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Post by doubletight305 on Oct 14, 2016 6:42:34 GMT -6
Here is our situation:
-We sit on the county line between two of the most talented football hotbeds in the country.
-We are considered the top academic public school in our area.
-In order to compete with charter schools our county has implemented open enrollment for under-enrolled schools which we are one of.
- Our attendance boundary does not have a lot of football talent, however that talent is found a few neighborhoods down, well within busing distance.
- We are a middle of the road program that usually goes 4-6, 5-5, 6-4, like many of you out there we do well against teams like us but struggle against more athletic teams.
given this situation, what would you do to attract athletes to your school?
I refuse to openly recruit players, like so many of those around me do. Some have told me to change my offense to a more spread based system; we are a double/single wing team that usually finishes in the top 10 offensively in the county; however I would hate to lose our uniqueness in the area (only team running it).
Any thoughts would be appreciated, I just feel that we may have potential to make a jump.
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Post by utchuckd on Oct 14, 2016 7:02:27 GMT -6
What do you mean by openly recruiting players? What about it that other people are doing is illegal?
You gotta coach what you know, but if it's costing you players where's the uniqueness in your system getting you?
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Post by **** on Oct 14, 2016 7:06:43 GMT -6
Win more games.
Success breads success.
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Post by doubletight305 on Oct 14, 2016 7:21:43 GMT -6
What do you mean by openly recruiting players? What about it that other people are doing is illegal? You gotta coach what you know, but if it's costing you players where's the uniqueness in your system getting you? Openly as in, calling/texting players, poaching from other high schools. To me there is a difference between having a player decide to go to your school because it is an attractive situation for them, or deliberately contacting a player on an opposing team and enticing them to come to your school. The latter is an epidemic in our area; the former is ethically correct in my understanding and what I feel county administrators want to happen with open enrollment. And as far as is it costing us players, it might very well be, but the main point is does the spread sell? In your opinions is it worth changing to a more "popular" offense given the circumstances that I have presented? Its just hard to give up on something that has been so good for us; trying to weight risk/reward |
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Post by carookie on Oct 14, 2016 7:56:56 GMT -6
Was in a similar situation once before (private school that could enroll openly but refused to go out and poach/recruit). If you could host camps on your campus that would help- colleges or 3rd party; it can get you exposure, show off your school, and associate you with college recruiting. Improve your standing on social media (both your program and school in general); along those lines make good with a few members of the local media who will write stuff about you with a good spin.
Theres a lot of other ancillary things that have been done to kind of impress the kids (alternate uniforms, and gimmicky things) that meet with mixed success. Of course, as was mentioned above, winning is the best way.
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Post by leighty on Oct 14, 2016 8:23:53 GMT -6
Not sure what yours looks like, but any time we've gone somewhere new, the first priority was to get the field right. Depending on its condition, that could require a good bit of resources.
Get it and keep it green as long as you can (easier to do in North Florid, South Georgia than other regions), and don't half ass the paint job. Your field is your business card.
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Post by nstanley on Oct 15, 2016 13:35:39 GMT -6
These are some ideas we've used and some I've thought about or heard: - Build into kids spirit packs/fundraising money for a new jersey each year. The first year is expensive but after that you just rotate home and away. Kids get to keep a jersey which they really like and allows you to have a fresh look each year. Also, if you purchase a jersey like Russell, they give you a ton of stuff plus like 10-15% credit for coaches gear. For about the same price as other brands stock jerseys, you get a custom jersey plus shorts, shirt and socks. For $90 you have a great spirit pack.
- We play music at practice. I don't know how common it is but I think little things like that help sell your program.
- Do community service and make sure the newspaper knows about it. It's good for your kids and program plus the community will really appreciate it.
- Have a social media presence. If parents/kids are looking to find out about your program, they are going to go to the internet first. We keep a Facebook page that we have people update pretty regularly. Of course, Facebook is skewing older now so using snapchat, etc., is better for kids. If you're going to do cool stuff, make sure you have a way to share that other than word of mouth.
- Build a great relationship with local youth programs. I don't know what youth programs are like where you're at but I know in Portland, OR, there are huge shifts in talent from one year to the next when someone with a connection with youth football gets hired. I don't think they recruit the kids but I am sure youth coaches encourage players to go to programs where they have a good relationship with the HS coach.
Hope this helps some. |
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Post by dubber on Oct 15, 2016 14:54:06 GMT -6
What's the feeder situation?
Make your youth program attractive and get them young.
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Post by rsmith627 on Oct 16, 2016 6:48:15 GMT -6
Give them a reason to come there. Get gimmicky. Badass field, badass uni combos (fundraise to do it if you need to), and obviously win games.
I get and respect coaching what you know, but kids don't want to play in the double wing. If you're scaring off talent you lose tactical advantage that comes with being different.
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Post by blb on Oct 16, 2016 7:48:59 GMT -6
I get and respect coaching what you know, but kids don't want to play in the double wing. If you're scaring off talent you lose tactical advantage that comes with being different.
This is an interesting conundrum, perhaps worthy of its own thread.
Do you run "what you know," what fits the kids you typically can count on getting at your school (especially if it's "different"), or
Do you run a scheme that MAY attract kids from other schools but is similar to what others are doing?
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Post by rsmith627 on Oct 16, 2016 7:50:17 GMT -6
I get and respect coaching what you know, but kids don't want to play in the double wing. If you're scaring off talent you lose tactical advantage that comes with being different.
This is an interesting conundrum, perhaps worthy of its own thread.
Do you run "what you know," what fits the kids you typically the kids you can count on getting at your school (especially if it's "different"), or
Do you run a scheme that MAY attract kids from other schools but is similar to what others are doing?
I may start that thread. I was mulling over that when I typed my response. |
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