The end of the season is winding down, and you know the team mom is handling the coach gift and the goodie bags, but who’s handling the team mom gift?
As someone who has held this role for several of my kids’ sports teams, ALL team mom gifts are appreciated. Honestly, the fact that someone takes the time to recognize this mom (or dad!) is appreciation enough. However, after years of receiving a range of team mom gifts, I admit that some gifts are more practical and thoughtful than others.
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What is a Team Mom?
Everyone knows the role of a team coach. You see him or her managing practices, running drills, and calling plays during a game. But what is less obvious is the behind the scenes organization that is required to make a season run smoothly off the field. There’s rarely a job description or outline for a team mom because it changes with every season, coach and schedule. However, a team mom is the person who usually:
- Organizes snack sign ups for games or tournaments
- Organizes team dinners or end of season parties
- Buys the coaches gifts
- Creates the goodie bags for tournaments or other gatherings
- Is the go to person for all new parents questions
- And so much more
Key Elements of Any Team Mom Gift
Regardless of the sport, team mom gifts should have 2 qualities- thoughtful and practical.
- Thoughtful items make the team mom feel uniquely appreciated- a framed team picture, a gift card to her favorite nail salon or restaurant.
- Practical gifts are ones that the team mom can use in the future- team swag, coffee tumblers, and bags.
That’s not to say that a generic Visa or Amazon gift card won’t be appreciated, but make sure there’s another personalized item alongside the gift card.
Ok, now let’s dive into some fun, sports specific team mom gifts!
Baseball Gifts
There are so many cute and practical items out there for baseball team moms! Here are a few that I thought would make thoughtful gift ideas.
- Bags– I can’t say enough about them. Moms can always use another bag, and if you’re spending a lot of time at the ballpark, why not jazz it up? Here are a few of my baseball theme favorites!
- Cute tops– There are so many great T-shirts and tank tops that are perfect for those spring games.
- Hats – The hot sun at summer tournaments can be brutal so hats are a must.
- Coffee mugs and tumblers– You can never have enough.
- Ice cream bowl– Yes, this may be random, but I couldn’t resist this bowl.
- Picture frame– While it may be a little cliche, there are times when a picture frame is the perfect gift, especially if you’ve had a memorable season.
Soccer Gifts
While many of the items in the baseball category are also available for soccer, there were a few other gift ideas that I found.
- Bags, bags and more bags!– Whether you’re looking for a soccer theme bag or just a great bag for the game, here are a few of my favorites.
- Tops and sweatshirts- I tend to associate baseball with sweltering heat and soccer with chilly mornings so these sweatshirts would be perfect!
- Hats– Gotta protect your skin from the sun and your ears from the cold! I especially love the subtle messaging of this Queen Bee hat!
- More tumblers, mugs, and bowls– The dip bowl gets me every time.
- First aid/ Makeup bag– It’s the perfect place to store all those small necessities like band-aids, hair ties, Advil, etc.
Lacrosse Gifts
Lacrosse may be less popular than other sports in your area, but it’s one of the fastest growing youth sports in the country. So even though there aren’t as many options out there compared with baseball or soccer for cute team mom gifts, I definitely found a few keepers.
- You guessed it…bags– How fun is this Starbucks lacrosse mom?
- Tops and sweatshirts– This vintage tee is perfect for a team mom!
- Hats- This pom pom hat is my favorite.
- Mugs and Tumblers
Team Mom Appreciation Goes a Long Way
Team mom can be a rewarding job, but it’s often a thankless one. Most of the work is behind the scenes and isn’t written in a job description. So the next time your child participates on a sports team, take a moment to thank the team mom. Get to know her a little, and at the end of the season, buy her a gift that makes her feel appreciated. This team mom gift, no matter how big or small, will go a long way in building team camaraderie and parent friendships. And besides, who doesn’t love sporting team swag on the sidelines?
I also found some great team mom gifts for football, cheer, softball and many other sports!
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