need some advise envolved ia a orginization that is a feeder team for the local highschool old directors daughter is a jr and my dd is 8th grade i was made director but am being strong armed by old director and high school coach has tunnel vision everything is H S. had our 12u go int fall ball 11 strong and after fall ball down to 7 due to parents getting upset over abilities and way orginization is being run. I feel like a puppet in charge but no control have talked to some younger parents and think we should have a board to stop all this drama and tunnel vision need some thoughts on this? i just want to do whats right for the orginization and have a 4 yr old and want it here when she is old enough!!!
thoughts on upgrading bad orginization
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- Aug 19, 2011
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Took me a while and I'm still not sure I have a clear view of the situation, but I think a board, while sometimes a hindrance when things actually need to get done, can be a help when competing interests are involved. My town has an athletic association that runs non-school softball, baseball, soccer, and basketball. Local parents serve on the board and as commissioners of each sport. They handle registration, hold drafts, coordinate schedules, contract facilities and umpires, maintain rule books, etc.) Seems to work pretty well. It's impossible to say how it would turn out in your case, but it's possible that if you have a group of good people who work well together it could be harder to push around than one person. It could also be that you don't really agree on what should be done, and less gets done in the end because "I thought Bob was doing that." In which case, the better option would have been for you to build some better strategies for dealing with the ex-director and coach. They probably feel they are acting in everyone's best interests -- after all, why wouldn't the ex-director think maybe the new guy could use some help? And if you're a feeder program for the high school, why wouldn't the high school coach feel like he has a stake in getting kids ready to play when they get to him? Impossible to say, based on the limited information. The goal, as my dad used to say, is to get everybody inside the tent pi**ing out.
- Jan 15, 2009
- 584
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Control what you can control.
Most organizations could be improved by
1. Better training for coaches
2. Better off season training for players
To maximize your local advantage you need to offer things to kids in your area that they won't get somewhere else and #1 on that list is convenience. If going somewhere else means you get access to off season training, good coaching, etc... you need to step up what you offer to be relatively competitive because you can offer those same things along with a much shorter drive to practice and home games.
Instead of budgeting for a summer season or a fall season, budget for the year and include costs like sending coaches out for training, bringing in instructors for pitching and hitting, renting indoor space (if cold weather state) for the off season to work in. If you do all those things and offer them for "free" to players that register to play ball in your area you can improve your program.
Once that is in place, IMO one big advantage is to have the HS staff tryout, select and coach the top pre-HS age team over the summer. That will be the team kids in your program are striving for in order to get seen by the HS coaches.
You will still lose some kids who are looking past HS to playing in college, who just want more and need to find it elsewhere, but that isn't really that many kids per High School area.
Most organizations could be improved by
1. Better training for coaches
2. Better off season training for players
To maximize your local advantage you need to offer things to kids in your area that they won't get somewhere else and #1 on that list is convenience. If going somewhere else means you get access to off season training, good coaching, etc... you need to step up what you offer to be relatively competitive because you can offer those same things along with a much shorter drive to practice and home games.
Instead of budgeting for a summer season or a fall season, budget for the year and include costs like sending coaches out for training, bringing in instructors for pitching and hitting, renting indoor space (if cold weather state) for the off season to work in. If you do all those things and offer them for "free" to players that register to play ball in your area you can improve your program.
Once that is in place, IMO one big advantage is to have the HS staff tryout, select and coach the top pre-HS age team over the summer. That will be the team kids in your program are striving for in order to get seen by the HS coaches.
You will still lose some kids who are looking past HS to playing in college, who just want more and need to find it elsewhere, but that isn't really that many kids per High School area.
The organization is a feeder for H.S. and the person who sets direction for what the kids in your organization should learn (HS coach) and the person formerly with the responsibility of making sure that direction is followed (former director) are trying to get you on board to continue to lead the organization in the direction it was founded to support.
If you want your daughter to play on summer team full of stud talent that's going to compete in and potentially win a national championship or something along those line you are in the wrong org and probably shouldn't be directing this one.
If you want your daughters to learn skills in a consistent fashion from start to finish so they are executing skills consistent with what the HS coach wants to help create a consistent program in the HS. Then you are in the right spot.
My $.02,
Wade
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The goals of the organization needs to clearly defined. Some organizations do a great job of this, some not so well. If it is a feeder program for the H.S. Team so be it, define that as one of the primary goals of the League. That seems like a silly goal to me but what do I know. Put any boiler plate comment out there you want about what the goals are, people are going to figure it out from your actions anyways so you should be honest up front.
If there are not enough players or parents that like your goals, your League will collapse.
If there are not enough players or parents that like your goals, your League will collapse.
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Quincy is right...I don't quite see what the HS program is somehow a problem.
Explain the situation to the HS coach in very clear terms:
(1) You've got to have players or there won't be a HS team.
(2) Today's players and parents aren't like they were 10 years ago. Whether right or wrong, they want something different. If the organization doesn't give them what they want, there will be no organization, and then no HS softball players.
(3) Therefore, you have to offer parents what they want.
Explain the situation to the HS coach in very clear terms:
(1) You've got to have players or there won't be a HS team.
(2) Today's players and parents aren't like they were 10 years ago. Whether right or wrong, they want something different. If the organization doesn't give them what they want, there will be no organization, and then no HS softball players.
(3) Therefore, you have to offer parents what they want.
You need a board and bylaws. Authority over certain things should be the boards and other authority should be the coaches.
- Feb 3, 2011
- 1,880
- 48
So many questions:
How large is your community?
How many girls do you currently serve?
How are other youth sports managed in your community?
What facilities do you have primary access to?
What other softball options are available to families in your area?
How many parents are fully committed to what you're seeking to achieve? I'm talking time and money.
Our local program isn't bad, but we're at a crossroads and need a new wave of parents to come in and get heavily involved right away. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but without significant parental support, you'll be fighting an uphill battle.
How large is your community?
How many girls do you currently serve?
How are other youth sports managed in your community?
What facilities do you have primary access to?
What other softball options are available to families in your area?
How many parents are fully committed to what you're seeking to achieve? I'm talking time and money.
Our local program isn't bad, but we're at a crossroads and need a new wave of parents to come in and get heavily involved right away. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but without significant parental support, you'll be fighting an uphill battle.
I am coaching a 12U travel team from one town...I am a former HS head coach and now an Asst HS Coach... I run the 12U adn train them like a HS team...our win total isn't great but the parents love it because they see how much the girls have improved!! We are going to do winter training for 10 weeks starting Jan 1st!! The 14U might not play spring ball because of HS ball which is great if that many make the HS teams...my point is this..train the players to play at a HS level and watch them learn and grow...any town boars should be behind that!!
I do not know what the heck training a player for HS means? DD likes to P and will not be allowed to because the HS needs a LF so she needs to play LF to train for it?
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