Concession stand volunteer sign-up for home games

What a concession stand shift sheet looks like

How to set up a concession stand sign-up sheet

1. Choose New signup. If “What are you organizing?” appears, choose Skip, fill in by hand.
2. Name it “Eastside boosters: basketball concessions” in Title. Use Description (optional) for when each shift ends, where the key is and what to wear. Choose Create signup.
3. Open Fields and choose Add field. Call it Starts with the type Time, then choose Add field to keep it. Add Game as Short text the same way, and set Group slots by to Date.
4. Open the empty slot. Put “Open and set up” in What, Friday, December 4, 2026 in Date, 5:00 PM in Starts and “JV and varsity vs Central” in Game. Set Capacity to 3 and choose Done.
5. Choose Add a slot and fill in “Serve JV to varsity” with the same date and game, at 6:30 PM with 3 spots. Add “Close and count” at 8:00 PM with 2 spots the same way.
6. For the next game, choose Duplicate on each of the three shifts, in order. Open each copy and change its Date and Game. Repeat for every home game.
7. Choose Publish (on a phone, More actions, then Publish signup). Copy the Public link into the team chat or the booster email.

Copies land at the end of the list, and date groups follow the order of their slots, so duplicating one game at a time keeps the season in order. The guide to creating and publishing a signup shows each screen.

How many volunteers does a concession stand need?

It depends on the size of the stand and what you cook. Published advice ranges like this:

• A sports parent who runs a stand says to have at least 2 people per shift. Their stand has 3 at high school basketball games and could sometimes use a 4th. (USA Football blog, checked October 8, 2026)
• Little League recommends a minimum of 3 volunteers per game, based on the size of the stand. (Little League concessions guide, checked October 8, 2026)
• A regional tournament stand with a grill and fryers typically needs 4 to 6 at all times, with someone always on the grill, the fryer, food prep and the till. (Little League Southeast Region, checked October 8, 2026)

A popcorn-and-drinks stand at a school game sits at the low end. Add a spot for each extra job: a grill, a second window, a busy varsity crowd. Closing needs fewer people, but have two count the till.

For shift length, try about 90 minutes as a starting point, handing over at a natural break such as between the JV and varsity games. It's a habit, not a rule. If one shift keeps filling last, shorten it or split it.

What to write in each shift

• Name the job. “Close and count” tells a parent they'll stay late and handle money. “Volunteer” tells them nothing. Keep names short; a phone cuts off a long one.
• Say when each shift ends. These shifts have only a start time, and Add to calendar always makes a one-hour event, so put the end times in the description.
• Say where things are. Who has the key and the cash box, who to check in with, and what to wear.
• State your rule on students. Some stands let high schoolers work for service hours alongside a parent. Little League says nobody under 16 should work in the stand. (Little League concessions guide, checked October 8, 2026) Put your rule in the description and ask students to name their adult in the note.

What should volunteers know about food safety?

Rules differ by county and state, so ask your local health department or county extension office before the first game. Ask whether you need a temporary food permit and whether they train volunteers.

MSU Extension says gloves aren't needed to handle money, but hands should be washed after touching it. (MSU Extension, checked October 8, 2026) Nebraska Extension asks groups to make sure their volunteers know how to serve food safely. (Nebraska Extension, checked October 8, 2026) Having one person take the money while others handle food makes both easier. Put the handwashing rule in the description, as the example does.

How do you run a whole season from one link?

• Send it before the first home game. Little League says to share the schedule at least a week ahead. (Little League concessions guide, checked October 8, 2026) Then post a nudge in the team chat a few days before each game that still has empty shifts.
• Two shifts per family? OpenSignup can't enforce a quota. Choose Export and sort the file by email to count each family's shifts, leaving out rows whose status is cancelled. A family using two emails shows up twice.
• A game is moved. Change that game's three slots to the new date. Nobody is emailed about it, so write to its volunteers yourself; their emails are on the Responses screen.
• A game is cancelled. Copy its volunteers' emails first, then delete its slots. Deleting a slot removes its sign-ups, and nobody is told.
• Tidy up past games. A slot whose date has passed can still be signed up for until you delete it or close the signup.

Need families to bring food to games rather than staff a stand? A team snack schedule gives each game one family. For shifts at a collection drive, see the food drive volunteer sign-up.

What happens after a volunteer signs up?

• They get an email naming the signup and listing the shift, date, start time and game, with a link to change or cancel.
• A reminder email comes the day before their game. Someone who signs up less than a day ahead gets one about an hour after signing up, though a sign-up on the day itself may get none. Each reminder has a link to stop them.
• Add to calendar puts the shift in at the start time the page shows, as a one-hour event, whatever the shift's real length.

What it doesn't do:

• No money. It doesn't run the till, take card payments or track sales and stock. Keep the stand's cash and card reader separate.
• No repeating shifts or copying a whole signup. Each game's shifts are slots you add.
• No waitlist: a full shift stops taking sign-ups. No questions beyond name, email and an optional note.
• It doesn't tell you when someone signs up, and it can't email volunteers for you.

Frequently asked questions

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