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Tips and Tools to Help Coaching Coordinators Train Volunteers

The Coaching Coordinator is an elected member of a local league’s Board of Directors and represents to the managers and coaches in the league. It is not necessary, but highly-recommended that the Coaching Coordinator have previous Little League® coaching experience.

In this role, the individual elected is tasked with creating an opportunity to raise the level of confidence, improve the teaching acumen, and instill the importance of mentoring that are inherent to Little League managers and coaches.

The Coaching Coordinator’s responsibilities also include organizing educational clinics throughout the year; leading other coaching-related training in collaboration with the district; serving as the contact person for Little League and its manager-coach education initiatives;  and serve as a representative to the Board for this group of constituents.

Even though team managers in any given local Little League are nominated by the League President and voted on by the Board of Directors, all volunteer managers and coaches are entitled to, and expected to receive, training and education opportunities offered by the league.

Too often, local leagues host a single preseason meeting after the managers have been approved and coaches selected. Let it be known that one meeting is simply not sufficient to provide the guidance and support to these volunteers.

The best time to offer managers and coaches training is during the training and development season in the fall and throughout the off-season and winter months. By utilizing the assortment of resources available online at the Little League University, attending LLU on the Road training sessions, or hosting a rules clinic coordinated by your district staff, there are several ways to build the confidence and abilities of the managers and coaches in your league.

To organize and operate a training program for volunteers in your league, follow these easy steps:

Gain approval from your current Board of Directors

Even though a local league’s fiscal year ends at the end of September, present a budget request/proposal at the start of the current fiscal year that sets aside funds to put on a training clinic during the months of September, October, and November. The request/proposal should include:

  • The proposed location(s) of the meeting space(s) (rental cost if applicable)
  • Expected number of attendees (based on the number of teams in your league’s various divisions from the season just completed)
  • Training materials needed (printed handouts, rulebooks, etc.)
  • Audio and video equipment needs (laptop, projector, microphone, sound system, etc., Internet access, rental cost if applicable)
  • Refreshments (food, drink, snacks if applicable)

Type of training to be presented

Training and education can come in many forms. Taylor the training to the audience and make it interactive.

  • If outside at a field complex, be sure the facility meets Little League’s A Safety Awareness Program (ASAP) guidelines to help protect against accidents and injury.
  • Enlist local Little Leaguers® of appropriate age to assist in the education presentation.
  • Be specific with the topics to be covered, while guarding against being too detailed.
  • Keep the activities simple – use common terms – when discussing rules and regulations.
  • If inside, highlight the points that are most relevant to the audience.
  • Use a module approach, so attendees can consume the information in manageable amounts.

Consider scheduling regular coaches meetings

Keeping coaches current with rules, regulations, and polices is important in the continuing education process.

  • Presenting multiple meetings with an agenda of topics to be covered helps condition coaches and managers to learn through pointed training.
  • A meeting each month provides a forum to discuss ideas for different practice methods.
  • Inviting coaches and managers to regularly-scheduled training shows an appreciation by the Board of Directors to support the coaches during the offseason.
  • Building trust that the meetings will be relevant to all managers and coaches, regardless of years of service, helps to maintain regular attendance.
  • Using the offseason for training keeps coaches interested in returning to the program next season, even if they intend to manager or coach at a higher division.