Today's parents expect constant communication from coaches. At Plainfield (Ill.) Central High School, Athletic Director Dave Stephens is using his program's Web site to answer the call.

"Many people use the Web exclusively to get their information," says Stephens. "You have to adjust to the way of society, and that's what we're trying to do."

Two years ago, Stephens enlisted student Ryan Shreve to maintain the Wildcats' Web site, and the junior continues to upgrade the site's capabilities at every turn. The newest function is the Wildcat NetUpdates system, which allows Stephens and his coaches to update information on the site at anytime from any computer. Coaches have a personal access code that allows them entry to their team page, and Stephens can enter information on the site's main page, which he does several times a week.

Another new function is a TextUpdates capability that sends subscribing fans scores and news about the team on their phone. "This gives us another avenue to communicate with our student body, community, and parents," says Stephens. "Coaches can send out updates about games or practices, kudos for players, messages to parents, or whatever they want."

This spring, Stephens officially made updating team pages part of his coaches' jobs and asks them to do so on a daily basis. "A coach's time is so strained that typically their focus is just on the season," he says. "But we're asking our coaches to look at this site as an opportunity to reach out and touch kids and families, which has helped the coaches buy into it."

NetUpdates paid off quickly this winter when an ice storm wiped out all athletic events and Stephens was able to immediately post the cancellations on the Web site. He hopes it can be equally beneficial in other areas.

"It's absolutely necessary for a high school program to have a site like this, not only to promote the kids, but also to inform fans of where games are and what's available to them as community members," says Stephens. "The more access people have to our school, the better opportunity we have to build a fan base."

Check out the Wildcats' Web site at: www.learningcommunity202.org/phs/indexathletics/indexathletics.html.