Bring On 2021
Readying to rev up programs
By John Engh
Photo: NAYS
I don’t think it’s just me. I think we are all looking forward to putting 2020 in the rearview mirror. It’s more than a bit ironic that the year with the name associated with clear vision was one of the most unpredictable we have ever known. And even though we learned the old adage about the best laid plans or Murphy’s Law or whatever you want to say about or attach to the chaos of 2020, planning is as important as ever in looking ahead to 2021.
More than ever, the lessons so many of us learned while growing up and playing youth sports have become valuable during these tumultuous times. The idea that persistence and resiliency are inherent values that one attains by playing sports was never more apparent than during this year.
A Look Back
Like many organizations, NAYS operates on a fiscal year that begins in July, so December is our “midyear.” Every year at this time, we review the previous six months to evaluate how we are doing with the goals we set for the year and look forward to the next six months. Of course, this year’s outlook going into July was the worst in 39 years of operation, and I know many of you can certainly relate. With hardly any youth sports happening, we were lucky to be able to rely on the sound decisions and safety net we created in order to get through a tough year. In fact, the goal for the last six months was to prepare for the spring of 2021 to make sure the organization is as strong as ever; hopefully, that applies to your organizations, too, and that we witness a return to youth sports that is even better and stronger than before the pandemic arrived and tipped our lives upside down.
Our staff understands that youth-sports administrators normally work at about 120 percent when seasons are in full swing. The problem is youth sports have changed drastically over the last 40 years. When we started in 1981, each sport had specific seasons—but not anymore! Almost every sport is year-round, and while administrators have done a good job getting the word out that young kids should be playing multiple sports with sufficient down time rather than year-round specialization in one pursuit, many times those words fall on deaf ears as parents fear their child will fall behind others. So that creates administrators who are working 120 percent almost year-round.
Take Inventory
But 2020 has given all of us an opportunity to take a step back and evaluate what we are doing well with our programs, and to look at the things that need improvement. We operate on the idea that there should be a professional, or a number of professionals, overseeing all of the elements of the programs on our fields and courts. All of the programs in our communities rely on volunteers, so having quality standards in place that ensure each person involved is sufficiently screened, trained, evaluated, and held accountable is more important than ever.
With the end of this crazy year upon us and with it the holidays, there’s a good chance you won’t be operating at 120 percent for a couple of weeks. If you are able, take the time and make a list of what you are doing well in your programs, and those items that might need some work. Is the volunteer experience the best it can be? Are volunteers they sufficiently trained? Are the kids and their parents knowledgeable about your programs? Have you looked at your background screening process to make sure it is sufficient? Do you have good recognition-programs in place?
I’m sure you can put together a long list, and hopefully it makes you feel good about the job you are doing. I know one thing for sure—the next six months have to be better than the last six. Here’s to 2021!
John Engh is executive director of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) in West Palm Beach, Fla. He can be reached via email at jengh@nays.org. To join more than 3,000 communities by starting a NAYS Member Organization, visit www.nays.org, email nays@nays.org or call (800) 729-2057.