This is the question we get asked more than any other — and there's finally a better answer than "email us." (Though you can always still email us.)
Path 1: Find a nearby team
Most VEX IQ teams form around a school or club, and openings come and go as rosters change. Here's how finding one works now:
- Register your family's interest — your area, your student's grade band, and (optionally) their school. It takes about two minutes and uses a free account, so we know who we're connecting.
- We look for the match — a nearby team with room, or other families in your area in the same boat.
- We make the introduction personally. No directory, no strangers cold-calling you: a real person from gainingSTEAM connects you when there's a fit.
Your privacy is the design. We never ask for your child's name — just a grade band. Families are never shown to each other. And you can withdraw anytime, which deletes your registration entirely.
Path 2: Start one
If there's no team nearby, you might be closer to starting one than you think — thousands of VEX IQ teams are run by parents who'd never touched a robot. Two ways in:
- When you register your interest, check "we're open to helping start a new team" — when enough families cluster in one area, we help you start one together, which is how most new teams actually happen.
- Or dive straight into Starting a VEX IQ team — our coaches' guide covers what it takes, and our Team Support & Mentoring program walks new coaches through all of it.
Not sure your kid is ready?
Start with Is VEX IQ right for my kid? — and better yet, come watch a tournament. Spectating is free, and twenty minutes in the stands answers the question better than anything we can write.