Leadership Academy Background and Information

The Need for the College Coaches Leadership Academy: Nobody plays a more important role in securing the future of college wrestling than the head wrestling coach.  Unlike several decades ago when the primary responsibilities of the coach were to teach the technical and tactical aspects of wrestling, the modern coach has to have CEO skills.  These skills include but are not limited to:  management, hiring of assistants, marketing/promotions, fundraising, communication, entrepreneurship, budgeting, and general leadership skills.

Never in the history of intercollegiate wrestling have these CEO skills been more important.  The deteriorating economy, the unintended consequences of Title IX, the dwindling state and federal subsides received by public , and the escalating costs of maintaining competitive sports programs has placed many of the traditional Olympic sports (sports other than football and basketball) in peril.   Few coaches have ever received formal training in these CEO skills.   Fortunately, the NWCA College Coaches Leadership Academy is uniquely designed to provide all head and assistant college coaches with this very important training. 

Goals & Objectives of College Coaches Leadership Academy: The NWCA College Coaches Leadership Academy is uniquely designed to accomplish the following goals and objectives:

• Help coaches strengthen their CEO skills (fundraising, marketing, promotions, communication, general leadership skills, etc.) in an effort to protect their programs.
•  Promote best practices for improving retention & graduation rates.

Participating coaches have the opportunity to sharpen their CEO skills by completing the following aspects of the Academy:

•  Complete ten (2 hour) online modules that promote important CEO principles along with best practices for improving the retention and graduation rates of wrestlers.  
• Complete a “program assessment survey” to identify specific aspects of a college team that may result in the program being vulnerable to being discontinued.
• Complete a 360 evaluation in an effort to understand how administrators, wrestlers, alumni, and parents view the coach’s proficiency in various areas.
• Attend a 3 day Academy workshop where a facilitator conducts small group discussions with participating coaches and mentors to help Academy participants customize the general concepts learned in the online modules to meet their needs on their respective campuses.  
• Participate in a mentoring program whereby the coach can receive ongoing guidance from a season veteran coach and/or athletic administrator.   

Assemble a portfolio to demonstrate that all key program areas are at or above an acceptable standard.