A football team, from a fan’s perspective, is made up of several dozen players and a few coaches. Any coach who is familiar with a football program’s operations, though, knows there are many people who contribute to a team’s success who never put on a helmet or step onto the field. Just as a musical is made possible by teams of people who work backstage, a winning football program needs people who are willing to work behind-the-scenes to make sure that the team’s players can succeed. Here’s why non-players are important to a football program, along with how you can recruit student help for your football team if you’re a football coach.
Non-Players Help a Football Team
Non-playing support staff won’t ever receive the attention that players do. Until a photographer throws a game-winning touchdown pass, fan’s won’t ever applaud for the photographer like they do for the quarterback — even though many, many fans might appreciate the photographer’s picture of the game-winning pass for years to come. These unrecognized contributors have indirect benefits that can help take your football team to the next level, however.
First and foremost, recruiting non-players shows that you, as the coach, truly put the student first in “student-athlete.” Coaches are occasionally accused of prioritizing athletics over academics. Recruiting student help for your football team will show that you value more than mere athletics. Depending on the state of your program and school, this could help show administrators that your program is doing more for your school than just winning football games.
More specifically, certain positions have specific benefits for your program. For example:
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managers can help set up practices
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statisticians can keep track of game and key season stats for you
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student coaches can work with individual players on specific skills
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photographers and videographers can capture significant moments in your organization’s history
Football Teams Help Non-Players
For students who accept these roles, working with a football team builds valuable skills. The precise skills that students could develop will depend on their position. For instance, statisticians might learn about working with data sets and identifying outliers, while photographers may learn about the role of the F-stop in determining a picture’s depth of field. For students who want to pursue these kinds of interests, practical experience can be both insightful and inspiring.
Additionally, including non-players in your organization gives non-athletes an opportunity to experience being part of a sports team. They’ll have a role that contributes to the team’s goal, even if indirectly. They’ll also be able to celebrate in the team’s victories and agonize in its defeats, just as players and coaches do.
Recruiting Student Help for Your Football Team
Recruiting managers, statisticians, student coaches, photographers and videographers to your football team requires the same skill set as recruiting quarterbacks, running backs, linemen and linebackers. You need to be able to identify talented students, reach out to them and show them how joining your team would be mutually beneficial. All that is different is the talent you’re looking for and, therefore, where you’ll find it.
Instead of scouring the football field for this type of talent, you’re going to need to head off-field — potentially into settings that are unusual places for coaches and athletes. To find and recruit non-players, try:
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asking parents on the sidelines if your players have siblings who would like to help in a non-playing capacity
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partnering with teachers to create special programs through which students can earn extra credit (e.g. a math teacher might award a few students extra credit for keeping statistics during games)
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talking to non-sports people in your school about standout students who are looking for a challenge
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telling your players to let their friends know about non-playing opportunities with the team
Incorporating Non-Players into Your Organization
Often, the biggest challenge to recruiting non-playing students to any sports organization is simply overcoming the stigma that non-athletes face in a sports environment. As the coach of your team, though, you have an opportunity to set the tone in your organization. You can create an environment in which non-players have real value by:
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respecting all members of your organization
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requiring respect for everyone from all your players
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doing these activities yourself for a week or two before recruiting students
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giving non-players real responsibility (e.g. asking a statistician for a specific stat in a timeout)
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letting non-players feel like they’re part of the team by giving them the same off field gear the players get
Non-players have many benefits for football teams, although only people familiar with your organization will see their real value. To recruit student help for your football team, find students in non-sports settings, respect them and give them a real purpose to apply their skills and interests. Create an environment where they are needed and valued, and your team will benefit from their contributions.