Determine what you want to accomplish with the team. Also be able to handle issues w swimmers and runners juggling all the sports and demands.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

When my kids were younger and I volunteered a lot at the kids races there were a few teams in the area.

The most important thing you can do is teach the kids (and parents) about respect.

General observations

The kids on teams were definitely some of the faster kids but they were also the ones you routed against because:

The intentional drafting was absurd. (9 and up age groups)

Their parents would "block" big sections of transition and even move other kids stuff.

The kids would come into T2 and just toss their bikes "at the rack"

The parents would constantly gripe about everything.

I didn't see the above actions from kids/parents NOT on teams and of course, not all the kids/parents on teams were this way but enough were to cause 1 race to switch to a "non-timed event"

Competing with high school single sport is one of the biggest challenge as the kids get older. Most of high school and club coaches don't really understand tri and think it's taking the kids away from their programs, so they are typically not very supportive in terms of make time or even alter their program.

USAT tried and still promotes the HS program with state and national championships, but so far, I haven't seen a big uptick in participation in tri.

Focus on enjoyment and long term development of all kids.

I did the same as you want to do back in around 2005 and started a triathlon youth development squad with friends. The two athletes out of that program who made it to World Cup/WTS level were not the best at 10-11-12-13-14 or even 15 years of age. Make sure all kids enjoy it and are being developed optimally.

Oh, and dare I say make sure they can swim from a young age. Then develop them as runners from mid-teens. Bike until mid-late teens is mostly focused on skills.

Much appreciation - I almost forgot how terrible parents can be in youth sports. I would definitely focus on enjoyment, respect, and competition in that order. I may just try a month-long series for a handful of athletes geared towards a specific race once race opens up. This would give me an idea before committing full on.