📋Team Administration

Overview

This guide provides a comprehensive foundation for starting, managing, and sustaining a successful FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team. Whether you're a rookie team or looking to grow your impact, use this as a reference for best practices, tools, and key areas of team development.

Team Structure and Leadership

Key Roles

• Lead Mentor: Oversees all team activities, communicates with FIRST HQ, ensures safety

• Technical Mentors: Guide students in mechanical, electrical, and programming areas

• Student Leadership: Team captain, subteam leads (build, programming, outreach, etc.)

• Parents and Volunteers: Logistics, meals, transportation, and fundraising support

Organization Tips

• Hold regular team meetings with a clear agenda

• Use a team charter or handbook to outline expectations and policies

• Create subteams (mechanical, electrical, programming, business, media, etc.)

Preseason Planning

Recruitment

• Host interest meetings at school

• Present in classrooms and local events

• Welcome all students—technical and non-technical

Training

• Conduct workshops on tools, CAD, programming, and safety

• Encourage students to learn leadership and project management skills

Fundraising

• Apply for FIRST and sponsor grants

• Seek local business sponsorships

• Organize community fundraisers (car washes, dinners, etc.)

Build Season Essentials

Timeline

• Kickoff in January: Analyze game, strategize, prototype

• Weeks 1-3: Design, build drivetrain and mechanisms

• Weeks 4-6: Refine, test, and drive practice

• Stop build at competition or transport time

Project Management

• Use tools like Trello, Notion, or Monday for task tracking

• Daily stand-ups to align progress

• Document everything (designs, code, test results)

Competition Preparation

Robot Transport and Packing

• Checklist for tools, pit display, batteries, chargers, and spares

• Practice loading and unloading

Scouting and Strategy

• Develop a paper or digital scouting system

• Assign roles for drive team, pit crew, scouts, and strategy

Team Spirit

• Create team branding (shirts, banners, buttons)

• Cheer on alliance partners and be respectful to all teams

Outreach and Impact

Community Involvement

• Mentor younger teams (FLL, FTC)

• Host demos at schools and community centers

• Participate in parades, STEM nights, and public events

Awards

• Focus on Impact Award, Engineering Inspiration, and Judges’ Awards

• Keep documentation of all outreach and team growth

• Involve students in writing and presenting submissions

Sustainability

Finances

• Build an annual budget

• Track income and expenses

• Set long-term goals for growth and travel

Mentorship

• Recruit and retain adult mentors

• Develop returning alumni as technical or leadership mentors

Knowledge Transfer

• Maintain engineering notebooks or team wiki

• Host end-of-season retrospectives and summer training

Key Resources

• FIRST Inspires: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc

• Chief Delphi Forums: https://www.chiefdelphi.com

• The Blue Alliance: https://www.thebluealliance.com

• FRC Discord Community

• Onshape, GitHub, WPILib: Tools for CAD and programming

Final Thoughts

Running an FRC team is a rewarding challenge. Focus on building a positive culture, encouraging student leadership, and always striving for growth—both in robot performance and impact beyond the field.