As football coaches, do we prioritize and address the issues that affect our student-athletes and the great game of football?
In the state of Kentucky, we have experienced changes in restrictions for June and July regarding what we can and can’t do. The way things are now, we can only play 7-on-7 in July. We made that concession so that basketball could not do team activities in July. Basically, basketball and baseball get June and football gets July for team activities with other schools. We can still lift weights, condition, and work on football in June, but we cannot work with another school.
We are currently working through when we can put on helmets, shoulder pads, and full gear. As I write this blog, even I am unsure of exactly when we can do what and how that will change, and I am a member of the KHSAA Football Advisory Committee. This past season, we were able to put on helmets on July 10, but were not covered with catastrophic insurance until July 22. Beginning on July 22nd, we were allowed to wear helmets for three days, then helmets and shoulder pads for three days. We were allowed to begin full gear on August 1st, but with restrictions on how much contact we can have and how much time we can actually be in full gear.
Many coaches in the state of Kentucky are angry about these restrictions and feel that they are hurting the great game of football in our state.
I share their concern about acclimatization and I am not crazy about all of the restictions. But, I believe in our state, our coaches are focusing on the wrong issues.
If someone truly wants to make football better in Kentucky and their community, approach a school board member and/or administrator and ask for these three things (1 & 3 especially):
1- Adequate assistant coach pay, fully funded coaching staffs, and as many coaches being teachers as possible in the building. It is tougher and tougher to find quality young coaches who want to enter our profession as teachers and coaches.
2- In school have weight classes and advanced PE classes so kids can work and do other sports after school.
3- Have football fully funded football so your kids are in safe equipment, quality cloth, and the playing/practice surface is safe.
If our coaches truly want to put our energy into making Kentucky HS Football better, here is where to put our focus, in my opinion. It is incredibly difficult to be good in football in most Kentucky HS’s without the 3 things above.
Until those 3 things change across the board, it will be a struggle.
Many of those who disagree with me argue that my three issues are local and we don’t need to address them. My point is that local or not, these issues are the ones that are truly impacting our sport and if we don’t fix them, we are in trouble.
To make the point, think of it on a personal level.
For your son, which is more important………….
1- That he has a quality coach, safe equipment and a quality /safe playing surface?
OR
2- That he can do 7 on 7 in June as part of his HS team and compete against another HS?
For me, that question is easy to answer.
My dad is an old HS football coach. When he was going to be a sophomore(1958), his HS, London HS in KY, was getting ready to start football. The debate was to go out and hire a football coach, or let the math teacher in the building, who had no experience in football, be the coach. My grandmother stood up in the meeting and said that if they hired the math teacher, her son would not be playing football because he would not be safe. They went with the experienced football coach. I learned a long time ago, you don’t argue with my grandmother!