New HC position requests

[coachf]

I am considering applying for a HC position in my school. I am fairly confident that if I want it, I have a great shot of getting it. However, (without going into details) our school has become a bit of a hostile area for coaches. I almost considered not doing it, for fear of the problems I would have to deal with. My former high school HC still coaches in our conference and counseled me to apply for the position. He said to take in a list of requests and support (weight room updates, field improvements, etc.) from the administration and board. He wants me to make sure I take the job on my terms and not theirs. If they are receptive I should take it, if not, I will probably start looking for somewhere else. SO, I have two requests.

#1- Should I take a job knowing that the current conditions are not ideal for a coach, especially a younger one. (If you want details on the situation PM me).

#2- What type of requests should I have? I will give you a few of the ones I have already.
- field improvement - I should be allowed to schedule mowing days and painting days. (the maintenance crew mowed at 6:30 in the morning last year the day before our first game and left huge clumps of grass and scalped the field)
- NO GOLFING on any of the fields (the administration has done nothing to stoop a guy hitting golf balls on our practice and game field)
- weight room updates - 1 new piece of equipment a year
- $250 for professional development (clinics, software, books, etc.) (donations to x's and o's ;D)
- allow the players to have more of a say on their uniforms - the players would like to have black pants, the administration has maintained that everything has to be purple and white. Yuck!


Let me know if any of these are outrageous. I really appreciate and value your feedback and time. Thanks!

[gamedog]

Every job is going to have it's problems. There is no "perfect" situation to get into. Yes, some are better than others. That first first HC job is the toughest to get.
Remember this also: The administration may agree to those things and then later change their minds. They could also disagree with those things and then later change their minds. When dealing with administrators you have to remember that for a person to be an administrator they have to have their brain removed and put up a different part of their person.

[coachf]

I know this is true. If they agree and then backtrack, I will know that I am justified in moving on. Plus, I will make sure that I gave all I could to ensure a fair chance. I know no job is perfect, but I want to try and reach tenure and don't want to get involved in anything that can cause more grief and give an administrator more of a reason to can me (or to get rid of me before tenure to save money, which is happening quite often here)

[texasokie]

Pick and choose your battles based on your budget and your booster club's ability to raise funds. If you take a HC position at a school and don't turn it around, it could take you some time to work it off your resume.

[bulldog]

I agree, pick your battles. The first thing you need to think about is what it will take to turn around the program at the school. If you can have success, it is likely that you can win battles later that you might not win right now. For example, I wouldn't worry about uniforms or field issues at this point. Instead, I would worry about funding, support, and player development.

First, how is the sport funded? You may find that you need to raise a significant amount of money. Does it need to go through the booster club? Who gets the gate money? Who gets the snackbar money? What is the process for spending progam money? Can you spend money for coaches' development? Can you raise money for the program - and then spend it on the program? (this may be much better thany relying on the booster club to raise funds)

Second, how is the program supported by the school? Can you choose your own staff? What is the attitude of the administrators toward football? Do you have someone on your side - the principal, the AD? Will the admin support your running of your program when you run into discipline problems?

Can you get the player development time and resources that you need? Can you get the weight room when you need it? Do you have priority access to the fields? Can you attend a camp? Do you have a film system? Does the school have resources that you could use (i.e. AV equipment)?

Remember that when you take over a program you have to build a good foundation first. This starts by setting ideals and goals for discipline, attitude, attendance, etc. It continues with the coaches that you hire - how they support you and teach your progam. It also continues with the relationships that you forge with the administration, your AD, your booster club, the local Pop Warner officials, the other HC's in your league, the other sport's HC's at your school. Don't sweat the small stuff like uniforms or divots on the field. Capture the respect of those around you by the way that you lead and your focus on developing young men. If you run a good program that is about the athletes and you graduate good young men, my guess is that you will get wholehearted support with the more minor issues (that bug you) later on.

[oguru]

coachf,
If you coach at a public school and the guyn who golfs on your fields lives in your district meaning he is a tex payer. Good luck with the no golfing thing.He could say okay, or he coul;d cause a stink and say I pay taxes in this community I will golf where I want.

[NCcoach]

Make no demands if you are a first time head coach. Just get the job. If you don't like the job, look for another one later and set the terms of THAT deal up front.

Remember, once a head coach, always a head coach. Although it sounds stupid, no matter how incompetent a HC is, he will get another HC job if he wants it. It is much more difficult to get a head coach job if you have never been a head VARSITY coach.

[phantom]

coachf said:

I am considering applying for a HC position in my school. I am fairly confident that if I want it, I have a great shot of getting it. However, (without going into details) our school has become a bit of a hostile area for coaches. I almost considered not doing it, for fear of the problems I would have to deal with. My former high school HC still coaches in our conference and counseled me to apply for the position. He said to take in a list of requests and support (weight room updates, field improvements, etc.) from the administration and board. He wants me to make sure I take the job on my terms and not theirs. If they are receptive I should take it, if not, I will probably start looking for somewhere else. SO, I have two requests.

#1- Should I take a job knowing that the current conditions are not ideal for a coach, especially a younger one. (If you want details on the situation PM me).

#2- What type of requests should I have? I will give you a few of the ones I have already.
- field improvement - I should be allowed to schedule mowing days and painting days. (the maintenance crew mowed at 6:30 in the morning last year the day before our first game and left huge clumps of grass and scalped the field)
- NO GOLFING on any of the fields (the administration has done nothing to stoop a guy hitting golf balls on our practice and game field)
- weight room updates - 1 new piece of equipment a year
- $250 for professional development (clinics, software, books, etc.) (donations to x's and o's ;D)
- allow the players to have more of a say on their uniforms - the players would like to have black pants, the administration has maintained that everything has to be purple and white. Yuck!


Let me know if any of these are outrageous. I really appreciate and value your feedback and time. Thanks!

I think your old HC gave you good advice. Don't take a job where you're set up for failure. I don't think it's at all unreasonable to come in with a set of requests. If administration is unwilling to support you then you don't want that job.
Be willing to negotiate, though. There may not be much that can be done about the golfers and I wouldn't put my job on the line over the color of the unis. I think that $250 for research and development is a little low.

[coachf]

I don't plan on making any demands. I know I can't force the atmosphere to change. I am just hoping to see some open-mindedness from our administration. I don't want to take it, if I feel like the entire path is littered with road blocks.

By the way, my old HC took my team to 2 straight championships (over the schools 13 year existence he has gone to 5 championships), so he has a pretty good idea what he is doing. I value your opinions just as much as him and am very happy to hear some of the ideas and comments you guys have.