A storm moved in fast. A coach couldn't be in two places at once.
A youth mountain bike coach was on the trail getting the last riders to safety when a storm rolled in. At the exact same moment, every parent needed to hear: "come now." Not in ten minutes — now, because parents need time to drive and kids need somewhere safe to go.
The coach had one phone. Two things had to happen simultaneously. Only one could. That's the gap RallyText was built to close.
Built by a Level 3 NICA coach who needed it. Available now for every youth sports team that's ever asked "did everyone get the message?" — and couldn't be sure of the answer.
Parent consent and the parent copy
Most youth sports governing bodies, including the U.S. Center for SafeSport's MAAPP rules that USA Cycling, USA Swimming, and U.S. Soccer adopt, and NICA's own two-adult policy, say an adult should never be in a private one-on-one electronic conversation with a minor athlete. A parent, guardian, or second adult is supposed to be on every message. RallyText does not ask coaches to remember that; it is how the system sends.
Every direct message to a minor copies a parent. When a coach texts one athlete under 18, the athlete's guardian(s) and a second coach or team director receive the same message automatically. There is no private coach-to-minor channel to turn on.
Team broadcasts reach parents directly. Cancellations, schedule changes, and emergency alerts go to every family on the roster as a plain SMS from the team number, prefixed with the team code so you know who it is from.
Opting in, opting out. Nobody is texted until they join or a coach adds them. The first message a new number receives carries the "Reply STOP to opt out" disclosure. STOP works instantly; START turns messages back on.
How parents join. Text the team code (just the code, nothing else) to the team number and follow a short two-step SMS signup. Or open the invite link or QR code the coach shares, which pre-selects the Parent/Guardian role. Or be added when the coach imports the roster. Coaches can require approval before a new number gets anything.
What a parent sees. Plain text messages from one saved number: the broadcasts, any direct message a coach sends your athlete, and the automatic practice reminders. Parents can reply, and can text ABSENT for their athlete.
The full rule set and audit-log details are on the Safe Sport texting page. For a plain-language walk-through for coaches, including what MAAPP and 10DLC require, read How to text youth athletes safely.
Got a text from a RallyText number?
Your child's team uses RallyText for team messages. Here is what that means for you:
Your number stays private to the team. Only the team's staff can see it, it is encrypted at rest, and it is never shown to other families.
STOP any time. Reply STOP to the team number and the messages end immediately. Reply START to come back.
Every message to your athlete copies you. If a coach texts your child directly, you get the same text at the same moment.
Everything a youth sports team needs to communicate
Type "ALL practice canceled — rain" in your Messages app and it lands on every family's phone instantly. No scrolling through contacts. No group thread chaos.
Parents receive a plain SMS. No download, no account, no notification permission to grant. If they have a phone, they get the message. Works on iPhones, Androids, and every carrier.
Families text ABSENT to your team number. Your dashboard updates automatically — Present, Excused, Late, or No Response. Know the headcount before you get to the trailhead.
Schedule your season once — families get automatic text reminders before every practice, race, or event. No manual send, no "I forgot to remind everyone."
Export your roster directly from PitZone — Riders, Emergency Contacts, or Coaches. Drop the file in RallyText and your whole team is ready to text. No reformatting, no column-mapping.
Not a coach's personal cell. When a coach moves on, the team number stays. Families always reach the program, not whoever happened to run it last season.
Running a multi-team league or high school program?
League directors and Athletic Directors get a free organization account with a director page listing every team. Teams that join through the league's invite link get the league discount (standard 10% off) applied automatically. High school programs can set up every sport with its own number and dashboard, with the Athletic Director able to message all coaches at once.
Priced for a team budget
Every plan includes a dedicated number. See full pricing → · For nonprofits →
Questions parents and coaches ask
Do parents need to download an app to get team texts?
No. Parents receive a plain SMS from the team's own number on any phone and any carrier. There is no account to create, nothing to download, and no notification permission to grant. A parent can reply to the coach, text ABSENT on their athlete's behalf, or text STOP to opt out.
What happens when a coach texts my child directly?
Youth teams start with minor protection on. When a coach sends a direct message to an athlete under 18, RallyText automatically copies the athlete's parent or guardian and a second coach or team director. There is no setting a coach can use to turn that off, and every message is logged in the team's dashboard, including who was copied. Team-wide broadcasts go to everyone on the roster, so you get those directly too.
How do I stop getting texts from a team?
Reply STOP to the team number. STOP is a carrier-required keyword and takes effect immediately: that number stops sending you anything, including reminders. To rejoin later, text START to the same number. Your coach can see that you opted out but cannot override it.
How do parents join a team's RallyText roster?
Three ways. Text the team code by itself to the team number and answer a short two-step signup over SMS. Open the invite link or scan the QR code your coach shares, which opens a join form with the Parent/Guardian role already selected. Or ask the coach to add you when they import the roster from a spreadsheet or NICA PitZone. Teams can require staff approval before a new number receives messages, so a stranger cannot text their way onto your child's team.