| Reflecting Our Growth (March 2004) |
By Jim Sheldon
In 1991, the NSCAA membership stood at 8,500 and the annual budget at $800,000. Thirteen years later, the membership exceeds 17,000 and the budget is at $3 million.
Times have changed and, now, so has the NSCAA’s governance structure. During a strategic planning session in 2001, the NSCAA Board of Directors identified as a major goal the need to restructure our governance. That was reaffirmed last summer when the Board reviewed the strategic plan.
With that reaffirmation, the Executive Committee and staff undertook an examination late last year of how the Association is governed. That process culminated with approval by the Board at its meeting during the Charlotte Convention of a new structure, which also was presented to the membership at the annual meeting. While probably not earth-shaking to those 17,000 members, the restructuring was designed to address the realities of the modern-day NSCAA.
The core of the NSCAA bylaws was drafted in 1982 when the Association incorporated. Those bylaws underwent considerable revision in 1991 when the NSCAA prepared to hire its first full-time employee, an executive director.
During the 1990s, the only substantive change to the bylaws and the governance structure was the elimination of geographically-based representation on the Board in favor of a more constituent-based model. What was not done in the last decade, but became increasingly evident, was development of a structure that recognized the organization’s growth.
No longer is the NSCAA an organization without full-time employees. We have now grown to a full-time staff of 11 in our headquarters. No longer does the NSCAA offer a handful of member programs and services. A quick navigation of our web site provides an overview of the wide-ranging menu of offerings to members. No longer does the NSCAA rely almost exclusively on the daily (and selfless) hands-on work of volunteer members. The staff now assumes most operational responsibilities.
The goal of the reorganization is essentially two-fold:
- Recognize the staff’s operational role, while insuring that proper oversight is in place.
- Free the Board and Executive Committee to play a more strategic role in planning the NSCAA’s future.
The most obvious change is that the three vice-presidents will no longer have functional titles (e.g., Vice-President for Marketing and Awards). All officers, including the vice-presidents, will rotate through various responsibilities, both in terms of operational liaison and budgetary oversight, during their years on the Executive Committee. In preparation for that rotation, each officer will spend a year in “training” prior to assuming the duties outlined in the organizational chart.
An indirect benefit of this structure should be more well-rounded officers, ones that have been exposed to all areas of the NSCAA rather than just focusing on one during three years as a vice-president.
Our standing committee structure also has been altered. Remaining are committees that are still operationally hands-on due to the lack of full-time staff dedicated to that function. Where staff is in place to handle daily operations, advisory councils have been established to strategically guide those staff members.
Each committee and advisory council shall have liaisons from the Executive Committee. Officers’ liaison and budgetary responsibilities will insure appropriate oversight. Meanwhile, the Board and officers will be free to devote more time to strategic planning, policy setting and the commonly accepted functions of non-profit board members.
With these changes comes the understanding that nothing is set in stone. The changes better reflect the reality of the present-day NSCAA and provide a platform for future growth. However, flexibility remains to meet new or unexpected challenges.
Should you have any questions about the restructuring, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the national office.
Highlights of the NSCAA Governance Restructure
Board of Directors
- Composition remains unchanged – six officers (Executive Committee), 10 constituent representatives (men’s and women’s pro, college, high school and youth), two at-large representatives.
- Overall responsibilities focus on the NSCAA mission, planning, monitoring programs/services, selecting and assessing the Executive Director, financial oversight, ensuring resources, ensuring legal and ethical integrity, assessing its own performance as well as recruiting and orienting new Board members, and enhancing the NSCAA’s public image.
Executive Committee
- Composition remains unchanged – President, three Vice-Presidents, Secretary and Past President.
- Vice-Presidents no longer have functional titles (e.g., Conventions, Education, Marketing & Awards). Instead they are designated as Third, Second and First Vice-Presidents.
- Overall responsibilities are the same as the Board’s, acting between Board meetings.
- Specific responsibilities include: oversight of audit and finance, bylaws, nominations, salary and appointments.
- Each officer has individual oversight responsibility for areas of the budget and serves as a liaison to specific committees or councils.
- As Executive Committee members progress through the six offices, they gain a complete orientation in all aspects of the NSCAA through their oversight responsibilities while relying on staff to implement.
Standing Committees & Advisory Councils
- Structure has changed to reflect old committee work now handled by the Executive Committee and to keep or establish committees in programming areas where no full-time staff are dedicated to the program. Where there is dedicated full-time staff, former committees have changed to advisory councils or new advisory councils were created.
- One member of the Executive Committee and one staff member serves as a liaison to each committee and advisory council.
- As much as possible, committees and advisory councils shall reflect the gender, ethnic, racial and (where appropriate) constituent diversity of the NSCAA.
- Committees shall be responsible for policy-setting, management and operations within their purview and shall assist staff in implementation, if necessary. Advisory councils shall advise staff or other individuals and may assist in implementation if needed/requested.
- Standing Committees: Awards, College, Convention, Diversity, Ethics, Foundation, Women’s. (Pro, High School and Youth Committees may be established.)
- Advisory Councils: Academy, Governor’s, Marketing, Membership, Soccer Journal Editorial.
- Ad Hoc Committees and/or Task Forces will be appointed for short-term, project-specific duties.
|
|
| The Technical Area, NSCAA eNewsletter |
 |
|
|
 |
| Soccer Journal - Published seven times a year in print and once annually online, Soccer Journal is the Official Publication of NSCAA and is one of the few publications in the world produced exclusively for soccer coaches. learn more |
| Insurance - Members in the United States automatically receive $1 million in professional liability insurance, providing coverage for most soccer-related activities. learn more |
| Academy Programs - The benchmark of soccer coaching education is the NSCAA Coaching Academy program. learn more |
| Convention - The NSCAA Convention is "The World's Largest Annual Gathering of Soccer Coaches." Held each January learn more |
| Awards and Recognition - The NSCAA administers an outstanding awards and recognition program which includes Coach of the Year, All-America, long-term service and special recognition awards, designed to recognize excellence in soccer, academics and service to the game. learn more |
| Licensed Apparel - A full line of distinctive coaching gear sets you apart as a member of the NSCAA through our licensed apparel program with adidas. learn more |
| For more details, please proceed to the Benefits of NSCAA Membership Page |
|
|
