| Janet Rayfield |
This article was published in May 2005.
NSCAA Past President Janet Rayfield has been active in soccer on all levels. As an All-America player at North Carolina, she captained a team that won an AIAW National Championship and an NCAA Championship. She is second on the Tar Heels' all-time list with 93 career goals. She has been just as successful as a coach. She made stops at the Texas Spirit Soccer Club and the University of Arkansas and was ODP Staff Coach in Arkansas and U.S. Soccer Staff Coach. Now she is the head coach at the University of Illinois. She is an "A" licensed coach and has won coach of the year honors at every level. In 2003, she became only the second woman to ascend to the NSCAA presidency.
When did you decide to become a soccer coach? Why?
I actually coached starting at the age of 14. However, I was adamant until 1990 that it remain a hobby and not a profession. I decided to make my passion my profession and left the computer industry to become a college coach. It was a decision to do what I loved so that I could love what I did everyday. I was fortunate enough to have the freedom and flexibility to follow that ideal.
What are the most important ingredients for a successful team?
At this level, discipline and dedicated talent. Talent without dedication and discipline is not enough and discipline and dedication without talent have limitations. The discipline and dedication come from the environment that surrounds the team and is an area where I think a coach can have a big influence.
When building a team, what is the first thing you look for?
Dedicated talent -- talent, I think, is defined by a special attribute that a player does better than the rest of their peers. It is not always the same attribute but it is something that separates them and makes them special.
Who were your coaching mentors? What was the best advice you have received from them or anyone in regards to coaching?
From a strict soccer perspective I can list many coaches who have influenced the knowledge base and the personality I have as a coach -- Anson Dorrance, Marcia McDermott, April Heinrichs, Jeff Pill and John Bernardi, my first soccer coach. But I also think I have mentors like my parents and coaches in all sports who taught me the value of doing anything you do to the best of your ability. Marcia McDermott's story of the last to first process for the Carolina Courage may have been the most meaningful piece of advice I have recieved from a coaching perspective. It is about making and sticking to a plan -- and making sure that everyone buys into that plan and makes decisions that are in line with the plan. It defined for me the process of building success.
How do you define a championship team? What are the most important aspects of a championship team?
I think beyond the dedication and talent we talked about above a championship team has a special blend of confidence and humility. The result is an expectation of success with a willingness to work harder than anyone else to achieve it.
Does a player come with motivation? Or, is that something a coach can teach?
Players at this level must have it. There must be something that drives them to put the time and energy and effort that it takes to be great. But the source of motivation is different for each player. A coach must look to find it, enhance it, and use it to bring the best out in the athlete.
What are three adjectives that best describe in your mind the perfect coach?
Well, I know that no coch is perfect -- at least not all the time. But one that is striving for that is knowledgeable, has great integrity, and is a great teacher.
Does a coach need a philosophy to be successful? What is your philosophy? Has it changed over time?
I think a coach needs a philosophy in order to be consistent and not to be reactionary to the wins and losses and ups and downs that are a part of the world of competitive sports. I think my philosophy has matured and most importantly I have found the courage to commit to that philosophy and be confident in the long term success that will provide.
Is it important for a coach to be liked by his/her players?
I think most of us agree that respect is critical -- admiration is secondary.
Looking back on your career, what events gave you the most satisfaction?
There are certain wins, including a Big Ten Tournament title that are certainly memorable moments. But I think the most satisfying moment as a coach was when an athlete knocked on my door in a hotel one evening in the midst of a six-game losing streak to say thank you. She said, "Thank you for the opportunity to play here. My life would have beeen so different. I just needed you to know that." That moment I will never forget.
Is a coach born with leadership skills? Or can they be learned?
Both, because leadership is about using your strengths to recognize and enhance the strengths of others. Like many other attributes, I think everyone has leadership potential they are born with, and experience, effort, and education can maximize that potential.
Can a coach create a competitor? Or is that something the player brings to the team?
I think that a coach can create an environment that brings the competitor out of the players. That environment also becomes "self-selecting" -- only competitors seeks out that type of environment. You know when you have found one when thier eyes light up as you describe the day-to-day competition they will face as part of your program.
Can teams really learn from losing?
Not only can, but they must.
Is there a formula for success? Are there any shortcuts to success?
Every team should have a plan -- you might call that a formula but it will not be the same for any two teams and rest assured that the relentless pursuit of excellence must be a part of every plan. No shortcuts exist.
What is more important, game preparation or in-game adjustments?
To me, they are tied together. In-game adjustments are making choices based on scenarios you have prepared for prior to the game -- if I have prepared well the in-game adjustments are part of that preparation.
How important is discipline on a soccer team?
You can tell I think it is critical. We like to talk about accountability as much as discipline. Discipline is holding yourself and your teammates accountable to the goals and plan that we have all agreed to.
How does a coach create respect for himself/herself in the eyes of the players?
Integrity, honesty and consistency. No short cuts here either.
How important is goal setting?
Team goals, coaching goals, winn-loss goals? Goals are the first step of creating the plan. Set the target, devise the plan and dedicate yourself to that end.
What was the biggest mistake you made in your coaching career?
Not trusting my own instincts.
How would you describe yourself as a coach?
Analytical, logical more than emotional, educational.
Have you changed as a coach during your career?
Yes, every experience both on and off the field I think affects you as a coach. All the experiences -- good and bad as they seemed at the time -- have resulted in growth as a person and as a coach.
What advice would you give a coach just starting in the profession?
Learn, learn, learn -- from any and everyone and from all the experiences that you have. Go and pursue education -- not just on the game of soccer but on nutrition, and psychology and leadership. Knowledge is the foundation you need to build first.
How has the game changed during your career?
Just as a sport, the athleticism in the game has increased tremendously from the time I was playing as an athlete. Off the field, the exposure and success of the sport have increased the popularity and the public interest in the sport. This has created some great opportunities for young women but it has also made finding the passion for the game (rather than for the opportunities the game provides) harder to find.
How did you get involved in soccer?
We moved from one neighborhood to another the summer before I started the fourth grade and it was the YMCA program, new that year, that still had slots open for that summer. So the Rayfield children were all signed up. I have been playing and/or coaching every since.
What is the biggest difference between coaching youth and elite players?
The source of enjoyment becomes more complex for the elite player -- the key is find what makes it fun and rewarding for both groups. The goal for both is to create a fun but challenging environment -- the details of accomplishing that will be different for the two groups. |
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