Athletic Director responsibilities are changing, and much of the role’s evolution can be attributed to new expectations around using technology to communicate.
Just like today, the success of ADs 20 years ago depended on their departments running smoothly. A big part of making that happen was communicating well with all stakeholders of the athletic department: student-athletes, coaches, parents, and school administrators.
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However, messaging expectations were very different in those days. Back then, fax machines, flyers, and phone trees were an AD’s key communication tools. Parents relied on their kids to bring home critical information, they could read the newspaper for schedules or scores, and if all else failed, they were happy to call the athletic department.
Expectations have changed. Instantaneous information is at everyone’s fingertips through real-time social media, and mobile technology has changed how people communicate. Compound that with the lack of resources causing newspapers to cut local coverage, and the difficult responsibility of gathering and disseminating sports information has now largely fallen to the athletic department.
Given the rapid and ever-increasing pace at which these new communication technologies have continued to appear — and how each new technology has changed the public’s expectations for the frequency and type of communication — ADs have been forced to find ways to adapt.
Evolving Expectations
You don’t need me to tell you this, but these ever-evolving expectations continue to add more responsibilities to an AD’s already hectic schedule. And today, like never before, success is being measured by how successful ADs are in communicating within their role.
The need for good communication can be broken down into a few interrelated aspects.
For one, the number of people an AD needs to coordinate has increased. As athletic programs grow in scope, new popular sports such as field hockey and lacrosse add more players to the mix — and more coaches and parents, too. More people and more games to synchronize can overwhelm an AD’s already busy day.
With more stakeholders comes a greater need to circulate pertinent messages to the parties involved. As the demand for information increases, ADs must be proactive and plan ahead in order to relay all relevant details to coaches, players, parents, and fans in a timely manner. One missed message could result in a parent driving two hours in the wrong direction.
Moreover, those stakeholders now expect to be notified of any news or changes as soon as they arise and to be able to access that information in the format they find most convenient. Parents are starting to take for granted the ability to check game scores on their phones and stream their children’s games from their desks.
So what’s a dedicated but overworked AD to do? That’s where technology comes in.
Technological Solutions
As expectations increase, technology is the best way to keep up. Take an underused but powerful tool like the athletic department’s website, for example.
Relaying a message once through the athletic department’s website is far easier than providing the same information on phone call after phone call. Once parents are trained to check the website as their first resource, keeping your community up-to-date becomes a one-step process, and constantly reactively answering questions goes away. The AD’s time is then free to attend games, help with coaching, and focus on the aspects of the job that likely attracted him or her to the role in the first place.
Having a frequently visited website, or another form of online “home base” for all athletic information, also creates a forum to showcase star athletes, tell great stories, and promote the athletic department as a whole. And with consistent promotion of their digital presence, many ADs increase athletic participation, exposure for their players, and the stature of their entire athletic department — without spending entire nights at the office.
How to Manage Changing Expectations
Other resources can ease an AD’s communication workload, especially when it comes to making announcements and relaying vital or time-sensitive information.
Here are a few of the top tools to help ADs manage these changing expectations:
- Varsity News Network: VNN’s technology automatically syncs schedules, game results, articles, photos, and forms with your athletic website, without any daily management on the part of the AD. VNN’s online platform also puts text message updates, paperless registration, and simple online fundraising at the fingertips of the AD.
- GameChanger: GameChanger is a mobile app and website that allows coaches and players to record scores and statistics while providing live game updates and recap stories for friends and family to access. This easy-to-use tool offers a more accurate representation of how a team is performing and makes it easy for the community to connect with players and the team as a whole. Plus, by posting impressive videos, game statistics, and player profiles, directors can attract more talented student-athletes — a luxury they didn’t have in the past.
- Hudl: Hudl’s analysis software allows coaches to build a smarter game plan by breaking down video footage into easily digestible plays, series, and trends viewable from any computer or mobile device. Once organized, they can tag players, illustrate actions, and push that information out so the entire team is moving in the same direction for game day. What’s more, players can also claim their profile to show off highlights to prospective recruiters or friends.
- rSchoolToday: This website combines athletic and educational schedules into one calendar, which makes organizing events for different programs a breeze. A valued resource for the past 22 years, rSchoolToday offers 15 different apps, including a facilities scheduler and activity registration, and is one of the most comprehensive and efficient scheduling programs on the market.
A Glimpse Into the Future
Technology in the athletic department is systematically replacing traditional analog tasks with digital versions. As new tech evolves, it will continue to streamline repetitive tasks and create new, powerful channels of communication for athletic educators.
Right now, blasting information out to a large audience all at once is a common method of communication. As a result, specific messages are often broadcast to everyone — whether they’re relevant to them or not. It’s a step in the right direction, saving significant time compared to phone and email, but it’s only the first step in a larger technological trend.
As we move forward, technology will facilitate targeted, smart communication in a way that hasn’t been possible. Imagine having your entire community — or any team, group, or subsection thereof — available with a touch of your smartphone. Instead of sending messages to every parent every time, your community would self-select to receive the right messages at the right time, giving them an easy way to stay in the loop, buy tickets, get gear, plan team banquets, react to game changes, or review a specific video from the coach.
In addition, the most passionate members of your community will be able to earn additional influence within the athletic department. Through crowdsourcing content and ideas, an AD may still schedule the games, but the players might pick the date of their team banquet, and parents could be responsible for planning it. Online communication platforms make this possible. As responsibilities of the school in this realm diminish, a new type of athletic department-to-parent communication technology will fill the space.
Ryan Vaughn is the co-founder of Varsity News Network, the largest and fastest-growing network for school sports. VNN’s product facilitates the digital communication of nearly 10 percent of U.S. high schools after only three years in the marketplace.