Team managers have huge jobs to do, looking after players, parents, kit, equipment, pitches, and 100 other things. And all of this is done in spare time, after work, at a weekend and often at their own cost.
Team managers are a vital part of any successful club, and without enough of them, a club simply cannot function. But what happens when a manager is unavailable for any reason? In the hectic world we live in, unavailability is inevitable, be it work commitments, clashing family commitments, or simply illness.
Many teams have Assistant managers, but their role, and level of real knowledge varies greatly from club to club and also within clubs. In some teams, the Assistant manager is more of a coach, helping out with the training pitch routines, and team selections. In other teams, the Assistant might get involved with fixtures, player transport and communications.
In any well run club it’s essential that Team managers and their Assistants know their role and what is expected of them, and no more so is this the case then when a Team manager is unavailable, particularly at short-notice.
It’s at this point that many clubs find out just how well organized they are to cope with the absence of a manager, even for a brief period. The Assistant must now come into his own and run the team as his own, dealing with everything that comes his way. The task can be huge, especially for Assistants that are less familiar with team process. There are though practical things that you as a Club can do to ensure that the Assistant has the best chance of managing through the absence of the Manager.
