Today, of course, much more is known about nutrition, and there are simply more choices available. Fruit (oranges, bananas, etc) is an excellent choice. Another good choice is cereal or granola bars. All of these are easy to eat, and not horribly messy. Crackers and cookies - especially in the small, individual packs are also not bad. Although I haven't seen a lot of these in a while, bad choices would include cupcakes, donuts, and candy bars. All are messy, and not particularly healthy.
For drinks, there are several great options. Water is always safe, but most kids drink a lot of water during the game. Apparently there's also flavored water in little boxes especially for kids too - that's a cool idea. Obviously, Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin Water, and all the various other sports drinks are just fine, and many have the small bottles. Other juice boxes and pouches like Capri Sun also work very well. As it turns out, soda isn't a great choice... who knew?
Snack time is an opportunity to reinforce excellent habits. Athletes must take care of their bodies, and whether or not Little Jimmy goes on to play more sports in the future, eating good and healthy snacks - especially after exercise - sends a good message.
Encourage parents to self-organize for snacks, or keep a snack schedule. The schedule works well, because families can plan ahead, watching for sales. I'll typically confirm the schedule a few times throughout the year so everyone knows their date. I'm not great at reminding people, and I suppose I've been lucky more often than not.
Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes the players have younger siblings who enjoy taking part in the snacks as well... it's great to try to accommodate this, but it should be a "team rule" so there's not a lot of confusion each week.
And, of course, the coach should have a snack after a rough game :)
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