TeamSideline Registration Integration With Rech Tech

The purpose of this article is to give you instructions and tips on how to setup a Registration Program in TeamSideline that is linked to an Activity in Rech Tech.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to sync, you must enable the TeamSideline Sync toggle as well as ensure the correct Age Type is selected in the Integrations section of each activity/session:

Synchronization Transfers All New Registration Order Data To Date

The process is built so that all registrations in Rech Tech for an Activity are pulled into TeamSideline at the time the integration is turned on in TeamSideline for that Activity.  This means the process in TeamSideline can be enabled at any point and pull in all registrations from an Activity.  So you don’t have to turn the process on in TeamSideline when you open registration in Rech Tech for an Activity.

(Note: The pull is not instantaneous. Once the sync is started, this can take anywhere from 1-6 hours depending on the number of activities the organization is attempting to pull at one time. For larger organizations, we recommend starting the pull EOD in order to allow the system to sync registrations overnight.)   

Example:  Registration in Rech Tech opens on August 1st.  You can setup the Registration Program that is linked to the Activity in Rech Tech on September 1st or any time after August 1st and TeamSideline will pull in all registrations in Rech Tech since August 1st.  

When Registration In Rech Tech Ends:  TeamSideline runs a nightly process to pause (stop) all Rech Tech-linked offerings where the program end date is past.

Important: Once a registration is pulled into TeamSideline any updates for that registration will not flow into TeamSideline.  So if you are updating registrations please know that 1) updates in Rech Tech will not flow to TeamSideline, and 2) updates in TeamSideline will not flow back to Rech Tech.

Example: The API has not been developed to handle changes to orders in Rech Tech and pass those through to TeamSideline.  For example if John Doe had placed an order on January 23rd and then the order was changed, Mr. Doe was deleted, or a different change to the order occurs, then Rech Tech creates a new Order ID.   However due to the way the API is built TeamSideline has no way of knowing that the new Order ID is an update not a new order.  So it can come through to TeamSideline as a duplicate order.  Thus, if you need to make updates to a player, make the change in TeamSideline -- and know that change will not flow back to Rech Tech.

Recurring Daily Synchronization
 

After you trigger the initial sync with Rech Tech by clicking the green "Play" button on each offering, TeamSideline then automatically pulls registration data from Rech Tech every 24 hours after the first sync.  The daily syncs are done at the same time as your very first sync, every 24 hours.  At the end of registration, if you don't want to wait for the next daily sync, you can click the "Sync Now" button to do an immediate sync.  Syncing will stop when the Regular End Date is reached for each Offering (Note: do not use Late Registration End Date -Rech Tech does not read this field).

YOUTH REGISTRATION SECTION

How to Setup Youth Program In TeamSideline that pulls registrations from Rech Tech
 

1) Setup your Rech Tech Custom Questions as Enrollment Fields in TeamSideline per the instructions in the section below called "How to Setup an Rech Tech Custom Question In TeamSideline".

2) Get the 5 or 6 digit Activity numbers for the youth Activities in Rech Tech you want to sync into TeamSideline.

3) From the TeamSideline Admin Site Map, go to Programs > Manage Programs.

4) From Programs > Manage Programs,
  A) click the "Add Program" button, then
  B) choose the select the "Sport" and C) click the "Next" button.

5) From the 1 Setup page,
  A) type the "Program Name" (Example: "Youth Soccer" or "Youth Baseball"),
  B) select the "Program Season",
  C) type "NA" in the "Program Description,
  D) type the dates for the start and end of the Season in "Program Duration".

  E) Set the Max Enrollments for the Program to 1.  This will prevent anyone from enrolling outside of the Rech Tech download.
  F) Scroll down to the bottom and click the "Save" button.
   Result: The Program is created and you are on the 2 Configuration page.

6) From the 2 Configuration page,
  A) Click "Add Offering".
  B) Type a short version of the Activity name in "Offering".  (Example: "U6" or "7-8" Grade or "Minors") - you do not need to type the complete Activity name.
  C) Type a Zero in "Regular Reg. Fee"
  D) In "Reg. Duration" type today's date in the Starts date and a date in the "Ends" date when you want the registration data to stop downloading from Rech Tech.

E) Scroll down to click the blue "Add" button to add this Offering.
  F) Repeat steps A - E until you have an Offering for each Activity you want to sync into this TeamSideline Program.

7) From the 2 Configuration page,
  A) Scroll down to the Enrollment fields section.
  B) Click "Add Enrollment Field":
- Enrollment Field: select the Enrollment field from the Drop Down list
- Enrollment Type: select "Player"
- Offering: select "All"
- New vs Returning: leave as "Both"
- Required: select "No"
- Use Previous: select "No"
- click the blue "Add" button to add this Enrollment field.
- repeat this process until you have added the Enrollment fields you want to sync with Rech Techfor this Program.
 

Important Regarding Importing Volunteer Coaches:

There are two ways to import in volunteer coaches into TeamSideline from Rech Tech.

1. Add the Rech Tech question identifying people who want to coach as an Enrollment field (Programs > Configurations > Enrollment Fields).  On the 2 Configuration tab,  click the Add Enrollment Field, select the field and make sure the Enrollment Type is Player.  Scroll up and click the Rech Tech Configuration button.  Select the "coach" Enrollment Field from the Volunteer Question dropdown.

2. If you have created a separate Activity for coach signups, on the 2 Configuration tab, click the Rech Tech Configuration button.  Pick only one of the Offerings and update the Volunteer Activity to this Activity.  All of the coaches will download to this offering but you will be able to assign them to any team/division you want during the Assign to Roster process.

8) From the 2 Configuration page,
  A) Scroll down to the Volunteers section.
  B) Click "Add Volunteer"
- Volunteer Type: select "Coach"
- click the blue "Add" button to add this Volunteer type.

9) From the 2 Configuration page,
  A) Go to the Offering section again and click the blue Rech Tech Configuration" button

How to Setup an Rech Tech Custom Question In TeamSideline

Types of Custom Questions the API can handle

1) Rech Tech user input/entry and single selection drop down Custom Question:   There are two ways to do this: 1) The input or single selection data is populated into a TeamSideline text field (not a drop down field in TeamSideline). 2) In March 2022 TeamSideline implemented populating a Custom Question single selection drop down value into a TeamSideline Enrollment Field drop down. TS-13120

Note: Make sure your drop down values do not include an apostrophe at this time as it can interfere with synching.

2) Rech Tech radio button Custom Question: In March 2022 TeamSideline implemented populating the selection from an Rech Tech radio button selection value into a TeamSideline Enrollment Field "Text" field type.  TS-13122

3) Rech Tech multi-select dropdown option Custom Question:  In March 2022 TeamSideline implemented populating an Rech Tech multi selection drop down value into a TeamSideline Enrollment Field "Text" field type.  TS-13121

4) Custom Questions with "Email" can update the Family Account email address: In June 2022 TeamSideline implemented the ability to have an Rech Tech text field Custom Question called "Email" and have that email address 1) brought into TeamSideline using the API, 2) have the email address automatically update the primary email address for the Account of the youth player.  This was implemented because the email address used to register in Rech Tech may or may not be the correct email to use for the family account.  Implementing this feature ensures the proper email address is tied to the family account. 
**REQUIRED**: In order for this functionality to work
1) the Custom Question in Rech Tech must be an input field called "Email",
2) the Enrollment Field in TeamSideline must be have "Email" in the Enrollment field name and Side description text. 
**HOW TO SETUP THE EMAIL LINKAGE**:
1) Create the Enrollment field called "Email" using a Field Type of "Text" including "Email" in the "Side Description" of the Enrollment Field,
2) From the TeamSideline Program "2 Configuration" page, click the Rech Tech Network Configuration button, then click the Enrollment Configurations button, then set "Override Email" to "Yes" -- then click Save.

How To Add Rech Tech "Custom Questions" as TeamSideline "Enrollment Fields"

Any Custom Question for an Activity that you want to be pulled into TeamSideline need to have a TeamSideline "Enrollment Field" with the Custom Question in the "Sidebar Text" of the TeamSideline Enrollment Field.  The Sidebar Text needs to be an exact copy of the Custom Question including capitalization and punctuation.  Go to Programs > Configurations > Enrollment Fields to add these in TeamSideline.

Note 1: At least one Custom Question must be added to the Rech Tech Activity in order for the order to transfer to your TeamSideline site.

Note 2: When you add an Enrollment Field in TeamSideline, we recommend that the "Field Name" for the Enrollment Field include " - Rech Tech" at the end of the Field Name so you can more easily know which Enrollment Fields have been mapped to Custom Questions.  For example: when you add "Shirt Size" as an Enrollment Field linked to a Custom Question call the Enrollment Field "Shirt Size - Rech Tech".

Note 3: The field in Rech Tech we map to Enrollment fields is specifically called "Custom Question", not "Custom Title" or anything else.

Steps to add a drop down Enrollment Fields for the first time to your Site -- as an example: Current Grade

1. From the Admin Site Map go to Programs > Configurations > Enrollment Fields
2. From the Enrollment Fields page click the blue “Add Enrollment Field” button.
3. In “Field Name” type “Current Grade”
4. In “Field Type” select “Drop Down”
5. In “Side Description” paste the exact character string of the “Custom Question” for Current Grade (Current Grade of Registrant)
6. In the Drop Down List Values section past the exact character string of one of the drop down list values from the Custom Question in Rech Tech, then click the blue Add button that is directly beneath the “Item” field.  Repeat this Step until you have added all of the Custom Question drop down list values.
7. Click the “Add” button at the bottom (next to Cancel) to add this Enrollment field
8. Repeat this process to add other Custom Questions that you want to sync from Rech Techinto TeamSideline. 

Youth Program Question 1: On an Rech Tech registration for an Rech Tech  account that has a Mother and Father, if the Mother registers the son how does TeamSideline pull the information for the Father who will be coaching?

Answer:

TeamSideline pulls in the Head of Household (HOH) for an order regardless of who paid for the registration.

If the Coach custom field is answered Yes then the HOH will be pulled in as the Coach regardless of the intent. EG, if Mom is HOH then Mom is pulled in as Coach even if Dad is intended to be Coach.

If a HOH is not found in Rech Tech then TeamSideline checks to see if the payer is in the Family Group based on Customer ID.  If the payer is in the Family Group then Payer is pulled in. as the Coach.

If payer not in Family Group then TeamSideline pulls in next Adult from Family Group.

Youth Program Question 2: For Volunteer registrations in TeamSideline is it best to create a separate Program for Volunteer registrations or build it into the same Program that has the Rech Tech integration?

Answer:

Option A: If Volunteers register into TeamSideline not Active in the same program as the youth registrations then the youth registration dates must be open in order for the Volunteer TS reg to be open. This means the youth reg would also be open in TeamSideline. Thus to do this option have Volunteer registration open in the same TS program after the youth reg sync is completed.
Option B: A separate TeamSideline Program is created for Volunteer Registration and Volunteers register into TeamSideline not Rech Tech . If this is done then TeamSideline can export the Volunteer registrations into the Youth registration Program.
Option C: Program synched to Rech Tech specific to Volunteer Registration. If this is done then TeamSideline can export the Volunteer registrations into the Youth registration Program.

Youth Program Question 3: When a Volunteer registers using email X and then the same email is used to register in Rech Tech does the Rech Tech registration automatically get added to the account for email X.

Answer:

If first and last name in TeamSideline is an exact match with the order in Rech Tech, and, if either email or phone are an exact match, then the Rech Tech order will not create a new account.

Youth Program Question 4:  I am considering creating an activity in Rech Tech for coach registration for each season. This registration would then link to a coach registration activity in Team Sideline, ensuring that all coaches have an Rech Tech account. From there, we can export the coaches into the league. I want to clarify one item before proceeding with this setup: Scenario: Dad signs up as the participant, to be a coach in our Rech Tech Coach Registration Activity. Team Sideline would pull his details and the Head of Household (HOH) details from that registration. If the HOH name and email match the current team sideline account Dad will be added to the family account?

Answer:

Given the logic described above in this article, if you are going to have Coaches register into an Rech Tech Coach Registration Activity then the best thing to do is to ensure the Coach is the Head of Household (HOH).  If this is not possible then we recommend Option B (see Question 2).

TEAM REGISTRATION SECTION
 

"Team Name" for Adult Sport Team Registration Programs in TeamSideline
 

For any Team Registration process, to enable "Team Name" to be automatically pulled from Rech Tech using the API, you must have a Rech Tech Custom Question containing the character string {Team Name} in the Activity you are pulling data from.  The Custom Question must be setup when you first open registration in an Activity to ensure each order in Rech Tech  has a Team Name.  A Custom Question does not need to be called "Team Name" or include Team Name in the Side Description.  The Team Name will be pulled into TeamSideline for a Team Registration program regardless of whether or not there is a custom question in the TeamSideline Team Registration program related to Team Name.  This data will be put in the default Team Name field within TeamSideline for each team that is registered.

Important Tip Regarding "Team Name" in Custom Questions for Team Registration Programs:

1) You do not need an enrollment field for Team Name, -- just the custom question in Rech Tech containing the character string "Team Name".

2) Only {team name} (without the parens) should be setup as a Custom Question in Rech Tech. It does not matter if the letters are capitalized or not, as long as the letters "team name" are in the Custom Question.  So the Custom Question could be "What is your Team Name" or "What is your Team name" or "What is your team name" or "Tell us what your team name is" and the team name will still be recognized and pulled into the Team Managers account by TeamSideline.

TeamSideline will automatically search for "Team Name" in the Activity.

IF "Team Name" Found:
If found then it will populate the TeamSideline Team Name in the TeamSideline Team Manager enrollment.

IF "Team Name" Not Found:
If not found then TeamSideline will automatically set the Team Name to be the last name of the Team Manager.

2a Team Configuration Tab

• If your program is "visible" so the roster members can enroll, set the Max Enrollment field to 1 on the 2a Team Configuration tab. 
• This will prevent managers from enrolling again but will let the roster members signup based on the dates you setup on the 2b Roster Configuration tab.

Adult Sport Team Manager Email

TeamSideline enabled an automatic email to Team Managers whose Team Manager registration has been transferred into TeamSideline using the API for any Team Registration Program Type. 

• Admins can enable this email to be automatically sent by clicking the Enrollment Configurations button on the 2a Team Configuration tab and change Send Email to Yes.
• Here is an example of the Team Manager Email:

Hello Joe,

Thank you for registering team "Yankees" for "Monday Men's A" in the "Lincoln Adult Softball (Summer 2025)" season hosted by Lincoln Recreation. By completing your team’s registration, you have been listed as the team manager in TeamSideline. To complete your team’s roster, follow the directions below.

1. Log in to the {linked name of your TeamSideline Site goes here} TeamSideline website.
2. Your team roster is connected to the email you used to login when registering your team in Rech Tech.
  a. Returning team managers will enter this email address and its associated password.
  b. New team managers will enter this email address and click on the “Forgot your password” link to create a new password.
3. Once logged in, under the “Manage Rosters” tab click the link for "Yankees" to access the team’s roster.
4. Click the “Add to Roster” button to add players to your team. If you are a returning team manager, you can use the “Copy Roster” button first, then add and remove players as needed.
5. When a player is added to the roster, the system will automatically send them a roster invitation email to enable them to be able to sign in and join your team.