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August 2019

Whether you’re a new athletic administrator or a seasoned veteran, the fall season crunch is on.  No matter your experience level, it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed at this time of year.  The key is to stay organized and prioritize tasks. Use this checklist to help you stay on target for the best year ever.

Review fall schedules

Make time now to double check fall events.  If you haven’t done so already, add all the details required to make sure the event goes off without a hitch.   This small step may save you from headaches (and possibly money) down the road. Finding errors before the season starts is much better than discovering them the day of the contest.

Confirm athlete registration and build rosters

Establish a consistent system for collecting and processing pre-participation requirements.   As the registration steps are completed, add each student to a roster for team management purposes.  Finally, share the pertinent student data with the appropriate coaching staff.

Update website & get parents to follow your teams

Your website is the ‘front door’ of your athletic department, so you want to be sure is one that your community will be proud of.  Refresh pictures add current content and remove outdated posts.

Once your site is updated, promote the page to your community.  Consider making fan account registration a requirement.  This improves communication with valuable stakeholders, and reduces your workload.

Schedule miscellaneous events

Now that you have all the basics taken care of, begin planning all other events that impact the athletic program.   By adding these dates to your calendar, you can avoid unnecessary conflicts  with sporting events.

  • Seasonal picture days
  • Award nights and parent meetings
  • Booster meetings
  • Class trips
  • Drama/Chorus/Band performances
  • SAT dates

Finalize coaching staff

Hopefully by now, you have your fall staff positions filled.  But it’s never too early to look at the entire year. Hiring quality coaches is probably your most important responsibility.  Don’t wait until the last minute to start the hiring process, and be sure to thoroughly screen applicants. Finding new coaches isn’t always easy, but this task deserves your diligence.  Be creative when searching. Often, local colleges and universities can be a source for some great candidates.

Once you have selected your candidate, provide them with the tools they need to be successful.  Written expectations that reflect your school’s philosophy and mission ensures that your coaches will start off on the right foot.

Haven’t completed these tasks yet?  Don’t panic.

As an athletic administrator, you know that these tasks can require a lot of your most precious resource — time. But there are solutions, like Schedule Star, to help you become more efficient.  While Google sheets and Excel are great tools for some tasks, BigTeams can improve how your department operates every day. Click here to learn more about how you can use the BigTeams product line to streamline your operations!

Thank you to Mary Beth Tuma of Aurora City Schools (OH) for her contributions to this article.