It was the Tuesday before a big recruiting showcase and one of our teams was short players. Injuries. High School Playoffs. Weddings. This was not looking good.
As a Club Director, I’m sure you are familiar with this position. Pete Sessa of 3d lacrosse puts the Fall Recruiting Season in a nutshell perfectly, saying,
“Tis’ the season.”
While the Fall is a big recruiting season, it is still High School football, soccer, and the beginning of basketball season as well. Athletes are consumed with their varsity seasons, leaving large gaps in the rosters of club lacrosse teams. For us, we didn’t know how to combat this issue. We were stuck.
After speaking with one of my buddies who runs a club program, he mentioned the idea of bringing in Guest Players. At first, the idea of bringing in guest player’s seemed unlikely and unattractive. Bringing in someone who doesn’t know our systems, philosophies, or players seems difficult. How will they fit in right away? How can we trust they will play the right way?
After fighting this urge to stay away from guest play, this Fall, I finally gave in. Our program was in need for quality player’s, so we did our research, discovered quality player’s in need of a team, and asked those player’s to guest play. How did we do this research?
- Connected with Club Directors we have relationships with and let them know exactly what we were looking for.
- Used video to study player’s habits, style of play, and on-field characteristics.
- Leaned on parents in our currently program to discover quality player’s from different clubs / teams.
On the surface guest players seem like generic bodies that fill the side-lines to make teams look fuller, and more established. Deep down, guest players can prove to be the glue for teams who are missing their best athletes or player’s in crucial positions. Below are some ways in which Guest Players have helped the FLG Program this Fall:
- Guest player’s can heighten the competitiveness of your team. Missing a FOGO? Bringing in a player that can win a lot of face-offs can give your team more possessions and showcase your offensive players more frequently.
- Guest player’s can forge new relationships. This year, we brought in 2 players from Maryland to play with our 2018 team. Those player’s have built quality relationships with the guys in our program. They have built chemistry on the field, enhancing the competitiveness and commradery that team.
- Bringing in guest player’s who play the game the right way can push members of your existing program. Bringing in an attackman who rides really hard, plays unselfish, and makes those around them better will create a shining example of what player’s in your program should do. This can get more player’s to buy into your style of play, making your team more cohesive as a unit.
- Attract coaches. A guest player that has klout or is highly sought after might bring more college coaches to the side-lines of your games. This give players on your current roster an opportunity to play in front of more coaches.
The guest player is now a valuable tool in our program. How do you combat obstacles in the Fall? What tools do you use to give players and families in your program a great experience?
