REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug 18, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY), the leading Internet-based social expression and personal publishing service, today enhances its lineup of free, customizable Share websites with the addition of new Youth Sports features. Simultaneously, the Company announces a partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) to deliver resources for parents and coaches to enhance the youth sports experience for themselves and their children. The announcements come on the heels of a recent survey revealing that 77 percent of adults feel that youth sports are too competitive, and that parents identify themselves as the worst offenders.

“As a company, we are focused on celebrating life’s joy: moments large and small,” said Peter Elarde, chief marketing officer at Shutterfly. “That not only includes the wins, but also the unexpected moments that occur between plays and on the sidelines. Too often parents miss those moments because as team volunteers they are tasked with everything from snack planning to making transportation arrangements. In partnership with PCA, we’re reminding parents to put the fun back in youth sports while helping ease the logistical burden through our new Share sites.”

According to an online company-sponsored survey administered by AbsolutData from August 4-9, 61 percent of parents with kids involved in youth sports say they would like a centralized place where parents and coaches can share game pictures – featuring photo and video sharing and more. Shutterfly’s Youth Sports Share sites are the perfect tool for making team management easier. The key features for the new Sports Share sites include:

Command Central for Roster, Calendar & More: Shutterfly Youth Sports Share sites are designed to be command central for your child’s team, housing roster and contact information, game day updates and even tracking snack duty. With the new youth sports setup wizard, the site creator – usually the team parent or a coach – receives a series of short prompts to input the key information about the season needed to get the site up and running. An improved calendar feature not only sends reminder notifications for practices and games, but also sends automatic email updates on who’s bringing snacks and player availability on game days – parents are the recipients of all site communications.

Free Photo and Video Sharing: Every Youth Sports Share site comes with a page for uploading an unlimited number of images and up to 10 short videos for free. After each game, a new folder is automatically created for site members to upload their team photos, complete with detailed instructions. Photos are posted in their original size, and are available for download for free or can be purchased as prints directly from the site. Photos from the site can also be easily made into coach’s gifts like photo books and posters. Site members can also play back videos and share out photos and videos to social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Blogger for one-stop posting.

Pre-set Sport-Friendly Applications:Youth Sports Share sites automatically feature sections for team updates/journals, a map feature to track game and practice locations, bookmarks, files, a weather widget, and can be password protected for viewing only by site members.

“Share sites not only foster community among players, parents and coaches, but they encourage communication, which is a first step toward more positive behavior,” said Jim Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of Positive Coaching Alliance and author of Positive Sports Parenting and The High School Sports Parent. “If parents, coaches and volunteers interact with one another solely on game days, then there is more pressure on everyone’s shoulders. Communicating more often off the field – especially in a context where you share positive memories and are reminded of the sheer joy of youth sports – can make a difference all season long.”

Proving that game-day pressure can take over, the survey also revealed that nine out of ten respondents have personally witnessed inappropriate behavior among adults at youth sports games. Four out of five believe parents and coaches would benefit from bringing the emphasis of youth sports back on fun versus winning.

Shutterfly’s Elarde says capturing those moments at sporting events can help refocus that attention. “Yes, take a photo of that goal, but then turn away from the box and take a few shots of the stragglers chatting or doing cartwheels at the other end of the field, or the ecstatic kids on the bench, cheering for their teammates,” says Elarde. “Taking the time to capture these moments is a great way to establish deeper connections with other parents and coaches.”

Shutterfly and PCA have partnered to provide tips and reminders for making the most of the sports season. At http://www.shutterfly.com/youth-sports/team-parents-coaches.jsp, parents and coaches can learn how to incorporate PCA’s three major principles into their youth sporting lives, as well as photography tips to make the most of memories. Positive Coaching Alliance’s three major principles include:

• Redefining “Winner,” by focusing less on the scoreboard and more on the bigger picture of a child’s efforts and learning life lessons
• Filling Emotional Tanks, using the Magic Ratio of five specific, truthful praises to each specific, constructive criticism
• Honoring the Game, respecting Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates and Self (ROOTS)

According to PCA’s Thompson, “Shutterfly Share Sites provide a great way to enact Positive Coaching and Positive Sports Parenting principles. You can post photos of those teachable moments when children learn life lessons, or photos of players helping out teammates or opponents, and you can post and distribute reminders of how to fill emotional tanks leading up to game days.”

Shutterfly’s complete line of Youth Sports solutions can be found at http://www.shutterfly.com/youth-sports.

About Shutterfly

Founded in 1999, Shutterfly, Inc. is an Internet-based social expression and personal publishing service. Shutterfly provides high quality products and world class services that make it easy, convenient and fun for consumers to preserve their digital photos in a creative and thoughtful manner. Shutterfly’s flagship product is its award-winning Photo book line, which helps consumers celebrate memories and tell their stories in professionally bound coffee table books. More information about Shutterfly (NASDAQ:SFLY) is available at www.shutterfly.com. Shutterfly and Shutterfly.com are trademarks of Shutterfly, Inc.

About Positive Coaching Alliance

Founded as a non-profit within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) has the mission of “transforming youth sports so sports can transform youth.” To that end, PCA has conducted roughly 6,000 live group workshops nationwide for more than 300,000 youth and high school sports leaders, coaches, parents and athletes. Workshop attendees have helped create a positive, character-building youth sports environment for more than 3 million youth athletes. PCA’s partnership network includes more than 1,100 youth sports organizations, cities and schools. In 2009, PCA will conduct roughly 1,300 live, group workshops across the U.S., while assisting thousands of other individuals via online workshops at www.PositiveCoach.org.

SOURCE: Shutterfly, Inc.

Shutterfly, Inc.
Gretchen Sloan, 650-610-5276
gsloan@shutterfly.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009