What are the most important parts in building a winning football program, year in and year out, from A-6A.

Believing, Dedication, Trust in each other, and HEART!!!

First and foremost I believe it starts with the junior/pee wee football programs, especially in smaller communities. Russell has been an extremely successful program over the years because of the commitment to their JFL program and Raceland is the same way. The kids learn the fundamentals of playing the game and they start learning the systems in place in high school.

 

Secondly it takes the dedication of the school to support it's football program and create a culture of positivity around the program. Teams can't worry about money for equipment, having a good stadium/field, etc. and be sucessful, they need to know the school is behind them.

 

Thirdly it takes the support of the parents on the team creating a positive booster atmosphere and giving their support to the Coaches. Kids look to their parents, even as teens, as role models and if parents don't support the program that will trickle down. I believe this is starting to be the case in Ashland and it is becoming evident on the field and on the sidelines.

 

Finally it takes a community to come out and get behind a program. You can't go anywhere in Greenup or Boyd County without seeing a maroon and white "A", maroon and gold "R", red and white "BC", green "G", or an orange and black "R" on at least every 5th or 6th car. It means something to the kids and the school when the community rallies around the team, supports them financially, and fills the stands. A positive community attitude towards the program is a must.

 

I think those are the four basic traits you find in scholastic sports programs who are successful year in and out.

First and foremost I believe it starts with the junior/pee wee football programs, especially in smaller communities. Russell has been an extremely successful program over the years because of the commitment to their JFL program and Raceland is the same way. The kids learn the fundamentals of playing the game and they start learning the systems in place in high school.

 

Secondly it takes the dedication of the school to support it's football program and create a culture of positivity around the program. Teams can't worry about money for equipment, having a good stadium/field, etc. and be sucessful, they need to know the school is behind them.

 

Thirdly it takes the support of the parents on the team creating a positive booster atmosphere and giving their support to the Coaches. Kids look to their parents, even as teens, as role models and if parents don't support the program that will trickle down. I believe this is starting to be the case in Ashland and it is becoming evident on the field and on the sidelines.

 

Finally it takes a community to come out and get behind a program. You can't go anywhere in Greenup or Boyd County without seeing a maroon and white "A", maroon and gold "R", red and white "BC", green "G", or an orange and black "R" on at least every 5th or 6th car. It means something to the kids and the school when the community rallies around the team, supports them financially, and fills the stands. A positive community attitude towards the program is a must.

 

I think those are the four basic traits you find in scholastic sports programs who are successful year in and out.

 

Well said...

Well said...

 

Ditto... It was like he had peeked at my notebooks. I am a firm believer in foundation. If your Freshman teams are going 1-8 or 0-9 you are going to be in trouble in 2-3 years. I think there are too many programs out there that are trying all these fancy tricks and schemes instead of sticking to basics. My philosophy is Fundamentals, Fundemantals, Fundamentals and Conditioning. Anything more is wasted effort at the lower levels (7,8 & 9th grades).

What are the most important parts in building a winning football program, year in and year out, from A-6A.

 

1. Talent

2. Talent

3. Talent

4. Heart/Character/Desire/Good Coaching

1. Priorities

2. Continuity

3. Commitment

I know you have to have talent, but I see so many great coaches starting out with little to nothing talent wise and playing some great football. First and foremost, you have to have a great head coach with one heck of a staff. That is your foundation. The commitment and the talent of the coaching staff builds it.

I think first and foremost a good program is built around hard work. Even schools with a ton of athletes are not consistent if they aren't coached well. Work ethic is key.

Also I believe a coach has to be able to motivate players and truly make them believe they are going to win ball games. I also think it is important to show players that you as a coach care for the kids, so when you do have to jump all over them they still know that you do care about them and are willing to pick them up if they are down.

I also think preparation is a huge key to having a winning program as well.

 

Some places are very hard to win at because of #s, but I believe someone like Coach Hilton could go anywhere and build a winning program.

I think first and foremost a good program is built around hard work. Even schools with a ton of athletes are not consistent if they aren't coached well. Work ethic is key.

Also I believe a coach has to be able to motivate players and truly make them believe they are going to win ball games. I also think it is important to show players that you as a coach care for the kids, so when you do have to jump all over them they still know that you do care about them and are willing to pick them up if they are down.

I also think preparation is a huge key to having a winning program as well.

 

Some places are very hard to win at because of #s, but I believe someone like Coach Hilton could go anywhere and build a winning program.

 

 

I agree with you 100 percent!

1. Good solid coaching staff

2. Adminstrative support

3. Good feeder system from youth league to middle school with everyone on the same page.

4. Scheduling correctly if you're starting a program don't overschedule.Get some winnable games on it starting out. As you get better step up your level of competition.

5. Parental support from fundraising to believing in your coaches and not bad mouthing them in front of players.

6. Hard work, dedication, and a since of pride are all givens.

1. Administration that believes in the Student-Athlete - House divided cannot stand. A principal that wants to see all athletic programs succeed equally, will stand up for tough issues (like player safety, grounds & maintenance, parent conflicts).Part of the 'administrative support' would involve hiring / dismissing any faculty the HC did not want on staff. Being held hostage by staff-leftovers and baggage is a sure way to continue the losing mentality. I believe you need more than a working relationship with the administration for this to work. Whether you influence / persuade the brass to shine onto you, or that's just how they are, having administration tie THEIR success along with yours goes a long way in determining how influencial your program will be regarded in the state.

 

2. Culture: Create a culture where football and athletics and success in EVERYTHING is important. This includes academics too. Football has to be something kids want to be a part of.

 

3. Youth Programs: Get kids out, hyped on your program, taught fundamentals, have fun, keep'm out.

 

4. Community involvement - the degree of which remains unknown, but some type of proprietary support ( team meals, parent GridIron Clubs, Booster Clubs, etc) needs to be won over to become the nuturing agent for the TEAM. When your players see the program being talked about in a positive light, they interpret it as folks talking that way about THEM. More people interested in the program means more $$ in boosters, more in attendance, and more people looking out for your kids when they are not on the practice field.

 

5. Players READY for change / believing - Players (with a degree of athletic ability) believing in the nature of change and what it takes to get there (doing something different, of course are required.........because THEY are the ones that are making it happen. Convincing (or getting rid of) Seniors to get on board (or at least not spoil the fruit of the freshmen) and making the dream of success a tangible reality. Creating a larger than wins attitude through community service, team-building, and positive peer culture generally paves the way to a consistent performance on Friday night. The snowball effect of this is a perpetuating cycle of people buying in / investing into the school (players see people they don't know donating equipment / jerseys....influences them to believe that there is something BIGGER they are playing for than themselves).

 

6. Coaching Methodology / Structure - not Bear Bryant, but a HC with answers to deal with situations. From practice formats, implemenation, structure, player conduct guidelines / parent guidelines....There is a method and end-product for every decision, and they all stem from the answer "best for the program" (not necessarily 'best for wins'). The head coach has to have a bullet-proof plan for handling every situation, outlined in a manner that there should be little confusion on what will happen. Clear expectations of what is acceptable and what is not need to be crystal clear by assistants (and demonstrated), which in turn will leave little to know room for confusion with players and parents. Complete brutal honest analysis of why failure is occuring. No sacred cows including capabilities of head coach and the coaching staff, with the exception of course of playing within the rules. Develop critical success factors and prioritize all your activities to them. Figure out ways to ignore, eliminate or outsurce time wasting activites that have little to nothing to do with your critical success factors. Open mindedness to new ideas, concepts, methodologies to address said problem. Outside help from a person that has won consistently in variety of situations, hopefully in similar situation. Thorough "no sacred cow" analysis of usual ways of doing things versus the needs of the turnaround program and the kids and time committments we typically got. Strong confident unwavering belief by HC in direction based on thorough analysis of problem and thoroghly researched logical and easily communicated solution. Everyone, from the stakeholders in the community down to the waterboy understood our goals, why we were doing what we were doing and what it was going to take to get there. Everyone must know the vision and the plan and it must be able to easily flow out of everyones mouth. Example we were going to be: the "Model that all teams in the state want to emulate, being "the team" everyone wants to play for. Being the dominant team in our league while being known for superior fundamentals and overt sportsmanship. Retaining 90% + of our players. Repeat it often and live it. You know what they say about repeating something often enough. 2-3 trusted, committed and loyal staff members. Dont care how much DI ball they played or how many TDs they scored "back n the day" we need guys that can follow directions, communicate the vision and follow the plan. If you arent on board, go elsewhere. One man isn't an island - The HC needs to bring in at least two trusted men that can help get things done and "preach his gospel" of how things are to be done. Hard to get people moving with only one guy on the same page. The head coach has to be seen as the trigger-puller and making things happen, but he cannot be everywhere at once. Having competent assistants (at least two) that oversee the weight room, coordinate game day activities (meals, coach communication, administrative fees, etc) as well as serve as spokespersons for the program in the community and the state. The ability to bring in additional support (clinicians, speakers, college contacts) to instruct kids, instruct coaches, film exchange, community leaders to drum up support. Be willing to change everything from offense, defense, special teams, practice methodology, scrimmaging, conditioning, warm ups to pre-game to how you did water breaks. Study how the most successful teams in the country, not just in our area did things and copied a little from each and made modifications where it made sense to fit our kids. We looked for overachieving teams to emulate that consistently won. Go to those that won consistently with average or less talent. None of "we do it this way because weve always done it this way" answers. Must have logical answer to why we do everything attatched to our end goal statement. Extrememly high expectations, perfection required during the most minute of details. We set the bar very high. We are going to win now, here is why it will work and this is what you need to do to make it work. It is your choice players. Having fun, incorporate fun into our practices to condition, build numbers and build team unity. Put our kids in positions where they could have some successes, no matter how bad we were. ( Double team blocks, crab blocks etc) Character building as part of program. We did daily partner questions, weekly grade reports, community service projects and practiced over the top sportsmanship that set us far apart from all others. A true unique and new indentity. Confidence. Externally: quiet, unwavering, calm confidence. Never hit the panic button, talk about our success in past terms. Kids know we as coaches expected them to win, no big celebrations on TDs, wins, championships etc, we expected it . Success breeds success and downward spirals are contagious too. Commitment to coaching education and excellence.

First and foremost I believe it starts with the junior/pee wee football programs, especially in smaller communities. Russell has been an extremely successful program over the years because of the commitment to their JFL program and Raceland is the same way. The kids learn the fundamentals of playing the game and they start learning the systems in place in high school.

 

Secondly it takes the dedication of the school to support it's football program and create a culture of positivity around the program. Teams can't worry about money for equipment, having a good stadium/field, etc. and be sucessful, they need to know the school is behind them.

 

Thirdly it takes the support of the parents on the team creating a positive booster atmosphere and giving their support to the Coaches. Kids look to their parents, even as teens, as role models and if parents don't support the program that will trickle down. I believe this is starting to be the case in Ashland and it is becoming evident on the field and on the sidelines.

 

Finally it takes a community to come out and get behind a program. You can't go anywhere in Greenup or Boyd County without seeing a maroon and white "A", maroon and gold "R", red and white "BC", green "G", or an orange and black "R" on at least every 5th or 6th car. It means something to the kids and the school when the community rallies around the team, supports them financially, and fills the stands. A positive community attitude towards the program is a must.

 

I think those are the four basic traits you find in scholastic sports programs who are successful year in and out.

:thumb: :thumb: TRR you beat me too it on every point that you made here, great minds think alike - LOL.Very good points, I 100% agree wth all and cannot add a whole more to it than that.Your commments about it starting at the JFL/youth sports level are right on the money. I know that in our area Raceland,Russell and Ashand have all had fantastic JFL progams, These kids are the future of a program as well as the workers with them, Coaches - parents - volunteers. I have heard a little complaing about Ashland's JFL lately (last few years) but do not know enough about how theirs is ran to comment on it.

 

I also agree that it takes dedication on the part of the kids, parents, booster clubs, coaches, school admin, teachers and the entire community. Get the interest up in all of these areas and all else will fall into place.

IMO all post so far have very good plans/advice for bulding a good program. Great post and thoughts by all. :thumb: :thumb:

Play your juniors in JV games.