Find Your Role

by Mark Stauffer:
Head Women’s Soccer Coach
Misericordia University
Dallas, PA

Mark Stauffer is in his eighth season as head women's soccer coach at Misericordia where he led the Cougars to a 13-9-1 record in 2007, including the 100th win of his career. In 2006, he led the Cougars to a 16-7 record and a Pennsylvania Athletic Conference championship, including Misericordia's fourth NCAA Championships berth in five years. He was named PAC Coach of the Year in 2002 after leading Misericordia to a PAC title and an NCAA Tournament berth. Stauffer has compiled a 111-43-8 record, including the best record in school history in 2002 (19-2). He ranks 24th among active Division III coaches with a .730 winning percentage.

In every one of us there is a want to “belong” to a team. Simply having your name on the roster does not fulfill this desire. In order for this need to be fulfilled, you have to accept and perform the positive role given to you by your coach. By performing this role to the best of your ability, you’ll be accepted and appreciated by your teammates and the coaches. More importantly, you’ll be instilling within yourself a true sense of accomplishment.

For each and every one of us this role is different in one aspect or another. The biggest challenge for us as coaches is to help each player on our roster find a specific role. Finding your role on the team is not always as easy as you might think. Sure, it’s simple to find your role if you’re the dynamic goal scoring forward, or if you’re the playmaking central mid-fielder with impeccable field vision. However, what if you’re the player who struggles a bit both technically and tactically, but you have overwhelming speed? Helping you find your role is where the coaching challenge begins.

If you’re that speedster, you can quickly make our team dangerous in the last ten minutes of each half. Your fresh legs against the tired legs of defenders who have already played thirty-five minutes; suddenly we’ve utilized your strength and made a positive impact for the team. For those ten minutes you shine. Now that we’ve found a specific role for you, and you understand it, it’s in your hands to find acceptance of this role and excel in it.

If you can understand and accept your role, you’ll be more productive going into the match than if you sit on the bench complaining about only getting ten minutes a half. Always remember that it’s not how much time the coach gives you, it’s what you do with the time the coach gives you that counts. Finding and accepting your role on the team will lead to individual happiness, which in turn leads to team happiness, cohesiveness, and success.

Dynamic forwards and brilliant central mid-fielders can’t win a title on their own. To reach team success each of the players on the roster needs to fulfill a role, no matter how big or small. We’ve all seen the team that consists of great players but somehow fails to succeed. More often than not, their misfortune is due to too many players trying to play the same role, leaving many roles unfilled.

If you’re an upperclassman surrounded by talented younger players, your role may simply be to work hard every training session, be a positive influence, and to be a role model for the rookies on the team. It may not be the “highlight” role, but if it is your role, accept it, and do it with passion.

Remember, your role on the team at any given time is yours to do with what you want. Do it well, and your role may very well change for the better. Complain about it, and your team will gradually find someone else to fill what was once “your” role.

Daily Habits of the Best Small-College Soccer Players for Tuesday, March 18, 2008