting the winning mentality on track

When you want to get your team to perform better, you have to make sure they get their winning mentality back. That can happen by boosting their confidence, going to a camp together, doing extra training, or something else. What is important - you need to be focused on this. For that, it is better to just leave aside all the things that will take your mind of this task. Don’t drive the team - get them all together in a bus (hire sports team transportation). Let them be together before the game. Motivate them, joke around a little bit, talk about how they are going to perform, and make sure that they know you are proud of them. A little inspiration can go a long way. 

It is normal for sports teams to face hard times. Even the best do it. In such cases, it is up to the coach to help the players get out of the bad zone. We know you can do it. Make them believe it as well!

by Bus Connection

Coaches' dilemma: How to arrange the best transportation for the upcoming away games?

Is it time to organize the sports team transportation for that away game? We know it is hard to manage training the team, maintaining the high spirit of the players, and on top of all that to make travel arrangements. In this article, we are going to provide you with a few tips and tricks that can make the whole transportation arrangement thing easier. In that way, you will think less about where you have to park and will be able to focus on winning that game!

Clear out the details of the trip 

When you start planning and before you check for team transportation options, you should be familiar with all the details. The company you hire will have to know the dates and specific time of travel, where you need to be and in what time exactly and of course - how many people are going to be there. Usually, the company representatives will ask you about those things. However, it is better to know them in advance. In that way, you can proceed directly to booking their services and not waste any more time. 

Check if people have some issues with travel

It is always important to know if some people have issues with travel. Someone might get sick if they sit in the back. You will want to put them next to a window to get some fresh air from time to time. Others will need a bathroom break often. Check all of this in advance and be prepared to handle any situation. It is good to hand everyone on the bus a small bag in case they get sick. Warn them to have a bottle of water just in case and pack sandwiches for the trip. 

Make a tight schedule

The next piece of advice we can give you is to prepare a strict schedule that you should print and hand out to all people traveling. When the group is big, there are often complications. There is always someone that hasn’t understood what and where they need to be. In this way, you have insurance that this won’t happen. Besides, it nurtures discipline and responsibility among the team. 

Have the contact information of everyone 

When you go somewhere on such a trip, you are responsible for the people traveling with you. You and the other staff members must have the contact information of the players. In this way, if something happens or someone goes missing, you can reach out to them. A good practice is to create a group chat or e-mail group to share important messages for everyone. For example - that you will meet for breakfast at 8:30 in the hotel lobby. 

Have a helping hand from the team 

Everything that we outlined so far is a ton of work. And it is almost impossible for a single person to handle. This is why the best piece of advice we can give you is to have a helping hand from the team. This can be the captain or someone else that you know is organized and respected by his/her teammates. You can have that person (or people) take care of the things you don’t have time to cover - gathering contact information, handing out the trip schedule, and many more. 

Do a check-up on the day before departure

That may seem like an unnecessary step for some, but it is always good to double-check everything the day before you leave. There is a good chance that something has been forgotten or not cleared out properly. This will give you the chance to take care of it on time. It is better to find out the day before, rather than on the day of the trip. 

There is a lot more than these six pieces of advice that you have to handle, but doing them will surely make the arrangement of the trip easier for you. We hope that you get that away win and make the fans happy!

by Bus Connection