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Getting Started with FRC·Lesson 12 of 28

For a New Team: Registration and the Kit of Parts

The administrative roadmap to launch a rookie FRC team, including registration, mentors, fees, and what's in the kit.

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Starting a team is a project of its own

Launching a rookie FRC team takes planning months before Kickoff. Here's the roadmap.

Step 1: Recruit mentors and students

  • You need at least two adult mentors/coaches (a school often requires a teacher sponsor). Mentors don't need to be engineers — FIRST provides free training.
  • Recruit a starting core of students (a viable team can begin with around 8–10, though more helps spread the workload across sub-teams).
  • Identify a meeting/build space with power and room for a robot and tools, plus basic safety provisions.

Step 2: Register on firstinspires.org

  • Create a team registration through the FIRST Dashboard. Registration is what unlocks the season and your team number.
  • Plan ahead: registration opens in the fall, before January Kickoff, and the Kit of Parts is tied to it. Choose whether to pick up your Kickoff Kit at a local Kickoff event (free shipping) or have it shipped to you (the 'MySite' option, for an added fee).

Step 3: Budget realistically

  • The base season registration fee is $6,500 for the 2026–27 season (the same for rookie and veteran teams; check the official Cost & Registration page, as it changes year to year). Each additional event has its own fee.
  • Beyond registration, budget for tools, materials, travel, and spare parts. Rookie teams commonly spend several thousand dollars more in their first year.
  • Grants are frequently available from FIRST and sponsors (corporate, regional, and rookie-specific grants) to offset first-year costs — apply early via the FIRST Team Grant Opportunities page.

Step 4: Understand the Kit of Parts

Your registration includes a Kit of Parts, which has three pieces:

  • Kickoff Kit: physical components delivered around Kickoff, including a 'Season-Specific' box, a black tote, and a Drive Base Kit (the AndyMark AM14U6 chassis). It supports the KitBot — a beginner-friendly, buildable robot designed so rookies can field a functional machine for the current game. (For 2026, FIRST partnered with REV on the REV ION FRC Starter Bot as the KitBot design.)
  • Virtual Kit: software licenses, credits, and digital resources (CAD, design tools).
  • FIRST Choice credits: a points-based system to order additional components from a curated catalog.

The KitBot is a genuine lifeline for rookies: FIRST releases build instructions (and Java starter code) shortly after Kickoff so a new team can build a competitive baseline robot without designing from scratch. Veteran teams can opt out of the drive base or tote in exchange for vendor vouchers.

Step 5: Get the official documents

At Kickoff, download:

Step 6: Connect to the community

  • Chief Delphi (chiefdelphi.com) is the main FRC forum — invaluable for rookie questions, build threads, and advice.
  • Find a nearby veteran team to mentor you; many will share parts, space, and knowledge (Gracious Professionalism in action).

Learn more

Key takeaways

  • Recruit at least two adult mentors and a student core, secure a build space, and register on firstinspires.org in the fall — the Kit of Parts is tied to registration.
  • Budget about $6,500 for base registration (same for rookies and veterans) plus tools, travel, and materials; apply for rookie and sponsor grants to offset first-year costs.
  • The Kit of Parts includes the Kickoff Kit (AndyMark AM14U6 drive base plus the buildable KitBot — the REV ION Starter Bot for 2026), a Virtual Kit, and FIRST Choice credits, letting rookies field a functional robot without designing from scratch.

Go deeper

Lesson quiz

Required

Answer all 3 questions correctly to complete this lesson.

1.According to FIRST's official Cost & Registration page, what is the season registration fee to enter a team in FRC?

2.Which set of items makes up the FRC Kit of Parts that registered teams receive?

3.Besides physical parts, what does paying the FRC registration fee provide a brand-new team?

Answer every question to submit.