December 31, 2015 - Poised to have a strong season and contend for the Big Ten championship in 2014, the coaches of the Division One Women’s Soccer Team at the University of Wisconsin designed their training and fitness schedules to be tougher.
The practices and recovery sessions were streamlined and strengthened for optimal player development. And the methods of communication needed to be refined to ultimately achieve their collective goal.
For this last part, they reviewed a number of options and decided to introduce First Touch Team, a mobile app designed for better team management. According to Goalie Coach, Julian Holtzman, the improvements were instant.
They used the gallery module to post set plays and video highlights for the student athletes to study. The calendar and alerts modules proved to be especially useful later in the season when the weather was less certain. Increasing the communication between the players and coaching staff fortified their bonds and set a precedent and tradition for the freshmen class to carry on.
While they didn’t win the regular season championship, they won the Big Ten Tournament giving them an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
"We achieved what we set out to do." Assistant coach Tim Rosenfeld said. "First touch gave us a “platform for dynamic coaching and team coordination.” This app just provides players with a better way to study their onfield responsibilities on their own time. Regardless of the sport and competitive level, this multifaceted app improves many of the administrative and communication issues that can impede a team's progress."
Julian Holtzman notes that today more teams are turning to mobile apps to free players from logistical distractions allowing them to keep their "heads in the game".
According to First Touch Team, Sales Manager, Ryan Driscoll, the number of sports teams using first touch is growing 18-20% every month (up from 10% one year ago) and there is no sign of this growth slowing.
For more information about this new mobile team app please visit http://www.firsttouchteam.com
Contact Person: Cat Kennan, First Touch, Director of Communications, 845-373-9335.