How to Start a FIRST Robotics Team

Our goal with this section of our site is to guide you through the process of starting a FIRST robotics team for upper elementary (FLL) or middle school (FTC) students.

Our biggest concern for the 2013-14 season was that we would miss something because we were new to FTC and might not realize that a certain task was required or a certain resource was available. We want to help you be confident that you’re on the right track.

You can find all the required documents, rules, and guidelines on the FIRST website. FIRST also publishes a large number of helpful videos via its site and YouTube. We won’t try to recreate the FIRST resources; We’ll guide you through them.

Many teams have websites and YouTube channels that tell their stories and provide helpful guides. The makers of the different robot pieces and programming software also have various guides online.

At the base level, many things apply to FIRST LEGO League (FLL) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), so we’ll cover those topics first. After that, we’ll split the information into FLL or FTC groups so that you can focus on things that apply to your team’s program and not have to sift through the other stuff.

Next Steps...

Step 1 for FLL and FTC Teams

Start here to learn about:

• Age/Grade ranges of FLL (FIRST LEGO League) and FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge)

• Team Mentor Requirements - Defined by FIRST

• Team Member and Mentor Requirements - Defined by Your Team

• Fundraising

• Websites and Wikis

• Safety

Step 2 for FLL Teams

FLL teams should click here to learn about:

• Overview of FLL season

• How to Register a Team

• Grants

• Tools

• Equipment

• FLL Resources

Step 2 for FTC Teams

FTC teams should click here to learn about:

• Overview of FTC season

• How to Register a Team

• Grants

• Tools

• Equipment

• FTC Resources