Season is About to Start!

A lot has happened since the last entry. 

Team Formation/Registration

We decided to have two 2nd/3rd grade teams and two fourth grade teams.  After we did this, another five kids from 2nd/3rd grade came out to play.  We lost one 4th grader, but then we got another.  Especially, with the 4th grade, we are concerned that the teams are spread a little too thin.  They will get to play a lot.  Just hopefully not too much!

I was pleased with how we formed the two teams at each grade.  The coaches were very good about discussing players and giving each other teams of equal strength.  The 4th grade was a completely blind draft.  The two head coaches formed two teams MINUS their sons.  Once they were comfortable coaching either team, they flipped a coin for which team they would coach.

The 6th and 7th grades got quite a few players at the end of July.  Just before that we had decided to combine them, because there just were not enough 6th graders.  The team would play as a 7th grade team, but the 6th graders would play a few 6th grade "non-conference" games.  We went this way for about a week, but then more 6th and 7th graders signed up.  At that point we went back to being two teams.  Now, there are 21 sixth graders and 22 seventh graders.

Finding a 7th grade coach was a bit of an adventure.  It seemed every possible St. Anthony connection was not working for getting a coach.  I asked our jersey vendor if he know of anyone, since he has a lot of football contacts.  I put the word out to some of the St. Paul Pioneers semi-pro players, and one of them accepted.  So, we are taking a chance.

The 8th grade has 22 players, and they are looking more ready to play at this time of the season than they were last year.

Husky Football Week

The second week of August, we had a Husky football camp with the high school coaches and players.  Four days.  The coaches were well-prepared.  The led the boys through various tackling and blocking drills.  Fundamentals-type stuff.  It was a good way for the high school program to connect with the boosters program.

With it being a whole week, it did take away from the amount of time needed to practice and understand plays, formations, etc.  So, that's something to consider.

50% Increase in Numbers from Last Year

The biggest challenge this year compared to last  year has been the increase in the number of players who have signed up.  We had around 100 players last  year on 5 teams.  This year we have almost 150 players on 8 teams!  Even though we try to get them all through the equipment room as a team, we have had at least ten who have signed up AFTER equipment was handed out.  It's difficult keeping the equipment room open on an ad-hoc basis to accommodate these new players.  I have tried to open up the room right before practices.  This is good, but often the coach needs to leave to run practice before all the equipment has been fitted for the player. 

Staying on top of the Equipment

Our equipment has really been stretched thin.  The helmets, shoulder pads, pants and pads have been picked over pretty good.  We ran out of extra large helmets, and I had to run to Play It Again Sports to buy three more.  To keep the costs down, I traded in a dozen spare shoulder pads while I was there.  I also ordered another five large-sized shoulder pads from Metro Athletic Supply.  A common complaint is pants that fit their waists but are way to long.  Kids are coming back into the equipment room with pads that are sagging way below their knees!  We need a better way of sizing up pants when the teams come through.  Without trying the pants on, they pick out pants they think will work.  It is clear we either need more of the integrated pants with the pads already sewn in, or we need more pants that are large in the waist but are not so long.

Husky Jerseys

So far the jersey order has gone well.  We sent in our jersey order at the beginning of the first week of August, and our vendor was able to print them with names and numbers just in time for the Andover Preview.  This week, he will be printing out the 5-8 grade jerseys.  We got some sample jerseys we used to size the kids.  So, hopefully we won't have any "wrong size" issues.  It was helpful to send the name and numbers out to the parents to double-check.  There was one misspelled name, one player who wasn't on the list, and one team with two players having the same number.  For the 2-4 grades, the jerseys turned out perfectly.  No misspelled names and everyone got their number and size.

As commissioners, most of our work is now done.  We are still working through the 5-8 grade jersey order.  We are still processing last-minute registrations and equipment needs.  We also need to coordinate the team pictures, so that the pictures get back to the teams BEFORE the season ends. 

Big Decisions to Make

The registration deadline has come and gone.  It seems at most every grade level, there is something that needs a decision to make.

Grade 2/3.  Nothing out of the ordinary here.  There are four on the waiting list.  Will need to let those parents know that we did not get enough to form a second team.

Grade 4.  In addition to 20 on the roster, we have 6 on the waiting list.  After consulting with the Irondale and Mounds View commissioners and having the coaches discuss it among themselves, we are seriously considering forming two teams. 

With 13 on a team, we are a little concerned that we will be spreading the talent too thin on these teams.  But in the spirit of giving the boys a chance to play and develop their skills, it's best to involve ALL those who want to play football.  Having a 26-person team for 9-man football is impractical.  So, we're checking in with all the waiting list players to see if they are still interested.

Grade 5.  No major decisions here.  We did allow one player from outside the district on the team as the 25th player.  The June 30th deadline has passed, and no one else was on the waiting list.  So this was a fair thing to do.  We may get some flack if a resident wants to sign up now, but we were very clear about the deadline.

Grade 6.  Not all of the 5th graders from last year have come back, and we were short of 5th graders last year.  This is really tough.  We have ten players.  We are not going to get enough to fill a team.  Too bad, because we have the coaches.

Grade 7.  A pleasant surprise is that 15 are signed-up.  Many of them are coming back after last playing in 5th grade, when they had a very difficult, losing season playing against kids a year older than they were.

Unfortunately, this team does not have a head coach.   Yes, a possibility is to move the 6th graders up, because they do not have enough and they have a coach.  A couple years ago, the 5th grade played up with the 6th grade, and it was a disaster.

So the decisions are:

1)  Call every possible person and ask if they want to coach the 7th grade team and disband the 6th grade team.

2) Combine the 6th and 7th grade teams.

3) Disband both 6th and 7th grade teams.

Grade 8.  12 or 13 are signed up now.  They are trickling in.  I think we will have enough, but it looks like there will be not be too much depth on the bench.

Registration is in full swing

We started registration the 3rd week of May.  Seems a little strange to open registration while baseball season is just getting underway, but that way the kids can talk about it during school. 

As expected, the younger grades' teams filled up quickly.  Within a week, the Grade 4 team was full at 19+ signed up!  There are four on the waiting list right now.  The Grade 2/3 team filled up within two weeks, and the Grade 5 team filled up a few days after that.

It's tough for those on the waiting list.  If we could get a "handful plus" of players, we could form another team.  Also, it's difficult (but necessary) to turn away kids who do not live in the school district or the community.  This year we have a couple in that situation. 

And unfortunately, as expected, sign-ups have been slow for the 6th, 7th and 8th grade teams.  There just seems to be something that happens at 6th grade, where they lose their enthusiasm for football.  Yes, winning helps keep them motivated.  But also good coaching and fun.  We need to strike a balance between winning but also driving them so hard that they don't want to play.

I think a lot of these "lost players" will come back and play again at high school, but for now it's tough.  Tough for those who want to play, because we're faced with tough decisions... such as do we fold the team and tell them to look elsewhere to play.  Last year, we were lucky and the league allowed us to put five 6th graders on the 5th grade team.  Without that, neither team would have had enough.  This year those 5th graders are actually less in number than the 6th graders!  But still, there are not enough at either grade. 

Only three signed up so far for the 8th grade team.  This has been a surprise so far, because they did pretty well last year, winning 4 games.  There were 19 of them last year.  Not sure why they are not signing up.

Keeping the equipment supply up-to-date

Even though some communities require players to provide their own equipment, the coaches and I decided it was best to continue supplying equipment for our players.  We don't want to put up any barriers to their playing football.  If someone wants to purchase their own equipment, that's fine too.

Got some shoulder pads and pants from Taho Sports.  The shoulder pads were $20 each.  Pants were discounted too.  They purchased extra equipment so that kids would have something for their Titan football camp.  They still had a surplus of this.

I drove up to their Fridley office.  We went into the back room, and they started pulling pads out of boxes.  All in all, I purchased 11 shoulder pads of varying sizes.  Plus, I got some pants with the pads built-in and some with the snaps for pads.  The built-in are nice for the grade 2/3 players.  Last year, we gave them the first crack at the built-in pants.  Altogether I spent less than $500 for everything.  I think a little bit of investment here and there is the best approach.  Just rotate the stock we have.

Something to keep in mind down the road is helmets.  We have plenty of helmets.  Just need to ensure they are playing with decent ones.  I learned that after a while, the padding inside the helmet gets hard, and that gets to be a bit uncomfortable for the players!

Looking Towards Next Fall

It may be wintertime, but football season will be here in a few more months.  This is a good time to restock on equipment.  There are good prices on last season's pants and shoulder pads at Taho Sports.  Still working on getting that purchase worked out.

I'm working on when to set the registration start date.  Would like to communicate this to Joady Tombarge at community services.  This way it shows up on the Spring/Summer bulletin which goes out.  Her deadline for me is Feb. 22.  It seems like we always get those flyers in May, so I'm thinking of mid-May.  Online registration only.  We can weigh players in when they pick up their equipment in July.  For grades 2-6, there are weight limits.  Players over the limit wear a red stripe on their helmet.  They are not allowed to carry the football.

Also, I am thinking about how best to communicate registration timelines to the community.  I'm re-wording the registration flyer to include a more strongly-worded statement about the waiting list.  We had a cut-off deadline last year of July 15th, and people thought this meant their boy could play as long as they registered before then.  With registration taking place in June, the spots for the 2/3 and 4th grade teams filled up by then.   Another means of communication is a Facebook page I just created.  Here, registration news and events will be posted.  Also, I have been talking to John Foley about getting football registration yard signs.

Husky Football Week - Aug. 9-12

It was fun to meet with Coach Niklaus about his plans for working with the youth this summer.  Instead of doing a football camp, his vision is to have all grades practice together on the same field.  Wow!  This is not was I was expecting.  So, for four evenings the high school coaches are going to lead practice for everyone.  Then individual teams break up and practice things on their own.  Then, they all come together as a large group to work on something else.

I checked in with all of our boosters coaches, and they are excited about it.

Planning a football camp

I have been coming up with questions to ask Coach Todd Niklaus.  I'm meeting with him on Monday to start planning out a football camp we are going to have this summer.  Hopefully, we will be able to set a date and get things rolling.

Also, I set up a Facebook site for our football program.  Hopefully, it will be a good way for parents, coaches, and commissioners to keep up-to-date on what is going on.

I'm on the lookout for good deals on football equipment.  Since it's the off-season, I figure there must some good buys out there.  One salesperson sent me a price sheet on pants (with pads built in).  These are nice for the younger players.  They wanted $31 for one pair!  That did not seem like a good buy, so I passed on it.

My first annual boosters meeting

I wasn't really enthusiastic about attending the meetings last night.  Went to Caribou and got a mocha and a scone.  I figured if I was going to sit through it, I may as well enjoy something to snack on!

The meetings exceeded my expectations, and I was glad I was there.  We spent the first hour discussing boosters involvement in donating money to the school district for facility improvements.  The district got a 6-figure grant from Hennepin County.  This pays for lights and other improvements for the Central Park fields.

Our superintendent, Dr. Rod Thompson, and athletic director, Troy Urdahl addressed us during the second hour.  I enjoyed listening to their vision for athletics in the community.  They talked about a philosophical shift in allowing boosters and other community groups into the high school.  Really exciting stuff. 

Then came the annual meeting.  We voted in officers for this next year.  The current officers are staying in for another year, so it's nice to have some continuity.   That was about it.  Meeting ended quickly enough.

Last, we had our regular monthly business meeting at the end!   We had already been there for more than two hours.  So, we cut this last meeting real short.  We just approved the treasurer's report and adjourned the meeting.

Closing the books on 2009

I contacted Geoff Smith, the Irondale football commissioner, about getting a bill for the referee fees.  It's the last bill left to pay for year.  He sent me the receipts and the itemized spreadsheet for St. Anthony's share in the fees.  I got the check request off to our treasurer, Hal Gray.  So, now we are carrying close to $2,000 into the 2010 season!  That's not bad as we were nearly $2,000 in the red at the beginning of 2009.

Expectations

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for football (and all) coaches is managing expectations.

What should you expect 7&8 year olds to be able to do?  9&10 year olds?  If a coach sees that the opposing team is able to instill a certain style of play, shouldn't he be able to do that with his team?  That depends on the athleticism and mind-set of his players.  I suppose expectations like this are gleaned from years of coaching experience.  For example, at what age can you expect linebackers to consistently "stay home" and wait for the play to develop before charging at the ball carrier from across the field?  It is important to have a good feel for this, because it dictates whether or not you press your players to perform a skill. 

Also what does our community expect of our football program?  Are these expectations compatible with how our program is being run?  I've gone through my first year of reviewing parent feedback on the coaches' surveys.  Parents have a variety of expectations.  Generally, people feel that playing time should be equal, and of course, the obvious is for their children to have fun.  How important is winning?  It may not be the top objective, but it sure does make things a lot more enjoyable.  Some parents commented on how nice it was to see the team win a few more games - that the players were really jazzed up about it.  Perhaps, this came with a little bit of sacrifice - allowing skilled players to play a few more downs than usual.

With the youngest group of players (grades 2-4), I think it's mostly about getting the players used to the game and keeping them engaged.  They have tons of natural enthusiasm.  Our goal is to keep them fired up and loving the game.  I remember the time when our young quarterback threw an interception at a critical point in the game.  He was in tears.  The coach reassured him and said, "It was my fault.  That was a terrible call for me to make.  Blame it on me."  The youngster brightened up, wiped away his tears, and got back to playing the game.

With 7&8 graders, we're getting them ready for high school football - where winning IS the top priority.  This is a transition time, and we need to prepare them for what is to come.

I'm not sure yet what we should expect of 5&6 graders.  It seems as though in some years, we have expected maybe too much (or maybe not), and we lost some players.  Then again, compared to our opposition, maybe we are not expecting enough.  All I know is that we have had a tough go of maintaining complete teams at this level.  Definitely an area for improvement.

New's Years Day

The purpose of this blog is to record what I do as the Sports Boosters football commissioner. I'm thinking ahead to the transition when someone new will take this on. It would be helpful for that person to know what types of things the commissioner does, and it would be nice to know how much effort the job takes.

Last spring My wife and I took this over from Heath Galyon. He was the commissioner for a year after Steve Green had done it for a few years. At this point, I plan on doing this as long as my son wants to keep playing football. Since he is in 3rd grade right now, I may be doing this for another five years!

So, it's New Years Day. I do not have a resolution as to how consistently I will blog anything, but I do resolve to record whatever information I deem important for someone else to know about. So, with that, here it goes:

For the next Sports Boosters meeting, I need to prepare a budget showing the actuals of what was spent last fall. It's in the Boosters by-laws, that a commissioner provides this within three months of the season being over. Right now, I cannot even submit a complete report, because we have two bills outstanding. One is for the referee fees, which is one of the big ones! Hopefully, I will soon hear from Geoff Smith, the Irondale football commissioner. He coordinates the hiring of referees and the billing. He will be sending me a bill for our portion of the games.

I need to know how much money we will have in our account once I pay the referee fee to Irondale. Then, I can decide what if anything we should get for football equipment: shoulder pads, pants. Also, we may be getting a grant from Hennepin County for sports facilities improvements. It's all part of the MN Twins stadium being built. Money has been set aside for helping communities build fields, etc. Sports Boosters put in for an amount of money to be used for putting up lights on the C3 field. With this, we would have another lighted field for teams to practice on. The older kids end up scrounging around for lighted field space once the days start getting shorter. We need to determine how much money the football program can contribute towards the grant money that will come in. So, yeh... I need to figure how much dough I have to work with!