Identification & Development of mentors at club juvenile level

[agorm]

I was wondering if posters could share their experiences and give some details in relation to their own clubs.

My question relates to how you go about identifying the best people to take over juvenile teams, persuading them to take the team on and also developing the coaching skills of such mentors.
Questions such as

1. Do you keep continuity as a particular group of players move up the ranks?
2. At what age group do you make a conscious effort to get the best mentors possible?
3. Is it always a parent of the particular age group that takes on the lead role?
4. How many mentors are associated with a team? Who does the training & who does the admin work, sending texts out etc.?
5. If mentors move with a team, do you have a team for each age (8,9,10,11,12 etc) or just keep it every 2 years as their games are generally u-12, u-14 etc. Would there be an issue of possibly losing a mentor that is not needed?
6. How do you go about attracting ex players to mentoring even though they may not have kids playing?
7.Have you ever organised events to attract parents that never show an interest? Does it ever work?

I probably have more queries but I would appreciate feedback on it.

[heffo]

I was wondering if posters could share their experiences and give some details in relation to their own clubs.

My question relates to how you go about identifying the best people to take over juvenile teams, persuading them to take the team on and also developing the coaching skills of such mentors.
Questions such as

1. Do you keep continuity as a particular group of players move up the ranks?
2. At what age group do you make a conscious effort to get the best mentors possible?
3. Is it always a parent of the particular age group that takes on the lead role?
4. How many mentors are associated with a team? Who does the training & who does the admin work, sending texts out etc.?
5. If mentors move with a team, do you have a team for each age (8,9,10,11,12 etc) or just keep it every 2 years as their games are generally u-12, u-14 etc. Would there be an issue of possibly losing a mentor that is not needed?
6. How do you go about attracting ex players to mentoring even though they may not have kids playing?
7.Have you ever organised events to attract parents that never show an interest? Does it ever work?

I probably have more queries but I would appreciate feedback on it.

From my club:

1. Yes if possible
2. There wouldn't be an effort to replace an incumbent unless there was an issue - if a weak mentor was indentified an attempt would be made to provide assistance
3. Not necessarily
4. it depends - some teams may have 3/4 other may have two - workload would be shared.
5. One team for each year
6. Run regular foundation level courses as an introduction to coaching - approach people directly
7. Yes - have BBQ's/Family day's/Juvenile section social nights to introduce parents into the club and get them to meet others in a similar situation

[Zulu]

I was wondering if posters could share their experiences and give some details in relation to their own clubs.

My question relates to how you go about identifying the best people to take over juvenile teams, persuading them to take the team on and also developing the coaching skills of such mentors.
Questions such as

1. Do you keep continuity as a particular group of players move up the ranks?
2. At what age group do you make a conscious effort to get the best mentors possible?
3. Is it always a parent of the particular age group that takes on the lead role?
4. How many mentors are associated with a team? Who does the training & who does the admin work, sending texts out etc.?
5. If mentors move with a team, do you have a team for each age (8,9,10,11,12 etc) or just keep it every 2 years as their games are generally u-12, u-14 etc. Would there be an issue of possibly losing a mentor that is not needed?
6. How do you go about attracting ex players to mentoring even though they may not have kids playing?
7.Have you ever organised events to attract parents that never show an interest? Does it ever work?

I probably have more queries but I would appreciate feedback on it.

1. Depends, if the mentors are willing to go up along the ranks they usually do. However I strongly disagree with this policy though in fairness it is often the most practical one.
2. Not really done in my club as it is often whoever is willing though I would be in favour of getting the best coaches in from U6 - U12 even if that means working a rotation policy, overseen by one ot two consant coaches.
3. No not always but generally, especially from U6 - U12
4. Number of mentors varies and work is shared.
5. We have U7, U9 U11 and U13 teams as well but the mentors of the year above look after them e.g. the U12's coaches take the U11 team as well.
6. We simply ask them but we don't have too much luck though I think what we do is terrible and not enough is done to develop coaches.
7. Not really and again it is an area we are really weak in.