Choosing the right hockey management software can feel overwhelming for organizers of camps, classes, and drop-in sessions. Ice time is expensive, schedules are tight, and program demand fluctuates week to week.
Common challenges include:
From drop-in shinny and development programs to structured clinics, hockey organizers need a platform that consolidates registrations, payments, communications, and automation, all while reducing admin time.
This guide compares the best options to help you choose software that meets your program’s unique needs.
DISCLAIMER: Activity Messenger is our product. We built it after years of running recreational programs and struggling with the limitations of existing hockey management software.
Running hockey programs today goes far beyond coaching and ice time. Behind the scenes, many organizers are overwhelmed by administrative work that pulls focus away from player development.
Most hockey programs struggle with the same challenges:
Hockey management software is meant to solve these problems, but not all platforms are built for the unique demands of camps, classes, and drop-ins.
Below, we compare the best hockey management software to help you understand what each platform offers, where it falls short, and which option best fits your organization today and as you grow.
| Software | Best For | Pricing | Capterra Rating | Key Strengths | Notable Limitations | Ideal Program Size |
| Activity Messenger 🇨🇦 | Camps, classes, drop-ins, communications | Paid starts $89/mo | 4.8/5 | All-in-one registration, SMS & email, waivers, automations | Requires setup to optimize for hockey | Small, growing, & large programs |
| 360Player 🇸🇪 | Broad sports club management | Custom/Paid | 4.5/5 | Unified platform—registration, communication, payments | More club-oriented than camp-specific | Mid–large clubs |
| SportEasy 🇫🇷 | Team/event coordination | Paid (per member) | 5/5 | Shared calendar, messaging | Not designed for formal camp/class registration | Small teams |
| BenchApp 🇨🇦🇩🇴 | Simple team scheduling | Free/Paid | N/A | Easy setup, attendance & RSVP tracking | Not a full management platform | Small groups |
| LoveAdmin 🇬🇧 | Sports club admin | Paid (transaction % fee) | 4.4/5 | Powerful payments & club admin | Requires onboarding & customization | Mid–large clubs |
| SportPlus 🇺🇸 | Club & session management | Paid/Free Trial | 4.4/5 | Registration, payments, scheduling | Geared toward clubs, not hockey-specific | Mid-size clubs |
| Booklux 🇬🇧 | Rink & schedule booking | Free/Plus/Enterprise | 5/5 | Quick scheduling, booking rules | Limited registration/communications | Small–mid rinks |
| Magic Sports 🇬🇧 | Club & team administration | Paid/Free Trial | N/A | Registrations & payments | More club/league oriented than camp/class | Small–mid clubs |
| Crossbar 🇺🇸 | Clubs, leagues, tournaments, facilities | Custom | 4.6/5 | Mobile-first design, integrated website, automated payments | Scheduling can be clunky, transaction fees are confusing | Small–large clubs |
Best for: Hockey camps, classes, drop‑ins, registrations, communications, and automations.
Activity Messenger is designed as a modern all‑in‑one management platform that combines registration, email and SMS communication, digital waivers, automated reminders, and workflow automations all without needing separate third‑party tools.
It’s built for administrators who want to reduce manual work and deliver a professional experience. Plus, it’s easy to use for your families and players, making it a great mobile-first option for all of your needs.
Key strengths as hockey management software:
Limitations:
💬 What our customers say:
“Product is intuitive and simple to use and offers email as well as SMS messaging. I am a past user of Constant Contact, Survey Monkey and GoDaddy marketing email products. Activity Messenger easily wins on creating lists, building templates and cost. Lists are easy to upload, paste and build with extensive filter capacity as well as dual unsubscribe features. Templates are a dream to build. Pricing is based on use and not list size which is a giant saving.” — Duncan M., Manager, Recreational Facilities and Services
“Activity Messenger has seamlessly integrated with our existing registration software and has plugged the existing holes we had with personalized communication as well as form and waiver management. The team is quick to implement fixes and is always available for support.” — CJ P., Gym Director, Sports
📌 Read More: Our blog offers multiple resources for hockey organizers, including how-tos for creating league registration forms, online ticket sales for tournaments, hockey player evaluation forms, creating liability waivers, and customizing hockey camp registration forms.
Best for: Organizations that want a unified club management platform that includes registration, communication, and payments — not hockey‑specific but supports hockey use cases.
360Player is a cloud-based sports management platform that centralizes registrations, payments, scheduling, communications, and player development content in one system. Clubs can automate invoicing, track attendance, and deliver training plans, videos, and performance analytics through a mobile app.
Key strengths as hockey management software:
Limitations:
Best for: Teams and amateur clubs looking for simple scheduling, communication, and availability tracking.
SportEasy is a mobile-first team management platform for scheduling practices, games, and events, allowing participants to track availability. Coaches and organizers can send reminders and messages, but registration and payment functionality are limited, making it better suited for team coordination rather than structured camps or clinics.
Key strengths as hockey management software:
Limitations:
Best for: Teams and small groups seeking lightweight scheduling, attendance tracking, and RSVP management.
BenchApp is a simple web and mobile platform that allows coaches to manage rosters, schedule games or practices, and track attendance. Automated reminders via email or text help ensure participants show up, but full registration, payment, or marketing workflows are not included.
Key strengths as hockey management software:
Limitations:
Best for: Sports clubs that need robust admin workflows with payment collections and member management.
LoveAdmin centralizes membership management, payments, communication, and attendance tracking in one platform. Clubs can collect recurring or one-off payments with automatic reminders and provide members with access via the JoinIn app, but it requires setup to tailor workflows to specific camp or clinic programs.
Key strengths as hockey management software:
Limitations:
Best for: Organizations that want straightforward scheduling, registrations, and payments in a club‑focused system.
SportsPlus combines registration, payments, scheduling, and member communication in a single platform. It supports league and facility management while providing reporting on finances, registrations, and attendance, though its features lean more toward ongoing club operations than short-term camps or drop-ins.
Key strengths as hockey management software:
Limitations:
Best for: Facilities and rinks needing real-time scheduling and online booking for ice time.
Booklux specializes in sports facility and rink management, providing online booking, automated confirmations, dynamic pricing, and calendar management. It excels at managing ice availability but does not include registration, payments, or communication features for camps or classes.
Key strengths as hockey management software:
Limitations:
Best for: Clubs and leagues seeking simplified registrations, payments, and scheduling.
Magic Sports provides online registration forms, payment collection, and centralized scheduling for clubs. It helps reduce administrative work and improves communication with players and families, but is designed more for ongoing club or league operations than for short-term camps or drop-ins.
Key strengths as hockey management software:
Limitations:
Best for: Youth sports clubs, leagues, tournaments, and facilities looking for an all-in-one platform with integrated website management.
Crossbar (now part of PlayMetrics) is a cloud-based youth sports management platform that combines registration, payment processing, scheduling, communication, and facility booking in one system.
Key strengths as hockey management software:
Limitations:
Before choosing hockey management software, here’s a list of important features you should expect:
| Feature | Description |
| Email Marketing | Send segmented, personalized newsletters based on skill level, age group, registration status, or session type (camps vs. drop-ins). Track conversions and remarket to prospects who abandoned checkout. |
| Start/End of Session Automation | Automatically notify players and families when sessions and camps begin and end, eliminating manual reminders and reducing no-shows. |
| Integrated MailMerge | Insert player-specific data (name, team, session type, start date) into mass emails/SMS for personalized bulk communications. |
| Online Registration | Mobile-first registration that lets families quickly find and sign up for camps, clinics, and drop-ins with a user-friendly experience. |
| Waitlist Automation | Automatically notify families when spots open in popular sessions like power skating or goalie clinics to maximize enrolment and reduce administrative overhead. |
| Financial Reporting | Track revenue, expenses, and profitability across all your hockey programs with comprehensive built-in reports. |
| Waivers with Digital Signature | Collect digital waivers for equipment liability and safety independently of registration for trials, drop-ins, and tournaments, replacing tools like Smartwaiver. |
| Ticketing for Special Events | Sell tickets online for showcase games, fundraisers, and parent nights with integrated payment processing and personalized tickets. |
| Surveys | Send automated post-session surveys to collect feedback and improve programs; replace tools like SurveyMonkey with automated outreach. |
| Staff Management | Manage coaches and staff scheduling, payroll, onboarding documents, and communication in one place. |
| Data and Analytics | Access insights to refine program offerings, optimize ice time usage, and improve marketing strategies with detailed analytics. |
| Attendance Tracking | Keep digital attendance logs with mobile-friendly check-in for sessions and camps to increase engagement and accountability. |
| Bulk SMS | Send mass text notifications for weather delays, last-minute ice time changes, or urgent updates with high open rates. |
| Certificates | Automatically create and distribute completion certificates for skills camps and development programs in bulk. |
| Gift Cards | Offer gift cards as flexible payment options or promotional tools for hockey programs and special occasions. |
When looking for modern hockey management software, there are 2 critical aspects to consider:
It can be intimidating for new customers to sign up for hockey programs when they haven’t used the software before. Many parents and participants decide to abandon the process altogether if the system is too complex or requires account creation before they can even browse sessions.
The best hockey management software minimizes friction by offering an intuitive, mobile-first registration process. With personalized registration flows, families can select a camp, clinic, or drop-in based on their child’s age, skill level, and availability without being overwhelmed by irrelevant options.
Key benefits:
This approach benefits both hockey organizers (higher conversion rates) and families (faster, easier registration).
With a streamlined registration process, the best hockey management software is designed to simplify every aspect of running your program. The platform should consolidate all of your needs in one place, eliminating the need to pay for multiple services like Mailchimp, SurveyMonkey, Eventbrite, Smartwaiver, and more.
Financial and operational benefits:
Key aspects of your hockey organization that should be managed in one platform:
By consolidating these tools, you can focus on what matters most: developing players and growing your hockey programs.
Hockey management software is a digital platform that helps camps, academies, and rinks manage registrations, payments, ice time scheduling, communication, attendance, and player data in one centralized system. The best platforms combine registration, waivers, email/SMS, and automation to reduce manual admin work and improve the experience for families and organizers.
Hockey camps, skills clinics, drop-in organizers, academies, youth leagues, and rinks benefit from using management software to streamline operations, maximize ice time usage, and improve communication with players and families. Any hockey program dealing with recurring registrations, waitlists, or multiple session types can benefit from dedicated management software.
Yes. Most modern platforms include mobile-first online registration with integrated payments, digital waivers, and waitlist management. The best solutions offer guided registration flows that help families quickly find the right session based on age, skill level, or session type to reduce abandonment and increase conversions.
Yes. Many solutions support structured camps, skills clinics, goalie training, power skating sessions, tryouts, drop-in shinny, and special events alongside regular team programs. Look for platforms that allow flexible scheduling for both recurring sessions and one-time events, with capacity limits and automated waitlist management.
Advanced platforms include built-in email and SMS tools, allowing organizers to communicate without relying on third-party software like Mailchimp. SMS is especially valuable for urgent notifications about weather delays, rink closures, or last-minute ice time changes, as text messages have significantly higher open rates than email.
The best platforms allow you to create sessions based on available ice slots, manage capacity limits, automate waitlists, and track attendance, all while integrating with registration and payment workflows. Some tools like Booklux specialize in ice time booking, while all-in-one platforms like Activity Messenger combine scheduling with registration, communication, and financial reporting.
Growing hockey programs benefit most from flexible, all-in-one platforms that consolidate tools, automate repetitive tasks (waivers, reminders, waitlists), and scale across camps, clinics, and drop-ins without added complexity. Platforms like Activity Messenger reduce reliance on multiple tools and provide integrated communication, registration, automation, and reporting, allowing programs to grow without proportionally increasing administrative work.
👉 Running a hockey program? Our YouTube channel has a dedicated playlist for hockey academies and camps with tips, tutorials, and feature walkthroughs to help you streamline operations.
The right hockey management software should reduce administrative work, improve the experience for families and players, and consolidate tools into one central platform. For many camps, classes, and drop‑ins, look for a solution that offers mobile‑first registration, integrated communication, automated workflows, and flexible payment tools.
Activity Messenger stands out as a comprehensive tool built for these workflows, while other platforms like SportEasy, SportsPlus, and LoveAdmin can serve more basic or club‑oriented needs depending on your goals.
💡 Enjoy more time coaching and less time on admin. Book a demo with Activity Messenger to see how hockey programs across North America streamline registration, communication, and operations.
Not ready to switch right away?
No problem. Many hockey organizers use Activity Messenger as they slowly transition from their current class management software. You can use Activity Messenger as an add‑on to your current solution for email marketing, bulk SMS, online ticketing, attendance lists, certificates, digital waivers, surveys, gift cards, and more.
