Many high school teams are very poorly structured and a direct result is losing. The better structured teams are the ones that win. I think it all starts with the coach.

High school sports and soccer is different from organized sports outside of the education system because it is not a business. The players, parents, supporters, and most of the time-coaches, will come and go.

For a high school soccer team to win, be productive, and continue to win, everything starts with the Coach, among many other things. Here is what I think should be in the job description/ participation description for everyone.

The Coach: The coach needs to be among many other things the coach however most coaches only stay at that. This is why teams lose. The coach needs to be the General Manager, team trainer(takes care of everything to sprained ankles to calling 911 in a big emergency), team spokesperson, scout, promotions, and a lot of other things. If you are not willing to do all of this, plus coach, then Prepare To Lose.

I think a big thing with coaches is that they have to be a people person. Nobody is going to come out and help you on their own. Who exactly wants to take part in a 24/7, 6-month commitment for a “share” of your $500-$2000 dollar stipend. So, if you want 10 asst. coaches, many team trainers/ physicians, supportive parents, then you need to get active. But there is one good thing about high school sports. Each player comes with 2 parents, unless they have different beliefs in which case more could be available. On a 22 man team, that’s 44 available people. If you could get half on your staff, wow!

Remaining responsibilities to come!