Career club packets / Robotics
How to run a robotics club
Members design, build, and code a robot, then compete against other schools.
Built onFIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), a robotics competition for grades 7 to 12, and Game Manual 0, a free guide to running a team, written by FTC students and alumni.
Part 1
Pick a program
Three big competitions run high school robotics. For a new club with little money, start with FTC.
FTC
FIRST Tech Challenge
$350to register, 2026–27
- To get started
- About $1,800 with a starter set of parts
- Team
- Often 8 to 12 students, two adult coaches
- Watch out for
- Event fees are paid separately to your region
FRC
FIRST Robotics Competition
$6,500to register, with the kit and a first event
- To get started
- Much more: big robots, a build space, travel
- Team
- Often 20 or more students
- Watch out for
- Cost
VEX
VEX Robotics
~$200to register (VEX), or $175 for RECF Robotics
- To get started
- A V5 starter kit is about $1,000, and a competition robot needs more motors
- Team
- Small teams; a club can run several
- Watch out for
- VEX and the REC Foundation split in 2026 and run rival competitions
FTC is the cheapest path into one clear season and championship ladder, and it’s built for new teams: FIRST says no technical experience is needed. Prices are from FIRST’s cost page; VEX prices are estimates from teams and dealers.
Part 2
Start the team
Two adults, a room to build in, and a corner to store a half-built robot.
Start the club
1Get signupsProof people want the club, and when they can meet.
Copy the Doorstop signup form, rename it, and send it to group chats and the classes closest to the field. Every signup is proof people want this, and the form asks when people can meet.
2Ask a teacher to adviseStart with an engineering, physics, computer science, or shop teacher.
Hi [Mr./Ms./Dr. last name],
I’m starting a robotics club and have [number from the form] students signed up. We’d build and program a robot for FIRST Tech Challenge, which FIRST says needs no experience to start. Would you be open to being our advisor?
We’d like to meet [times that worked on the form]. I’ll run the meetings and handle signups; we’d mostly need you there and your name on the club form.
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
Once they say yes, ask for your school’s form to make the club official. More on this step: How to start a club.
3Find a second coach
FTC requires two adult lead coaches. The second can be a parent, an engineer from a local company, or a college student who did robotics. They need to pass FIRST’s youth protection screening.
4Register the team
Register at firstinspires.org, then contact your regional FIRST partner for league and event fees. Ask them which nearby team could mentor a rookie; teams that “adopt” a rookie can unlock a grant (Part 3).
Split the team
Everyone builds at first. By midseason, people pick a lane.
Part 3
Fund it
Robotics costs more than most clubs, and it also has more grants than most clubs.
First: find out how your school takes money
- The student activity account
- The PTA, PTO, or booster club
- The district’s education foundation
Who to ask
The front office always knows. Ask the school secretary or office manager who handles club money: usually a bookkeeper or financial secretary. Or ask your advisor; they’ll know who did it for their last club.
Email to askOpen in email
Subject: How can someone donate to our robotics club? Hi [name], I’m [your name], a [grade], and I’m starting a robotics club with [advisor] as our advisor. We’re about to ask [local businesses, families, or a grant] for [what you need], and I want to make sure the money goes to the right place. Could you tell me: - Who a donation should be made out to, and what to write in the memo line? - Whether the club needs its own account in the student activity fund, and how to set one up? - Whether the PTA or booster club can take a donation earmarked for the club? Thank you so much! [Your name]
Or ask a friend
Someone who’s treasurer of student government, or an officer in a club that already raises money, has done this.
Text to a friend
Hey! Quick question: when your club gets money (a donation or a grant), where does it go? Who did you ask about setting that up?
Find grants, sponsors, and local funders for your club
Enter your school and we’ll search for PTAs, foundations, local businesses, and grants near you, write a one-page proposal, and find your state senator’s office.
Budget
1What it costs, and an email to your principalA typical budget, and the email that asks your school to cover it.
| What | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FTC registration | $350 | Per season. |
| Driver kit | $295 | Controllers and phone or driver hub. |
| Control hub | $350 | The robot’s brain. |
| Build kit | $660 | Motors, metal, wheels. Enough for a first robot. |
| Event fees and travel | Varies | Paid to your regional partner. Ask before you budget. |
Kit prices are FIRST’s 2026–27 figures, about $1,500 together. FIRST estimates about $1,800 to start, including registration.
Hi [Mr./Ms./Dr. last name],
I’m starting a robotics club with [number] students signed up and [advisor] as our advisor. Members would design, build, and code a robot and compete against other schools, and the parts last for several seasons.
To get started we need FIRST Tech Challenge registration and a starter set of robot parts, which would cost about [$1,800]. Is there room in the budget for that, or do you have advice on how we could get it funded?
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
- FIRST’s grant list. All the team grants in one place. Many windows open in late summer and close in the fall, so put next year’s on the calendar now.
- The FTC Sibling Grant pays half of a rookie team’s first registration when an existing FIRST team sponsors it.
- Company grants often require an employee mentor (Boeing, John Deere) or a home community. If someone’s parent works at one, ask.
- Your state’s FIRST site lists local grants too, like California’s.
- Local engineering employers and utilities. Offer a logo on the robot and a demo at their office.
Part 4
Run the season
The game is announced in early September, and the first meets are a few months later. Two meetings a week is typical.
| When | Focus | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Before kickoff | Learn the parts and the code. Build a simple drivetrain. | gm0: starting a team, FIRST’s free training |
| Kickoff week | Read the game manual together. List every way to score; pick two you’ll do well. | Activity below |
| Weeks 2–4 | Prototype the scoring mechanism with cardboard and spare parts. Drive the base. | gm0: design and mechanisms |
| Weeks 5–8 | Build the real robot. Write driver controls, then a simple autonomous. | gm0: software |
| Before each meet | Driver practice, a pit checklist, and a spare-parts box. | Activity below |
| All season | Keep the engineering portfolio. Judges award as much for it as for winning. | gm0: awards |
Part 5
Mentors, speakers, and other teams
Your best mentor is often a nearby team that started where you are.
Find speakers near your school
Pick your school, and we’ll search for people working nearby whose jobs fit a robotics club, ten at a time, or for alumni of your school. Each one comes with an invite already written. Your list is saved in this browser.
- Other teams. Look up teams near you on FIRST’s events site and email their coach. Ask to visit a practice or scrimmage.
- Engineers at local companies and utilities. Mechanical, electrical, and software engineers make great second coaches, even one evening a week.
- College robotics and engineering clubs. University IEEE branches and robotics teams often do outreach.
- Your own school’s families. Add a line to the signup form: “Does anyone in your family work in this field?” It’s the fastest source there is.
- Alumni. Search LinkedIn for your school’s name plus a job title. People say yes to their old school.
- Local colleges. Professors, program directors, and student clubs at the nearest community college or university often have outreach time to fill.
- People you read about. A news story or a company’s team page is a reason to write: “I read about your work on [thing].”
Hi [name],
I’m a student at [school] in [city], and I run our robotics club with [advisor], our advisor. I came across [how you found them], and I think you’d be a great mentor for a student who wants to work in engineering or robotics.
What it would involve:
- A video call or meeting with your student about once a month
- Any background check or sign-in rules the school has for volunteers
- Nothing to prepare: just being honest about your work and how you got there
Would you be up for it? Happy to answer any questions.
Thank you,
[Your name]
[Club name], [school]
Hi [name],
I’m a student at [school] in [city], and I run our robotics club. I came across [how you found them: a teacher, an article, their website], and I think our members would love to hear about [what they do in engineering].
What it would involve:
- One club meeting, about [40] minutes, in person or on video.
- About fifteen minutes on what you do and how you got there, then questions. No slides needed.
- A student will meet you at the front office and introduce you.
Research that followed thousands of students for ten years found that hearing from people with real jobs in high school was linked to higher pay later on. A lot of us have never met anyone who does what you do.
Would you be up for it? We meet [day and time], and any [month] date works.
Thank you,
[Your name]
[Club name], [school]
Make the line about why you picked them specific; that’s what gets a yes. No answer in a week? Send one short follow-up.
Hi [coach name],
I’m [name], a student at [school], and we’re starting an FTC team this season with [advisor] as our coach. We’re all new to this.
Could a few of us visit one of your practices or a scrimmage, to see how you run things? We’d also love to know whether your team would sponsor us for the FTC Sibling Grant.
Thank you,
[Your name]