Coach Development
"coaches just do their job and leave, without caring too much more"
"just can't find/keep quality coaches"
Sound familiar?
The role of 'director' is hard...
US Soccer believes, as do I, that there are 5 tasks' that encompass the role of a DOC:
Leadership.
Club Performance Environment.
Club Philosophy.
Club Player Development Plan.
Club Coaching Staff.
As a director, you probably coach at least one team, which is not one of the tasks' of a DOC...
Now, having spent countless hours with directors from all sorts of club environments, the constant issue they face is how to get their staff to perform at the level the club wants. Regardless of the player development plan (curriculum/pathway/league of registration), the beautiful philosophy on the wall, your own leadership work, or the environment you want to create, if your staff are unable or unwilling to deliver then you face a losing battle.
Regardless of if you want to compete with rival clubs, qualify for a new league, or if you want to provide the best soccer experience, I believe that club coaching staff are the key to success. They certainly seem to be the main issue for every DOC I know.
We often think that if we pay more, we can get 'better' coaches. But what if there is a better way instead of charging families more money to pay coaches more?
Club Coaching Staff
Regardless of volunteer or paid, there should be a standard of care and quality expected for every coach within every club or league or program. You also want to provide a quality experience for your membership. They return, you keep your job. They return, we grow the game of soccer.
So, as a DOC. you probably want the best of the best, but they don't just come to your club to coach. You must develop your own 'A' license super pro coaches by providing enriching continued professional development.
Why? You might require a coach to hold a certain license, or prefer to hire a coach with a specific license. Recently educated coaches through US Soccer learn the 6 tasks' of coach. Just like the DOC, each coach has a task list associated with their role.
When taking a course, there is an element of lip service applied to each task, obviously. Coaches sometimes are unsure, or hopeful of the things they identify and often are unable to make any impact within their club environment.
Coaching education is also mostly removed from each coaches own environment, but each of the tasks' provide a wonderful opportunity to develop a very club, and community, specific environment for providing an amazing soccer experience.
Even without licensing, I believe that your coaches still need some form of education, and what better way than educating them in your unique club environment!?
Below you will find several resources to help you on the way, from self-guided to full service and consultation with me.
