Athletic Administrators Cannot Be “Too Busy” to Recognize Their Coach’s Impact [NIAAA]

By: Anne Julian, CAA: Athletic Director - Holy Cross High School (Covington, KY) and Joe Roberts, CAA: Athletic Director - Princeton City Schools (Cincinnati, OH)

One of the best ways to show your coaches that you are grateful for the time and energy they dedicate to the programs for which you are responsible for is by recognizing what he or she does throughout the season.

If you think your coach knows that you are grateful you better think again. How many times has a coach walked away from a successful individual or team sport to the dismay of the administration? Or an athletic administrator is faced with the veteran coach who stays but has lost his or her passion over the years and is just going through the motions.

A quote from Thomas McClure presents this warning, "The biggest concern for any organization should be when their most passionate people become quiet."

Here are some time sensitive ideas for recognition that will not break the bank:

Thank you notes/grams. Keep them at your desk. Write a note of gratitude that recognizes a good deed, an unbelievable comeback effort, or anytime your coach's actions shone a positive light on you, the school, or community.
Spot light or shout outs on social media. Tweet it, Snap it. It is the quick post with a brief: "Great job coach for your team's work with the Ronald McDonald house," that will recognize and send the message to keep up the good work.
Let your community know the wonderful actions and successes of your coach by putting a statement on the school's marquee, local business marquee, hallway recognition boards, or game day programs.
Make it known when coaches attend other events. It is noticeable by the students and community when your team supports each other. Their time is just as valuable as ours - thank them for supporting one another.

These recognition ideas require a little bit of time and cost only a small monetary investment but the payoff is huge.

If you feel a grander scale of recognition is warranted a few ideas for recognition include the following:

Breakfast/lunch/dinner recognition event. This could be done at the end of the athletic seasons (fall, winter, or spring), during Christmas break, or at the end of the year. Recognition could be for years of service, a coach who has a no cut policy, or anything that you would like to recognize that has positively impacted the programs, school or community. I like to recognize the coach who attends other sport events supporting their colleague.
A great way to make an impact on your coach is to have a dinner recognizing the support and sacrifice of your coach's spouse or family. It will mean a lot to your coach that you recognize their family's lost time with dad or mom, husband or wife.
Call your local government official or state official to request their attendance at a game to recognize a coach's accomplishment. A framable resolution by the governor for an accomplishment can be hung in an office for years serving as a powerful reminder that the community recognizes your coach's impact in making a difference.

Professional development

Recognize and fuel the fire of passion in your coaches by providing opportunities for professional development. Learning and thriving in our career fuels our passion and growth. It shows our coach that he or she is worth the investment. The benefits of professional development begin with networking, connections and relationship building, resources, and a sense of worth.

Professional development can be found in many different ways.

Financial support by your department for membership to coach's associations, state associations, or NIAAA.
Provide opportunities to attend clinics and conventions. This could be annually or every three years or other rotational basis for your coaches. Celebrate and recognize certificates of attendance. Ask your coach to share at an athletic department meeting anything he or she learned.
Recommend your coach present to grade schools or other youth development organizations. Your high school coach is a great resource for them by sharing his/her philosophy, coaching tips, and best practices. This can ignite their passion again.
Recommend your coach to serve on advisory boards or serve as a mentor for those just starting in the profession.

Opportunities for your coaches to serve outside their specific sport or program gives acknowledgment to a greater purpose. It also provides service to the community.

Invite Coaches to speak at civic events in the community
Check to see if your boy and girl Scouts would like a guest speaker

There are endless ways to recognize coaches which in turn shows your appreciation and gratitude as their athletic administrator. If you find yourself without time or other resources, lean on booster groups, parents, and students. Recognition does not need to be elaborate but it does need to be heartfelt.

In addition, here are some guidelines to follow in regards to recognition:

Timeliness of the recognition. You want to catch the person "in the moment" while they are enjoying the feeling of accomplishment.
Be specific - state who, what, when, where, and what it means to the stakeholders.
Remember equitable does not mean equal. What that means is what one person enjoys another may not - they may even be disappointed. A great way to find out what your coaches enjoy is to ask them. I do this by sending out a Google Form to find out their interests, hobbies, favorite restaurant, shirt size, and spouse's shirt size so that recognition awards and events are personal to the person being recognized.

Submitted By:

Anne Julian, CAA: Athletic Director - Holy Cross High School (Covington, KY) -
Email: anne.julian@hchscov.com

Joe Roberts, CAA: Athletic Director - Princeton City Schools (Cincinnati, OH)
Email: joroberts@vikingmail.org