I can tell you what DOESN'T make a good club based on the absolute basket case of a club I know
o Team placements that are not consistent and not transparent
o "Try outs" that are a complete joke. Teams have already been decided before the day.
o No feedback from previous season's coaches used when placing players in teams.
o No formal assessment of players used in placement process.
o Favouritism to certain players
o Personal attacks on parents by the CD when he is asked a simple question.
o No follow through on promises made to inspire players.
o Too much focus on height, not skills or fitness
o Inconsistent in approach to managing kids
o Favouritism to kids moving from other clubs - need to one up to attract then to the club.
o Kids placed in teams higher than their ability in order to keep their siblings in other teams.
o If you can't commit to both seasons, then shouldn’t play Div 1, yet one season players actively sought for short term gain.
o No rotations due to performances. Teams are set.
o Mum complains so "little Johnny" gets a rotation in Div 1 to shut her up.
o Focus on some kids, not others
o Pigeon holing of kids. "I don't rate him"
o Pre-conceived ideas on kids – no open mind, can’t see the best in kids.
o No comraderie in teams
o Too much variation in teams from season to season
o Favouritism to one season country players
o Country players that don’t come to trainings, yet are starting in Div 1
o Parents who don’t contribute to the club on committees or volunteer
o Financial burdon due to reduced fees to favoured kids
o Kids who suck the club dry for their own benefit then pull out after Nationals
o Kids who only play one season
o Kids selected in Div 1 because they go to a certain school
o Bias against local players who are there for the long term
o Poor Discipline
o No consequences for training non-attendances
o Too many hollow promises to try to keep kids playing
o Group punishments when the same players give lip all the time
o Div 1 coaches that don't turn up to all trainings
o Div 1 coaches that turn up to Sunday trainings hung over
o Lack of constructive, positive feedback to kids
o Coaches that talk poorly to kids and put them down
o Coaches verbally abusing kids
o Coaches over-reacting to parents and then form long term resentment
o General Play style changes too often (one season it's dribble drive, then it's something else in winter, then something again)
o Club play style that encourages bag hogs
o No focus on teamwork – focus is on players getting to next level such as SASI to boost the ego of the CD.
o No clear instructions from coaches to players
o No winning culture at the club
o No individual plans for kids to development them - no feedback
o CD who prefers email communications due to his poor inter-personal skills
o Too many players on a team – 10 and 11 is too much.
o Dumb coaching style – not methodical
o Have a coaches handbook, but it is not used
o Difference in coaching styles between boys and girls
o Emphasis needs to be on playing rules, not playing set plays
o Good clubs tend to keep kids together as a team more
o Good clubs worry about the team first, then the player
o Good clubs rotate players if required based on performance.
o Bad club: once team is set for season, that’s it
o A significantly lower turnover at the “better” clubs.
o Higher comraderie at better clubs
o Better clubs have a winning attitude
o Always looking for “next big thing” - "He's gunna be massive"
o Always focusing on next season, not current season.
o Always making excuses why teams don’t win “they’re a young developing team”
o Group Punishments when the same players always muck around
o Coaches and CD Swearing at players
o Patronising tone to players by Coaches and CD
o Coaching Director who tells a 12 yo girl she would be a good basketballer if "she lost a bit of weight" (Why am I surprised she stopped playing and 4 of her friends stopped playing)
o Coaching Director who tells a team after a game that they are "useless, and an embarrassment to the Club"
o Coaching Director who tells a team after a game they "would be better off if they had stayed in the carpark"
o Coaching Director who is insecure and who tells a parent to "F&^% Off" when a coach has asked for their assistance.
o Coaching Director who drops a starting PG from Div 1 to Div 2 to make way for "the next big thing", or for the "next big thing" to drop out after a few games.
o Personal attack on one child because they have a school commitment and cant play a tournament, yet one of the favoured kids misses the same tournament to go paint balling for their birthday.
o Player promised a Div 1 spot because he is such a good player, then can't play summer so when he returns for winter, is offered a Div 3 spot.
Sound like a good club to be associated with?
This club has a long line of past players who have no time for the club and have had the passion for the game sucked out of them. This club should be a force in the local competition, but with all these issues, no wonder they are always struggling, have kids moving to other clubs, have coaches moving to other clubs, brag about kids going to college yet can't get into finals, and are constantly looking for new players to fill the voids created by their own ineptitude.
