Training Session 7
Personnel: Student-Athlete Leadership Teams

OBJECTIVES
  1. To understand the importance of building Student-Athlete Leadership Teams.
  2. To embrace Best Practices regarding development of Student Leaders.
  3. To be prepared for challenges that arise with Student Leaders.
  4. To discern what priorities make sense on your campus and in your context.
EQUIPMENT
Sample Team-by-Team Analysis: This download offers you a way to pray and think through where God would open doors for ministry on each team.  The hope is to have at least one person's name in each row.  Is there a Coach or Staff member who you have gotten to know or will begin praying for?  Do you have a student-athlete on your leadership team?  If not, consider who you can intentionally invest in or if there is an athlete on that team who has a discipling relationship through someone other than FCA.  Lastly, what might be your upcoming strategy?

WORKOUT
Watch the following videos and reflect on the questions.  You will discuss them with your coach.
  • What are the best practices for assembling a student-athlete leadership team?
  • Why might it be crucial to articulate clear expectations for your leadership team?  What are fair expectations and how will you walk with leaders who "stumble"?
  • What ideas did you get from Patricia that make sense to immediately apply on your campus?
  • What things will you being praying and dreaming about in regards to building and leading a student-athlete leadership team on your campus?
REPLAY
Patricia explains how the student-athlete leadership team operates at University of Maryland.  She unpacks:
  • their objectives and goals
  • what they ask of their student leaders
  • how they recruit for the team
  • how they manage the logistics of meeting together
  • how they disciple their leaders
  • how they help their leaders have a plan for replacing themselves on the team
Some of the student leaders at Maryland also tell how they value being a part of small groups and the leadership team.
Although we are using University of Maryland as an example, understand that every campus will look different.

PRACTICE
Witness a leadership team in action. The extent to which you can do this will depend on your proximity to a healthy leadership team. If you are able to attend a meeting, do so. Either way, interview the staff person who oversees this group. Questions to ask include, but are not limited to: How do you select leadership team members? What do you prioritize with your leadership team? What do you think makes a leadership team “healthy”? What are some of the challenges you have experienced with your leadership teams? How do you logistically manage this group of people? What do you consider when shepherding these athletes spiritually?

DEBRIEF
Write a reflection on all you learned from the video and practice session. What will be your “next steps” with your leadership team? Turn in below.

OVERTIME
  1. Activity: Make the Sample Team-by-Team analysis your own.  Edit it to reflect the sports on your campus and begin filling in names.  If you work alongside someone on that campus, consider completing it together.  If there are other religious organizations on your campus, you might explore if athletes are involved there.  If so, discipleship ought to be occurring and ministry is present on that team.  You might find a ministry partner.
  2. Resource: Sample Leadership Application - from Maryland FCA
  3. Resource: Sample Leader Interview Questions - from Samford FCA
  4. Resource: Sample Leader Standards - from Samford FCA & Sample Leader Standards - from U of Georgia (in partnership with Athletes in Action)

Debrief Turn In