Off field jobs

[10Dulkar]

Hi
One thing I do not really fully understand when it comes to football is the various off field roles. Years ago you had the senior coach, a couple of assistants and doctors/physios plus the president and recruiters. Now there is a lot of talk about list managers, directors of coaching and heads of football departments. Where does the role of the senior coach begin and end? What exactly does a director of coaching and a head of football do? And what clout does the list manager (and match committee) have in relation to the senior coach?

 

[jatz14]

Hi
One thing I do not really fully understand when it comes to football is the various off field roles. Years ago you had the senior coach, a couple of assistants and doctors/physios plus the president and recruiters. Now there is a lot of talk about list managers, directors of coaching and heads of football departments. Where does the role of the senior coach begin and end? What exactly does a director of coaching and a head of football do? And what clout does the list manager (and match committee) have in relation to the senior coach?

Its a simple reality that as the game has become more professional, the time needed to perform various tasks at a level that competes with other clubs makes them full time jobs, where before, they might have been part of someone's job.

A list manager is just that, he manages the list, he coordinates scouts, works out deals, identifies targets to fill needs. The list manager has the last word on recruiting policy, not the head coach. Head coach has an input on what the team needs, but its the list manager that fills them, and works out recruiting strategy.

A director of coaching is effectively the manager of coaching staff, including the head coach. This director of coaching does not have a say on team strategy, or training, and does not tell the coach what to do, but he is responsible for performance management, HR, etc. EG, an assistant coach doesnt like the way he is treated by the head coach, its the director of coaching he goes to. Director of coaching provides feedback on coaching styles, performance reviews, assessment of communication, is a sounding board for the various coaches, including head coach. He arranges high performance training for coaches, etc.

Head of football manages the business side of the football team. Some of the stuff the director of coaching provides for staff, head of football does for other staff. I believe most of the other heads related to on field matters would report to him, erg head physio, list manager, even director of coaching. He sits above the football team and associated departments, and below the general manager.

So, the general manager would have reporting to him, managers covering marketing, finance, sponsorship, communication, football, HR etc. If the GM holds a major club meeting, its the head of football that would normally sit on it representing football related matters (in a broad sense), not the coach.

As clubs have become bigger in terms of staff, the pyramid has become wider and taller, meaning more middle managers.