In this post I talked about getting hired as the Technical Director for a new Juniors club forming in South Carolina – Charleston Academy. You might be wondering what that is and why I took the job. Good questions.
What is a Technical Director?
Let me start by explaining the role of the Technical Director (TD). It’s not a position very many Juniors clubs in the States have, after all.
A TD is generally speaking the person in charge of the coaching direction of a club. That can include a few different roles, depending on the organization. One of the biggest is to establish preferred coaching methods, and to make sure the coaches are all working in the same direction. Another is the hiring and ongoing assessment of coaches. There’s also a coaching educational and developmental element to the position. The TD generally also coordinates with others such as the strength (performance) coach, sports psychologist, analyst, and other support functions within the club.
For many Juniors clubs – in the US and abroad – different people share the duties of a TD. The Club Director, for example, is often responsible for much, if not all, of the stuff I outlined. Senior coaches might decide on the club’s philosophy and/or coaching education. It depends on the size and resources of the organization.
Why did I want to be Technical Director?
So why was I interested in a role like this?
I will grant, not having a team of my own to coach is a bit of a drawback. In my position as TD for Charleston Academy, I won’t have my own team. Instead, I’ll be responsible for the coaching of all the teams. I’ll miss that day-to-day element of, for example, being a college coach.
That said, the TD position allows me to follow a real passion of mine, which is coaching education. You might have guessed that from my work on this blog and Volleyball Coaching Wizards. 🙂
Not only will I be a sort of coaches’ coach in this job, I will be expected to see what others have going on in their coaching and bring new ideas back to the organization. That’s something I really look forward to doing.
Why Charleston Academy?
Admittedly, if you asked me after I left Midwestern State in May whether I had any interest in working for a Juniors club I would have said, “No”. I’ve been in that arena. I couldn’t see going back there again in my future. This, though, is why I keep an open mind.
Charleston Academy is a different animal than the vast majority of clubs. It is part of an organization with some serious financial and business clout. All the primary roles will have full-time employees in them – to include the head coaches. We’re going to have a seriously strong coaching staff, which I’m really excited to work with. We’re also going to have our own facility, which is a big deal.
Yes, this is a new club, which means there are a lot of open questions about what will happen. That’s fine. Life makes few guarantees. Part of the attraction is the fact that there seems to be lots of opportunity to grow volleyball in the Charleston area. It’ll be a big component of what we do.
The organization is also very ambitious – both the club itself and higher up. I think that’s going to present some interesting opportunities in the future.
I’m looking forward to seeing where it all goes.
6 Steps to Better Practices - Free Guide
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter today and get this free guide to making your practices the best, along with loads more coaching tips and information.
