This is a great message for every HS Coach, MS Coach, and youth Coach out there.
If a large number of coaches don't both GET and ACCEPT this message...I fear for the future of the sport.
Might not be of interest if you are not a coach...but if you are..it is a MUST read imo (credit to football scoop for the link):
The gist if you are only casually interested:
As football coaches and researchers, we knew the importance of this research and how it needs to be in the hands of coaches in every football program in the country--especially with all the negative publicity surrounding the game.
High School Football’s Declining Numbers: 18 months ago, the researchers atX&O Labsset out to better understand why the national participation of high school football was declining—and to bring solutions back to coaches that could grow the game. What they found during their research was far greater than what they had hoped to discover. Yes—they found solutions to football’s declining participation numbers. These are real solutions that can truly grow the game. That was not surprising being they have a network of over 60,000 football coaches at the high school, college and professional levels. The truly exciting development is they discovered a small group of high school coaches who are using these solutions to re-build their programs to achieve higher levels of success in an ever-changing culture, society and world—and, here’s the fun part, they’re winning more games! To learn more about this growing trend: Go here and see the details.
If a large number of coaches don't both GET and ACCEPT this message...I fear for the future of the sport.
Might not be of interest if you are not a coach...but if you are..it is a MUST read imo (credit to football scoop for the link):
The gist if you are only casually interested:
- Grow Player Participation in Your Program: The days of having middle school and elementary teachers hand out flyers to get kids involved in high school football are over. That strategy used to work—before the Internet, robotics clubs, PS4, cell phones and YouTube—we’ve found coaches who implemented innovative, modern methods proven to get grade school, middle school and high school kids to show up and buy-in. This study will show you how to recruit your own hallways, middle schools and living rooms like a college coach—and get the athletes you need to build your vision.
- Reverse Player Drop-Off: Most high school programs lose a majority of their players during the transitions from middle school to freshmen and freshmen to sophomore year. Coaches cite many reasons for the drop, but that didn’t stop the coaches we found from jumping in and plugging those holes. Once they started recruiting like a college coach, their participation numbers jumped—and they started winning more. This study shows you the recruiting strategies and concepts high school coaches are using to get kids in and keep them in.
- Stopping Sports Specialization: High school coaches say sports specialization is the #1 reason for the participation decline in football. In this study, you’ll see the unusual steps some schools have taken to recruit athletes to play multiple sports—and its working. This book provides you with plenty of “recruiting ammo” for those reluctant single-sport athletes. We spoke to some of the best college coaches in basketball, baseball and lacrosse about the types of kids they prefer to recruit—all the answers centered around multi-sport football players. As the head baseball coach at TCU, Jim Schlossnagle, told us, “I’d much rather have a baseball player who played high school football because they’re better prepared for college baseball.”
- Winning Over the Moms: It’s no secret that if you win the moms, you win the house. Increasing the number of athletes in your program includes building strong relationships with parents. Our research discovered high school football coaches fall into one of two distinct camps: coaches who see parents as an asset and those coaches who see them as potential roadblocks. Care to guess which of these camps achieve more success every year? This study takes you inside those innovative programs who’ve built winning cultures by brining parents into the program and develop a sense of ownership. These strategies lower parent issues and prove more productive for your off-field programs. Note: In the study, you'll see how a high school coach made one little change to his pre-season dinner and, to his surprise, it drastically increased the attendance of kids to his off-season strength programs. Here's a hint: It was the parents who were the driving force!
- Successful Programs Are Families: While teams change every year, the family dynamic of your program shouldn’t. Being a “family” is talked about by most programs around the country, but how many are actually living it? This study sorts through the talkers and brings you those coaches who’ve gone outside of football to find inspiration in building a brotherhood within their walls. Not only will you see multiple strategies coaches are using to build unity, but you’ll also read inspiring stories of how the family bonds of these programs carried kids, coaches, schools and communities through difficult times. This goes beyond winning and proves high school football is woven deep within our communities—and should be protected.
- The Reality of High School Football’s Perceived Concussion Problem: Football coaches are doing a great job of protecting their players, but the industry has done a poor job protecting the game’s reputation. Our researchers talked with renowned neurologists who understand athletics to get an unbiased look at what the research says about playing football—and as you can guess, it’s not what the media report. In this study, you’ll get the latest research that show there is no statistically or clinically significant harmful association between playing high school football and increased cognitive impairment or depression later in life. Plus, you’ll see how a small group of coaches are taking the concussion topic head-on with parents and their communities.
- Assistant Coach Buy-In: Culture starts at the top. It’s instituted by the head coach, then trickles down to the players. But the key liaison between the players and the head coach are the assistant coaches. They are the ones that carry the philosophy forward. This study shows you how some of the leading high school programs are getting buy-in from assistant coaches; retaining staff year-after-year; and building a coaching staff that can advance the program.
- When Main Street is Your 12th Man: While the success of most high school football programs is measured on the field, the seeds are often planted in the community. And while the game of football has changed, one thing hasn’t—a good football team is a reflection of the town. When a town feels connected to the program, it provides all the support necessary to help it thrive. It’s the head coach’s job to forge that connection. Our research found that in today’s world, there are more opportunities than ever to do so. In this study, you’ll see the innovative, unique and truly different approaches some high school programs are doing to build tight bonds with their communities—and showing players, students and the nay-sayers football is so much more than just a game.
As football coaches and researchers, we knew the importance of this research and how it needs to be in the hands of coaches in every football program in the country--especially with all the negative publicity surrounding the game.
High School Football’s Declining Numbers: 18 months ago, the researchers atX&O Labsset out to better understand why the national participation of high school football was declining—and to bring solutions back to coaches that could grow the game. What they found during their research was far greater than what they had hoped to discover. Yes—they found solutions to football’s declining participation numbers. These are real solutions that can truly grow the game. That was not surprising being they have a network of over 60,000 football coaches at the high school, college and professional levels. The truly exciting development is they discovered a small group of high school coaches who are using these solutions to re-build their programs to achieve higher levels of success in an ever-changing culture, society and world—and, here’s the fun part, they’re winning more games! To learn more about this growing trend: Go here and see the details.
