Starting a program from scratch

Coach , I Was at an upstart D3 Program in College. Few Things In my opinion having been that spot to look at.

-Strength and Conditioning Facility (Is there one what do you have ? Free weights , Racks, Bars Bumper plates what tools do you have to work with if you have nothing invest in free weights dumbbells bars and racks more versatility as opposed to being stuck with machines)

-Uniforms and Equipment (Shoulder Pads , helmets , Pants Jersies what company are you going to go with what is the total projection in your program long term each year have a plan of how many to order for each . Mouth pieces make sure you have enough , belts socks, shoulder pad clips)

-Field Goal Posts (Yes I know it sounds dumb but it can be easily overlooked we were given portable ones we had to put together as a staff)

-Locker Room Situation(what is plan for practice in season out of season will team have access to the facility year around or only in season)

-Philosophy of what you want for the program (Sounds simple but can easily be deviated from have your philosophy and core principles as a program make sure display them everywhere social media, hall ways locker rooms make sure they are talked about at every practice, meeting,)

-Have a staff of guys that are able to adapt and overcome any issue and get creative when solving problems.

Those would be biggest things to start there's a ton of things that go into it. Make sure your adminstrator has a good understanding of what it takes to run a football program. Have them go watch practices at other schools or the state champions / best in the league to see how they do things and what there operation is. A lot of times you can accomplish and get done what you need to get done from adminstration if they see someone else successful doing or using the same thing you suggested. I hope this helps Feel free to PM me anytime if I can be of any help.

If you're asking in terms of the program starting from bare-bones, then the first priority is building the infrastructure. You know that you'll need all of the physical essentials, buildings, equipment, stadium, etc. Once you're given the budget, then you can move forward. You've been around the game long enough to know what's good & what's not. You're the authority on all of these matters. They're going to turn to you & ask a bunch of questions that you think are dumb. But remember, they don't know what they don't know. So roll with it. Be patient.

After the program has been greenlit, and the facilities are built out or during the process, then your first priority should be identifying players in the building. Those of us that have been around the game knows who and what we're looking for. Once you've built up your roster, then find the coaches. You know whom you are looking for here as well. The styles of offense and defense will be dictated to you by the players that you have, not what you want to run.
Your assistants have to come into the program knowing that it's going to be rough. You're going to take a LOT of L's.
But if they are willing and flexible, then you know what you've got in the staff room. In your process, your calendar and plans are already built. So implementing them will be easier than you thought. Just be flexible.

Once the first two are done, then you start with your weight room. Any program, at any level, starts there year after year. You have to dictate what goes in there unless you have an assistant that certified in S&C or have a coach that comes from a program that's known for that. Especially if there is not someone that's already on your campus that fits into that role.

Having been a part of a number of first-year professional teams, there's going to be A LOT of trial & error. You're getting a great start by asking these questions. And honestly. you can read all the books you want, but at the end of the day, their situation is not yours. You're going to have to find what works for you & what doesn't. You will know at some point what offense & defense you want to run. You will know what lifts you need to build up your guys. And if you have an administration that's willing to be patient & roll with the growing pains, then you're in the right place. The key to all of this is patience & flexibility. If you need any advice, please let me know. I'm always willing to help.

I was part of a startup last year. Louisiana requires you play two years of JV only. We had two main problems:

1. We didn't have a real locker room. And there were no plans to erect a new building.
2. The school loaned us the money to buy EVERYTHING (about 80k). However, we were never given a clear answer on whether we had to pay it back or not. Get that answer up front.

We had 1 minor problem, but plenty of established programs still fight some of this:

3. Most of our kids played in middle school, so they weren't brand new to football. But, they were brand new to HIGH SCHOOL football. So the responsibilities and attitudes that go along with that could sometimes be an issue (attendance, not going home on a rainy day, signing out of school before weights class, etc.)

Other than that, it was a lot of fun to be part of. I left for a lateral move to a school where my classroom situation/coaching assignment/money was just overall better. I couldn't pass it up.

I was a part of a start up high school program when I first started coaching. It was a heck of a experience trying to teach kids football where there was no football culture. I think that was the biggest downfall. There is just something about a place where it exists. It will be on you to create it. Is the school good at those other sports? This school wasn't really. The needs to be some kind of sports culture and some athletes.

I believe our biggest problem was having no flexibility in scheduling. We were locked immediately into a conference that took up pretty much the entire season. We were the smallest school in the conference enrollment wise so it made it an uphill battle. I left after a few years and 13 years later, they have never had a winning season. They were .500 twice when they had a pretty decent amount of talent. So consider what scheduling will look like. You need to schedule relative competition. If you don't, it will be hard to get momentum going for the program. Another school also started football in the conference not too long after. It has had an equally difficult time getting going, even though it is a bigger school. They don't have the experience and/or talent to compete with the conference. I really believe if both of those schools played independent or in a a less competitive conference, they would both be much better programs. Another small school started football off to the west of us in a weaker conference and 12 years later they were in the state title game. They had talent of course, but a much easier schedule to navigate early on to build some momentum.