Recognizing, retaining, and rewarding volunteers
One of my most vivid memories of being a volunteer coach came on the last day of coaching my daughter’s 5- and 6-year-old soccer team years ago. I had never played soccer, but the team needed coaches, and I was really interested in applying some of the things I had learned in working almost 10 years for an organization dedicated to improving the volunteer youth-sports coaching experience.
The season was amazing. I finally was able to feel first-hand the stress and emotion of watching a young child play sports. What a ride. I distinctly remember wondering how well I was doing in this new role. Further, I wondered what the parents thought. Our team had a rule for the parents that I had taken from the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) in which they (and coaches) were not allowed to coach the players on the field during play. So, instead of 20 adults yelling instructions to players, all that was heard were cheering, applause, and the occasional “good shot!” At first, both parents and coaches didn’t like it, but it was amazing to see the kids work out their own problems and make their own decisions—no matter how crazy the games ended. Just as important, the parents soon realized that the players learned a valuable lesson by relying on themselves.