What do Team Managers do, exactly?
- Thread starter Woodwork
- Start date
It will vary from club to club and team to team. From my experience -
Manage player documents - player cards, registration, medical clearance, certified copies of birth certificates. I kept them in clear folders in a 3-ring binder.
Working with team coach and club management, schedule practices, games, tournaments, travel, meals, parties.
Set up carpooling for players and parents to practices and games.
Collect and track club payments and money for team funds, which goes to coaching fees and expenses, tournament entry fees, uniforms and associated equipment. You might want to set up a separate checking account for this, or take over one created for the team last year. Some managers communicate finance information only to the coach; others send out a complete spreadsheet with full details for all players.
Schedule snack parents, bench parents, pop-up parents, first-aid parents, hotel and transportation schedulers, etc. All this works best if done early.
Communicate with everyone - better too much than not enough.
Manage player documents - player cards, registration, medical clearance, certified copies of birth certificates. I kept them in clear folders in a 3-ring binder.
Working with team coach and club management, schedule practices, games, tournaments, travel, meals, parties.
Set up carpooling for players and parents to practices and games.
Collect and track club payments and money for team funds, which goes to coaching fees and expenses, tournament entry fees, uniforms and associated equipment. You might want to set up a separate checking account for this, or take over one created for the team last year. Some managers communicate finance information only to the coach; others send out a complete spreadsheet with full details for all players.
Schedule snack parents, bench parents, pop-up parents, first-aid parents, hotel and transportation schedulers, etc. All this works best if done early.
Communicate with everyone - better too much than not enough.
Frank
GOLD
Great list. I would also add
- play team psychologist at times settling down upset parents/players/coaches
- recruiting, at least I do it.
- fundraiser
One team manager I knew carried a bag of lollipops for parents who couldn't keep their mouths shut during games.
Don't forget GPS Coordinator for the parents who get lost even with the playing location sent days or even weeks ahead via email and text. Smart phones can only do so much for the operator. You definitely need to know your whereabouts and sense of direction.
As far as fundraisers..if given the option many parents would rather just pay for the tournament or whatever it is you're trying to raise money for instead of the hassle of doing a fundraiser. Sometimes it's a risk vs reward thing... and you don't always seem to come out ahead for all your efforts vs just paying up front. My .02
As far as fundraisers..if given the option many parents would rather just pay for the tournament or whatever it is you're trying to raise money for instead of the hassle of doing a fundraiser. Sometimes it's a risk vs reward thing... and you don't always seem to come out ahead for all your efforts vs just paying up front. My .02
And yes..it does feel like a full-time job sometimes. Patience, diplomacy, good communication skills are a must. Some teams it's a thankless position..other times everyone appreciates the work you do. Transparency is a must when it involves people giving you money to pay for things. Keeping receipts and good record-keeping keeps all the doubters at bay as to where the money is being spent.
It's also a big help to have treasurer along with a team manager - it's what our club recommends. Multiple eyes on the money, extra hand to help with collections and payments, and of course transparency.
bababooey
GOLD
Simple answer.....A LOT!
It's a thankless job. Every team manager that I have been associated with has been off the charts amazing!
bababooey
GOLD
Everything aforementioned is 100% accurate. Only thing I can add that I do as a manager (our club calls us TA's) is set up luncheons during tournaments. Great time for all to get out the sun, let the kids and parents hang out, and have a few beers (my favorite part
).
Buckyballer
SILVER
Setting the budget and collecting the money from the parents was by far and away the hardest part of the job. If the coach is good and the parents are easy going, no problem, but if the coach is a hot head and the parents tend to the crazy - all bets are off.
To do the job well, it helps to not work outside the home
To do the job well, it helps to not work outside the home
In my manager days, I got to the field once without my book of player and game documents. Luckily, it was a home gme, so I was bable to get back and forth in time.
Not so lucky was the manager of a team my son was coaching. She got to Temecula without her book, and didn't make the round trip in time for the game, so it was ruled a forfeit, and then a friendly.
Not so lucky was the manager of a team my son was coaching. She got to Temecula without her book, and didn't make the round trip in time for the game, so it was ruled a forfeit, and then a friendly.
Surfref
PREMIER
Some of the best team managers I have dealt with as a referee were the ones that also had a coaches license. I think it is a good idea to have the team manager go through a coaching clinic and get their coaches card. That way they can cover for the coach if they are running late or get kicked out of a game.
That sometimes works the other way around. I became a team manager partly because I had a coach's license.