SPOND
Townsville Touch Football (TTF) has partnered with Spond to help manage our Saints programme.
Spond is a team management platform that allows coaches, managers, and committee members to engage directly with players (and parents) through desktop and mobile apps, and is available on both Android and iOS devices.
Getting Started with Spond
From 2024, registration into the Saints programme is done directly through Spond. Once registered, players (and their parents) are added directly into their relevant age group in the Spond system.
Occasionally, some players/parents are manually added to Spond, in which case you may have received an invitation via email and/or SMS. Just tap the link in the invitation, and then:
- If you already have a Spond profile (e.g. if you are a returning player/parent) then you won't need to do anything except sign into the app using your existing profile.
- Otherwise, if you are using Spond for the first time, create a new Spond profile for yourself.
Important Notes:
- You must use the same email address that received the invitation, otherwise you won't be automatically linked to the group.
- If your email address is wrong, you'll need to contact representative@townsvilletouch.com.au to get it changed.
- Your Spond profile needs to use your own name (not your child's or parent's).
- As a parent, your profile will be automatically linked to your child's profile, and you'll see everything that they do.
- As a parent, whenever your child receives a message or invitation in Spond, you'll see it and be able to respond on their behalf.
What are "ARCHIVED" groups and why are they showing in my Spond app?
Spond doesn't (yet) allow us to hide previous year's groups, so if you are a returning member then you will still have access to last year's Saints groups. In the meantime, we've done our best to make it clear which are "old" groups.
Once you have been added to your new/current group in Spond, we recommend that you favourite the group so that it appears at the top of your Groups page.
While the "archived" groups might be a bit of an inconvenience, they are a great way for us to keep track of our programme's history.
How do I join a Spond group?
During the regular registration period for the Saints programme, Spond will allow direct entry into each age group without a code or approval. You'll only need to complete your registration and will receive instant access.
For security reasons, after the registration window has closed we'll disable the ability to directly join one of our Spond groups, so that we can keep our Spond groups operating in a child-safe environment.
If you've been sent an invitation to join a group, you'll just need to tap the link and then log-in (or create) your Spond profile.
Spond App: How to accept an invitation to a group | Help Center
If you have received your invitation to an email address or mobile number that is different to the one your Spond profile uses, please email representative@townsvilletouch.com.au and let us know!
Information for Parents
Here's some important information for parents that want to know more about Spond.
- Is Spond safe for my child to use?
Yes! We've done our best to make sure our groups in Spond are a safe environment for all members of our programme to use. Access to our groups is restricted just to our members and their parents, our team officials (coaches, managers), and our Saints committee. - How can I monitor what my child does/sees in Spond?
As a parent, your profile is linked to your child's profile, so you will see everything that they do in the app. You'll be able to view any message that they send or receive, and can even respond to messages and invitations on their behalf.
Here's a selection of articles from the Spond Help Center to help you find out more:
Why We Use Spond
After lots of research, we chose Spond because of the way it allows us to directly interact with our players and parents!
One of the best features of Spond is that it was built for junior sport, so it's designed to allow parents to manage their children's profiles directly. This means parents can see and respond to every message, post, event invite, and poll that their children receive, and we'll see their response straight away!
Security and safety is front of mind when considering which system we chose to manage our programme, and Spond ticked every box!
Common Spond Issues
There's a few common issues that new Spond users often have, so here's a few tips!
Check that YOUR profile matches YOUR name!
Parents, this one is aimed at you!
If you've created a Spond profile, then it should be in YOUR OWN NAME, not your child's name.
To check:
- Open the Spond app on your phone
- Tap on your profile at the top-left of the app
- You will now see your profile picture (if you've uploaded one) and your name. If the name isn't yours, then scroll down and tap on "Profile and account" to edit your details.
Parents, remember that your profile is linked to your child's profile, which should be in their own name. Even if your child doesn't have a smartphone, they will still have their own profile.
Check that your Timezone settings in Spond are correct!
By default, Spond may set your profile to Sydney, so any event notifications may show the wrong time unless you change it!
To do this:
- Open the app on your phone
- Tap on your profile at the top-left
- Tap "Profile and account"
- Change your "Time zone" to "Australia/Brisbane"
Spond is asking me for a Group Code, how do I get it?
You don't need a code to access our Saints groups in Spond, because we've already added you!
If you are being asked for a code, try the following:
- Log out and then back in again;
- Tap the Home button in the toolbar, and then the Groups button
- Check that your Spond account is using the same email address that received the invitation (tap your profile at the top-left of the app)
If you still can't see your age group, send an email to representative@townsvilletouch.com.au and we will investigate.
How do I update my child's profile?
To update your child's profile, follow these steps:
- Open the Spond app on your phone
- Tap on your profile at the top-left of the app
- Tap on "Group Memberships"
- Repeat this for each of your children:
- Tap on your child's current group
- Edit the details as required
- You can also use this step to add extra parent/guardians (in case we only had details for one)
How do I view what my child sees in Spond?
We've already linked your child's profile to yours, so you'll automatically see everything that your child sees in their group/s.
If your child receives a message, you'll get it as well, and can respond to it on their behalf.
When you are invited to an event in the app (such as Muster or a training session), you'll be able to respond on behalf of your child and we will be able to see it.
Note: If you have multiple children, you'll be able to do all of this for each of their groups/teams!