Assessing and Improving Athletic Programs

The Role of Coaches, Athletic Directors, Administrators, and Communities.

I have had the opportunity to travel North America to speak to hundreds of high school and college athletic programs and meet with great coaches who have turned programs around. It is amazing how different athletic programs can be. I have come to believe that almost every athletic program (or team) falls into one of three levels of competence. Almost every school has the same ingredients but very different levels of ability or interest.

This booklet is written to help the key people see why some programs are successful and what can be done to turn the others around. Like any great team, these key leaders (administration, athletic director, coaches, and community) must each fulfill their roles for the program to reach its potential.

The following is a checklist for people in each of these leadership roles to assess where they are strong and where they need to improve. Identify the level you are in and the areas where progress needs to be made in order to attack the problem and make the necessary changes. Check the boxes that describe your existing program.