Start A Team

Ready to inspire the next generation to be joyful, healthy and confident? Explore this page to learn how you can start a team at a nearby school or community facility.

New Site Information Form

Checklist

Start a Team checklist

First check to see if there is an existing team at your desired location in your community.
Designate a Site Liaison to serve as the program location contact (see the responsibilities of a Site Liaison below).
Review the New Site Information Packet, which has information about our program and what it takes to start a team at your desired location.
Gain support from location administrators, such as a school principal or director of the community center.
Site Liaison completes a New Site Information Form (Click the button below).
The form asks for the following: Your site administrator’s name and contact information and where you are in the process of getting your site approved to host Girls on the Run programming. If you are not the site’s administrator (principal, director, etc.), we are happy to help you present Girls on the Run to site administrators for approval.
Site Liaison completes the Program Volunteer Application for the current school year. (Click the “Sign Up Now” button).
Recruit two to four volunteer coaches, who must complete GOTR coach training (up to 10 hours).
Identify a safe, dedicated outdoor and/or indoor practice space.
Identify a consistent practice schedule (same days/times each week).
Spread the word to start recruiting 6-15 girls.

Heart & Sole participants in blue shirts laughing

Starting a New Team

A Girls on the Run program can be held at any school, community/youth center, gym, YMCA, religious campus, etc. We call the place where each program is held a "site."

Girls on the Run programs take place in the fall and spring, and sites can host one or both seasons each year. We accept new site interest year-round, and we will work with you to figure out an appropriate season to launch.

Under our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan, we are centering equity in our program delivery and are prioritizing providing programming to girls living in under-resourced communities. Therefore, we are prioritizing launching new programming at schools that serve a student population where at least 50% of students receive free or reduced lunch, as reported by the Illinois State Report Card. If your site doesn’t fit this profile, you can still fill out the New Site Interest Form, but it is likely that we will not launch your program.

Click here to learn about Site Liaison roles and responsibilities.

Click here to access the Illinois State Report Card.