4 Key Tips for Using Challenge Coins to Motivate Athletes

Challenge coins have long been used as a military tradition to help build camaraderie among the troops. Knowing this, it makes sense that people also use challenge coins for team sports and athletic events that allow athletes to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. As a coach or other leader in the athletic field, you can use these below tips to introduce challenge coins as a motivational tool that helps athletes hit their goals and a team succeed.

1- Welcome New Team Members With a Challenge Coin

Joining a new team is exciting but also a little stressful for athletes who must quickly get to know their new teammates. Welcoming new members to your sports team with a challenge coin gives athletes a tangible reminder of their contributions to the group. Many sports teams carry their coins and use the traditional challenge of seeing who can produce them the fastest at any time. Being part of the challenge coin game fosters camaraderie that helps take teams to the top of their sport.

2- Customize Coins With Names and Jersey Numbers

Many athletes view challenge coins as a form of memorabilia. You can help to instill pride in the team by customizing the challenge coins with personal details such as each athlete’s name and jersey number. Some athletes will choose to trade coins with their close teammates, or they may use their challenge coins as a form of luck that motivates them to achieve a big win.

3- Use Challenge Coins as Souvenirs For Big Wins

Whether you coach an individual or team sport, challenge coins can also serve as a big motivator to finish special competitions at the top. For instance, you could offer your high school football team challenge coins for winning the big championship or making it to regionals. Track stars love getting challenge coins for finishing marathons or making it to the top three in their competition. When your athletes participate in many different competitions, they’ll enjoy creating a collection of challenge coins that they want to add to after each new event they win.

4- Have Athletes Offer Challenge Coins to Fans for Fundraising

Many athletes view fundraising as a necessary annoyance that they must deal with to be able to make progress in their sport. However, offering challenge coins to your team’s supporters can help athletes begin to feel an individual sense of pride in their fundraising efforts. Many fans enjoy having memorabilia that they can display in their homes or carry with them to produce at any time. To use challenge coins to motivate athletes to help with fundraising, you can offer ones with specific names or jersey numbers that they can sell to their families. Or, you can use challenge coins as tickets for an upcoming game.

Maintaining motivation is an important aspect of being an athlete. Although athletes often receive rewards, there is something special about challenge coins that everyone appreciates. From creating a stronger team to honoring individual achievements, having challenge coins ready to give makes it easier to help athletes stay on track.