Advice to Young Coaches From a Young Coach (Part II)
Finances/Fundraisers/Booster Clubs
“Money makes the world go around” is a quote that I remember learning at a very young age. Nothing is different in football. A program that has money can buy things that can help win football games. I am a true believer that there is a lot of “free money” out in communities that people are more than willing to give to support your program.
The hardest part is going out to the community and getting the financial support. Will you be able to fundraise for your football program or will it be frowned upon by your administration or school board? Do you have a separate football account in the school system where you can keep money earned from fundraisers? Who has access to your account? Are you required to give a certain percentage to the athletic budget?
A school’s booster club is also very important, if run effectively. What will they provide for your football program? What will you have to do for the booster club? What is the philosophy of the booster club? A booster club should do exactly what their name implies - boost the program. They should provide extra funds to help the school’s athletic programs be more successful. With dwindling athletic budgets and lower gate receipts, there is only so much the athletic department can provide each of its sports. This is where the booster club should step in and help. Does the booster club have influence on the football program? Do you have a strong or weak booster club at your school? Does the booster club play politics or is it run by a certain sport, group, family, or individual that looks to their own interests?
Success
When you’re hired as a head coach, are there high expectations placed on you due to your prior success? Are you replacing a coach who had a lot of success or failure? Are the administration, community, parents, and student-athletes expecting instant success or are they willing to give you time to build your program?
I would make sure that you understand the expectations that are going to be placed on your shoulders before you even get started at your new school. You may be coming from a very successful program or had a successful career as an assistant and are expected to bring that success with you and make an immediate impact on the program. How are the administration, community, parents, and student-athletes going to react if you do not meet those expectations? Will your authority, coaching-style, offensive/defensive philosophy, and coaching ability be questioned? Through my short coaching career, I have learned that you need to coach each year like it’s your first year and understand that it could be your last year, as well. Be yourself and coach the way that you coach because, in the end, you can say that you did it your way – successful or not. Be able to put your head on the pillow at night and sleep in peace knowing you did your very best.
Scenario
Another piece of advice would be to evaluate and assess if this is the right opportunity and decision to make for your career, family, etc. There are many different factors that need to be assessed when making this very important decision. Where are you in your coaching career? Do you have to take any job or can you look around and try to find the best opportunity? Are you married and how does your spouse feel about the decision? Do you have children and what do they think about the decision? Where are you financially? Do you have to re-locate or move for the new position? Is the move a lateral move or a promotion?
Through my experiences, the hardest aspect of making the new move is an honest personal assessment. You have probably made new friends and settled down to some degree. Do you really want to leave for this new position? Do you own or rent? Will you be able to sell your house or get out of your rental agreement? As you can see, there are tons of questions that need to be answered before making such a critical decision.
Staff/Personnel
I am a believer that a great coach is only as good as the people around him. If you are a young coach looking to climb the ladder, to help you achieve success you will want to surround yourself with good assistant coaches and personnel. Do you have the power to interview, hire, and fire assistant coaches? Will you get to bring coaches with you to this new school? Will you be given a staff that has already been established? Do you get to make the personnel decisions for your program? Will you be able to post available positions or does the human resources department handle this process?
You will want to surround yourself with individuals who are willing to put forth all the hard work necessary to put your team in position to win games. You will want these individuals to be loyal to your philosophy, teaching/coaching methods, and vision for the football program. Your staff must understand the chain of command and that the head coach runs the entire football program. I would advise all young coaches to surround themselves with assistants with good character that can be positive role models for your student-athletes. In my opinion, a loyal and positive coaching staff that is working in the same direction, and understands that they are coaching for the kids, builds a strong foundation for success.
The New Beginnings
After you have assessed all of these areas and determined that this is an opportunity that cannot be passed up, you need to put a lot of effort into building the foundations of your football program. You want to take the positive aura that surrounds your hire and really set the tone from the beginning.
You have to do four very important things before you can get started at your new school. You have to “change your colors” and have a team meeting with all of the players at your old school to announce your decision that you are leaving before it is made public. You have developed lasting relationships with your young players, you have mentored them, and you have laughed with them, cried with them, celebrated with them, disciplined them, and hopefully, impacted each of their lives.
Secondly, you need to have a “meet’n’greet” with all interested players/staff at your new school as soon as possible after the announcement of your hiring. They want to meet you, get to know you, and listen to your vision about the football program. I would even get all of their phone numbers/contact information and call everyone in attendance personally to find out more about each of them, get their input on the program, and share your vision with them one-on-one. Third, you need to set up another “meet’n’greet” with the parents and community in order to meet everyone and get involved with the program as soon as possible.
Fourth, you need to get the program in motion as soon as possible and begin to set the foundation for your first season. I even took vacation days/personal leave days to go to my new school to get involved with my new kids. I sometimes drove six hours three days a week to and from my old school to my new school. You need to get the weight room up and running, start a 7-on-7 program, schedule team and staff meetings and start building new relationships with your kids. You only get a “honeymoon” once when you start a program and you want to build a foundation of success during the early months.
Hopefully, I have given young coaches looking to climb the ladder a insight into the complex and crucial decisions that you will have to make in the future.
About the Author: RJared Van Acker starts his third season this fall as head coach at Grafton High School in Yorktown, Virginia. He has led Grafton to back-to-back Division 4 playoff appearances and last year was named Coach of the Year for the Bay Rivers District. Van Acker previously coached at Galax High School where he was the head coach for three years.