What AD's are Asking Us
Hiring season is upon us.
With at least four positions open and three new programs coming online and looking for a coach, hiring season is officially open. In fact, the data shows that in a given year 10% of teams will hire a new head coach and almost a quarter will hire an assistant.
Each time a head coaching position opens up, the CSCAA works with schools to identify the right candidates. That's because the future of our sport rests on teams hiring coaches who can effectively lead their programs.
Leading a program is different than coaching a team. When athletic directors contact us for a list of recommendations or asking about a particular candidate they're not asking about coaching ability. That's a given. Instead, they're asking us:
- How big (or small) of a budget have they managed?
- Can they recruit this type of student to our school?
- How do they carry themselves professionally? Can I put them in front of our president? Our parents? Our donors?
- What experience do they have managing others? What do their compliance director, SID, athletic trainer, and academic advisor say about them?
- Are they just a coach? How are they developing themselves professionally?
- Can they fundraise $XX,XXX? How about $XXX,XXX?
Notice a theme? Your "coaching philosophy" has to include more than coaching on the deck. Attending the CSCAA Coach Academy, can help you understand what athletic directors are looking for gain the off-deck skills to succeed in your next position.
More than that, the academy enables us to learn about you, your background and your preparation for the next step. When athletic directors ask us for a list candidates to target, we regularly draw from Academy graduates. Want proof? Over twenty percent of our graduates accept a promotion or a new position within a year of attendance.
The future of our sport rests on our ability to identifying talented coaches and providing them with the professional development so that they can effectively lead programs.