Football and Coaching- #1 Meeting Place for Football Coaches on the Internet

For some of us week 1 or even 2 of the football season is in the books. I hope all is well with your squads and hope for nothing but future success. Something I wanted to talk about was relationship between the support that your football team gets off the field and the impact that it has on the season and your program in general.

I have been apart of both types of programs, ones that have the parents and/or fans behind the program and on the other side of the fence where parents/ fans hardly volunteer or support the team. When you have a fan base and/ or parents behind the team many great things can happen, the biggest being that feeling of “home field advantage”.

We all know the 12th player on the football field are the fans. They can disrupt the opposing teams by noise and by creating that overall feeling of intimidation though banners and apparel, like in the endzone at the Cleveland Browns games or the Oakland Raider Games. Both sets of fans are rabid about their teams and create a very hostile environment for any team to come and play in.

On a more grass roots scale like in high school or even in college, developing booster or quarterback clubs helps a team to establish a since of comfort before and after games. Players come to expect the pre-game decorations on there lockers or even the banner to run through before the game. These little things help set the mood for the players and even the coaching staff. After the game should not be forgotten either, having subs or some sort of food and beverage for the player and staff to munch on on the ride home is very beneficial.

Some might be wondering how to create or develop a booster or quarterback club for your program? Well it really is not that hard. These ideas can be applied to any level of football including the Pros:

1. Find out who your supporters are

• This can be done on the high school level by looking to the parents and especially developing the incoming freshmen parents to become active in the varsity planning and even forming a freshmen or JV version. On the college level get the students be involved and even the alumni, like in my previous blog enter. At the Pro level look to the fans for support. Now on the semi-pro level look to the relatives of the players, like the wives or get their kids to be involved. You will be surprised by including them the increase in loyalty and spirit once the fans feel like they are part if the team on the field.

2. Don’t wait until the season to begin planning or even doing

• Most people wait until the need is there to help. Well for a successful booster or quarterback club lots of planning must be done. Make sure there is a solid structure and most programs delegate the duties to the volunteers themselves, but make sure the Head Coach always has the final say on whether it will be right for the team. Communication is the key. Every major event and game (pre and post) should be planned out months before the due date.

3. Make it fun and always show appreciation.

• The booster or quarterback club should be viewed as a tradition. These events or “gifts” after and before games are what the majority of players, parents, and fans are going to remember more then the wins or loses. Make them fun and interesting try to keep some the same every year to establish a since of tradition, but build around them. Like having a cookout at the beginning of the season for players and the parents. This will allow the parents to meet and players to have fun with their new teammates. Rick Neuheisel, when he was at the University of Colorado, was famous for taking his players on white water rafting trips and doing other fun activities.
• Always instill in the players appreciation for everything the volunteers do for them and the program.