The life of an Athletic Director and a Coach

In the athletic realm, most athletic directors in high school are also the head coach of a sport. Many large high schools are trying to eliminate that way of thinking. How important is it for Athletic Directors to focus solely on administration?

Seeing huge success in the college sports world with this type of split has led to many inquires if this is the route to go. Having the AD only handling the administration, and letting the coach focus on coaching duties can be very lucrative for a program. In Dual Role of Physical Education Teacher-Athletic Directors in Korean Secondary Schools discussed how being a teacher, coach, and athletic director can lead to high burnout.  The AD who doesn’t worry about the coaching side can really put their energy into building a great administration.  In high school, sometimes you even see the AD be a head coach and a teacher. In Leadership Implications and Ethical Solutions Of Athletic Directors In Producing a Successful Division 1-A Football Program, it states the pressing need for financial dependency of collegiate football, as well as the importance of attracting the best prospective recruits, can be considered high stress experiences for athletic directors. Being the head coach can add more stress on top of that. Having a split responsibility can lead to better production on the coaching and athletic administration side. Coaching is a very time consuming job. When being able just to focus on that the outcome can be better. They don’t have to worry about dealing with issues like title IX when they can just focus on coaching. An athletic director’s job can be just as much time consuming as a coach. To carry a double load can be very much so detrimental to one’s ability to do their job well. It is precisely like any other thing; the more energy you have to put into one area of focus, the better the outcome.

 

References

Orlando, M. (2012). LEADERSHIP IMPLICATIONS AND ETHICAL SOLUTIONS OF ATHLETIC DIRECTORS IN PRODUCING A SUCCESSFUL DIVISION 1-A FOOTBALL PROGRAM. Review Of Management Innovation & Creativity, 5(14), 81-87.

Ha, J., Hums, M. A., & Greenwell, T. (2011). Dual Role of Physical Education Teacher-Athletic Directors in Korean Secondary Schools. Physical Educator, 68(4), 221-233.