| The Challenge Before Us (January 2003) |
By Janet Rayfield
“President of the NSCAA”
I first encountered that title 22 years ago under Bob Nye’s signature on my All-America certificate. Little did I know that coaching and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America would be such a vital part of my future. As honored as I was to receive that All-America distinction, it will be an even a greater honor to sign above that title for this year’s All-Americas. The NSCAA legacy is full of legendary coaches and extraordinary people. It is both daunting and inspiring to follow in the footsteps of so many people that I have admired as a player and coach throughout my soccer career. I am extremely excited about the upcoming year and the future that lies before us and am truly honored to serve as the NSCAA’s 55th president.
Four years ago the NSCAA had its first female president, Laurie Whitsel. She remains a role model, an inspiration and a friend. As I reread each of Laurie’s “corner” articles, I was surprised by the parallels between her tenure and the year that lies ahead. Once again the NSCAA will have a female president in a Women’s World Cup year. In 1999 the challenge was to regain the title that had been taken from us four years before in Sweden and to do it on our home soil. A greater challenge was to sell the game and the women who play it so the Rose Bowl would not be “too large,” as skeptics predicted.
The American women were up to BOTH challenges. What a great memory for all of us! This year, as the Women’s World Cup returns to China, where the inaugural tournament was held, the challenge will be to travel to foreign soil and defend the trophy we worked so hard to regain. Julie, Mia, Kristine, Joy and Brandi, this time you will not return in anonymity. Your untiring efforts have assured that, and we thank you. In 1999, Laurie wrote to the team “may your tenacious spirit last through the final minute.” Ditto. GO U.S.A.!
Laurie spent three years as the Vice President of Education and was working with a strategic plan that placed great emphasis on NSCAA’s educational programs. The first step of that educational vision was the hiring of a full-time Director of Coaching Education. As we head into 2003, the strategic initiatives developed two years ago under the leadership of Jim Thieser place great emphasis on marketing the Association.
The NSCAA has grown from approximately 40 members in 1941 to more than 16,000 today. The Board understands the task it faces at this time is to find resources and partnerships that will allow us to grow and expand our educational programs, greater serve our larger membership and extend our knowledge and expertise to the ever-growing soccer community. Partnership is a key word, because through partnerships we maintain the family atmosphere that always has made the NSCAA such a great association. Partners are more than sponsors: they are part of the family.
Once again, the first step is the creation of a full-time position for someone with the marketing expertise to carry out that challenge. I am happy to say that we have accomplished that step and are excited about the newest member of our national office staff, Chris Wyche. As the first full-time Director of Marketing for the NSCAA, Chris already has created a buzz of excitement with his plans and ideas for building on the strengths and reputation of the NSCAA, one of the premier coaching organizations in the world. Understand that this will be a year to build our marketing foundation, determine our assets, evaluate our strengths and cultivate the partnerships that enable us to sustain membership growth and provide greater membership services. Chris and I both understand we must plant the seeds and diligently cultivate them before we can have a harvest. Please welcome Chris as he takes on this great challenge.
My three years as Vice President of Marketing and Awards has been an education in the world of marketing. I learned the true meaning of terms like “brand equity” and witnessed the ins and out of contract negotiations. We have successfully negotiated our continued relationship with adidas and are excited about extending our partnership with the addition of the adidas College Soccer Scoreboard to our website. We partnered with McDonald’s and Powerade to sponsor the first All American High School Soccer Games and look forward to the second edition in June. Our relationship with Goal Sporting Goods has been renewed and we are proud of all the relationships we have developed within the soccer community — they are true partnerships. I am excited to see our family grow during the next year.
As we move forward with our marketing strategies and increase the NSCAA’s visibility, membership will grow. Sixteen thousand will become 20,000, maybe 25,000. New members will bring new ideas and fresh input. We will benefit from growth. But growth brings with it a different set of challenges. Laurie spoke to one of these in her May/June article four years ago, addressing the fears of some founding members that the Association was getting too big. She said the challenge then was to “maintain our focus as the association for the professional development of soccer coaches in the United States.” I agree with Laurie — if we can do this, we can “be big and still be successful in our mission.”
Laurie also spoke highly of the women who had paved the way and those that inspired her and other women to become active members and visible leaders within the association. She commended the work of Louise Waxler and the Women’s Committee. That work included getting me involved and encouraging me to run for an office on the Executive Board. It is only fitting that Louise now sits on the Executive Committee and could soon (it goes faster than you think) become the NSCAA’s third female president.
However, we must continue to foster and encourage diversity within the Association. As the Association grows and reaches into the diverse groups that make up the soccer community, we must encourage participation and leadership from members of each of those groups. In 1999, we had our first female president. When will we have a man or woman of color in this position? When will the gender and ethnicity of our presidents vary from year to year? It will happen only when people from all backgrounds and all corners of the game get involved.
Marketing also is getting the word out. The buzz words may be “brand awareness” and “brand equity,” but the bottom line is that we have a great thing here and we need to let people know about it. We must extend our reach to all soccer communities around the world that share the task of coaching young players in this great sport. It is our mission to provide professional support, education and recognition to the entire soccer community.
I invite all of you interested in helping us to foster that mission to become an active part of this wonderful family. Be more than a member. Get involved in the leadership and volunteer efforts that are the heart of the NSCAA. Become an evangelist for the organization. Help us grow our family of corporate and personal partners. Chris has a significant challenge ahead of him, but a task force of 16,000 assistants will help make the job a little easier!
I am the second oldest in my family of seven. Being second has its advantages. The road is paved and many of the unknown challenges have been overcome. The disadvantage is that the predecessor gets to set the standard by which all followers are measured. Laurie, thank you for paving the way, and thank you for setting such high standards. I will do my best to carry the torch you lit, and I hope that 2003 can be a year of success equal to 1999.
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