I love working with coaches. This week I had conversations with two passionate high school soccer coaches. We talked about the importance of “buy in” and how off-season commitment is so crucial to in-season success. One of those coaches has led his team to multiple state championships and the other one is looking to turn a program around.

When I talk with coaches about building successful programs I think of two words, relationships and culture. This wouldn’t have been the case 17 years ago when I became a head coach. I probably would have used words like talent, training, schedule and competition. Those are still good words, but they aren’t the words that build programs that last.

The goal is to build a culture based on strong relationships where your athletes WANT to be there. If they want to be there then you are off to a good start. We’d all like teams with great abilities. But the single most important ability is availability! If you can cultivate a group that makes themselves available to the team, you can do great things!