One of the program’s objectives is to increase the level of parent participation. This is a necessity for several reasons:
- The Barons program belongs to the players and the parents. The vision and direction of the program should be parent-directed similar to how our children’s educations are parent-directed. There is no doubt that the program would flourish even more with an infusion of new ideas and energy.
- We don’t want the potential success and growth of the program limited by the time constraints of the Baseball Director imposed by his professional responsibilities to his employer. If responsibilities are effectively spread among a group of 6 or 7 additional volunteers, the individual time commitments would be significantly reduced.
- The knowledge of how to run the program needs to be spread among several people to facilitate the transition of position responsibilities when volunteers leave as players graduate (i.e., as all good organizations know, there must be succession planning).
There are numerous potential roles for parent volunteers to assume. An organizational structure where 6 or 7 parent volunteers work under the guidance of the Baseball Director is our goal. The preferred organizational structure and position responsibilities are the following:
Baseball Director: Responsibilities include: i) overseeing the volunteer positions; ii) building/managing the coaching staff; iii) developing the spring Varsity and JV game schedules; iv) facilities rental and scheduling; v) scheduling umpires for home games; vi) procurement of team equipment (primarily game balls); and, vii) primary program contact for website.
Baseball Coordinator: Responsibilities include: i) being the right-hand man of the Baseball Director by assisting with the items described under the Baseball Director Role; ii) keeping track of participation fees paid by players/parents; iii) following up with parents of players whose payments are not received in a timely manner; and, iv) working with the GGC Barons Organizational Treasurer and the Baseball Director to make sure that expenses are paid promptly (e.g., tournament registration fees, umpire fees, facility rental fees, equipment invoices, etc.).
Communications Director: Responsibilities include: i) Issuing team communications regarding games and practices (i.e., cancelation notices, reminders, etc.); ii) working closely with Baseball Director on game/practice days to ensure that opposing teams and facilities are confirmed; and, iii) serving as the first line of communications with parents who have questions, and then involving the Baseball Director as needed.
Publicity/Recruiting Director: Responsibilities include: i) developing and maintaining a social media presence (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, MaxPreps, etc.); ii) working with the Website Director to keep up-to-date information on the website (i.e., photos, coaches’ names, contact info, etc.); iii) working with photographically-inclined parents to assemble photos from games to post on social media and the website; and, iv) working with the Baseball Director to develop an appealing information packet that can be provided to prospective players.
HWSA Coordinator: Responsibilities include: i) working with the Baseball Director to ensure that the various registration/roster and payment deadlines for the Homeschool World Series are met; ii) managing the process to ensure that the Individual Player Eligibility Forms are completed correctly, signed by the parents and coaches, and mailed to the HWSA (this includes obtaining birth certificates for players who are participating in their first Homeschool World Series); iii) preparing the Team Photo Page and Team Seniors Page for inclusion in the HWSA Program; iv) preparing the Team Roster Page including each player’s T-shirt sizes; and, v) distributing T-shirts, programs, photo CDs, and other items during the HWSA in Florida. There are good templates for these required submittals to the HWSA.
Uniform Coordinator: Responsibilities include: i) working with the uniform supplier to ensure that each player is outfitted with a complete two weeks before the first game, ii) handling all communications with parents/players regarding uniform sizes, fittings, etc.; and, iii) selecting Barons’ for families to purchase.
Website Director: Responsibilities include: i) working with the Publicity/Recruiting Director and Baseball Director to keep up-to-date information on the website (i.e., photos, coaches’ names, contact info, tryout info, game schedules, etc.).
Scorekeeper/Statistics Coordinator: Responsibilities include: i) maintaining a database of player statistics (i.e., Game Changer is one option) available for use by the coaches; and, ii) ensuring that a scorebook is kept at each Varsity and JV game by a knowledgeable person.
If you are interested in assuming one of these roles, please email info@ggcbarons.org.
