10 ways to establish external relationships as a Club Sporting / Technical Director
The club wide significance of the Sporting / Technical Director role cannot be emphasised enough. In previous articles, I have highlighted the pivotal part that they play in the holistic growth of a sports club, encompassing both on and off-field responsibilities and the broader aspects of club management. Most recently, I focussed on the crucial interpersonal dynamics that must be nurtured within the club’s confines, especially when assuming responsibilities in a new organisation.
In this article, I have extended the focus to provide a list of channels that Sporting / Technical Directors should pursue beyond the club gates as it is essential to acknowledge the existence of various external relationships that are bound to emerge and endure during your tenure. These relationships will require careful cultivation and consistent maintenance to ensure the club’s continued progress and success. This article offers a number of avenues that can be explored to support this endeavour.
Here are my ’10 ways to establish external relationships as a Club Sporting / Technical Director.’
(Note: These are in no particular order of impact or importance and should all be addressed in relation to each other.)
- Player Development — Regional / National Association / Federation. Regional and national football associations often oversee national youth development programs and offer various player development frameworks to assist clubs and club Technical Directors. Collaborating with these associations allows the club to align its youth development initiatives with the broader regional or national pathway and encourage additional resource support. The Technical Director can work closely with the associations to identify talented young players, participate in youth leagues and facilitate player progression through age groups and up to national teams and beyond.
Coach Development — Regional / National Association / Federation. Linked to the above point, almost every National Football Association offers their own National Coach Development Pathway, which includes courses, workshops and events suitable for coaches of all levels, ages and abilities. Developing relationships with these associations allows the Technical Director to access coaching resources, training courses and continuous professional development opportunities for the club’s coaching staff. This helps to maintain high coaching standards within the club, aligning with the best practices promoted by the associations and ensuring adherence to any ongoing licensing requirements.
2. Local Business Associations. Building connections with local businesses opens up sponsorship and partnership opportunities for the club. Local businesses may be interested in investing in the club through sponsorship deals, advertising opportunities, or corporate partnerships. These relationships can provide financial support, enhance the club’s brand, and contribute to its overall revenue. Whilst this will be led by the commercial department, the Technical Director can have input into the overall design and strategy around the types of businesses that they would like to see involved, as well as having the opportunity to be part of these events and network with local businesses. The best example of this I have seen at Melbourne Victory FC and their Victory in Business network, now one of the largest corporate sporting network groups in Australia.
3. Council. Particularly in the context of amateur football, the relationship with the local council can play a crucial role in the pace and progress of the club, especially given football clubs are often deeply rooted in their local communities. A good relationship with the council allows the Sporting / Technical Director the chance to collaborate on community engagement initiatives, such as youth development programs, grassroots football projects, and social inclusion programs. The council can also provide support, funding, and resources to help the club reach out to the community and make a positive impact. The amount of this funding available through positive relationships with the council should not be underestimated. Back in 2019, Three Kings United FC were awarded nearly $1 million for the development of the clubrooms, now utilised by Auckland United, with a number of club wide technical programs now benefitting.
4. Other Clubs. Clubs can form strategic partnerships or collaborate on specific projects for mutual benefit. This can include joint marketing initiatives, youth tournaments, talent scouting networks, or sharing resources and facilities. The Sporting / Technical Director can explore such partnerships to enhance the club’s brand, reach, and developmental opportunities. A recent example of this is the establishment of FC Tauranga Moana, with Director of Football Barry Gardiner and Head of Academy Cameron Greive spearheading this strategic club partnership at the junior and youth level for Tauranga City AFC and Pāpāmoa FC. There are various other formats of these types of collective club networks, including the West Auckland Club Leaders Network, facilitated by Sport Waitakere, that a Sporting / Technical Director could benefit from.
5. Connect with other Technical Directors to share knowledge and good practices. Engaging with other Technical Directors allows for exchanging ideas and best practices in player development, coaching methodologies and club management. Through discussions, conferences, workshops or informal networking, Technical Directors can learn from each other’s experiences, gain insights into innovative approaches, and stay updated on emerging trends in the industry. On a global level, the Association for Sporting Directors is a leading group of leaders as well as education opportunities such as the FOCUS Advanced Certificate Program in Sporting Directorship where you can meet and learn from other Technical Directors around the world.
6. Local Schools are a hotbed for talent identification and recruitment and the Sporting / Technical Director should make sure that this is a key part of the club’s football strategy. By building connections with teachers or sports staff, the Technical Director can gain valuable insights into promising young players who may have the potential to join the club’s youth academy or development programs. Teachers and sports staff can provide information about talented students and recommend them for trials or assessments, as well as other benefits such as access to facilities etc. An example of this can be seen between Waitemata FC and Rutherford College, who through their continued relationship have shared access to facilities, players and additional opportunities that benefit both parties.
7. As well as being another location for player recruitment, Universities can offer access to students in specialist areas such as Sports Science and Research. Universities are often at the forefront of sports science research and innovation, therefore collaborating with university departments or researchers specialising in sports science, biomechanics, nutrition, or performance analysis can provide valuable insights and resources for the club. The Sportin / Technical Director can tap into the expertise available at universities to enhance player training, injury prevention strategies and overall performance optimisation, as well as access to higher education. An ongoing example of this on our shores can be seen between A-Leagues club Wellington Pheonix FC and Auckland University of Technology (AUT), with AUT delivering the Diploma in Sport and Recreation for Phoenix’s high-performing Academy programme in Wellington.
8. There is a growing need for Sporting / Technical Directors to understand that Media Outlets play a huge role in public relations and club image management. This can have a significant impact on the club's perception and perceived value in the local community. Where possible, club Technical Directors should establish relationships with local journalists, reporters and media outlets that can help share your story. This could be to share opportunities such as club vision, updates on progress to date or to help manage general public relations. I saw an excellent example of this recently with Alan Koch of Olé Football Academy featuring a 100-day update via Instagram on his tenure so far as Technical Director at Western Suburbs. Maintaining open lines of communication with the media can help ensure accurate and fair coverage of the club’s activities, and help drive club support, revenue and even program participation.
9. Where applicable, Player Agents play a key role in a player’s current club, in transfer negotiations as well as the overall trajectory that your club players may take. When it comes to player transfers overseen by the Technical Director, player agents play a significant part in the negotiation process, therefore building relationships with agents, helping to establish trust and open lines of communication is essential. This will make it easier for the club to reach agreements on transfer fees, contract terms and other aspects of player development including player transitions into new environments overseas. Technical Directors should not underestimate this link and the impact it can have on the reputation of the club globally, in turn attracting other players that may wish to join the club because of this.
10. Player Footballer Associations. Typically, PFA’S represent and protect the rights and interests of professional football players and offer support packages for their members in a variety of forms. If your club has professional football players or aspires to have them in the future, it would be helpful for a Club Technical Director to understand the type of support available and how this can support the club's football strategy. This could be in the form of education support, career planning, player development or player representation. Both New Zealand and Australia have equivalent organisations available.
Whilst many of these areas will have specialist roles to lead the club, an astute Sporting / Technical Director should understand the importance of these external channels and how nourishing these relationships can have a direct impact on their effectiveness as a leader both on and off the field.
As always, all of the above will need careful consideration by club boards, committees, and operational teams and should be reviewed in conjunction with your club’s Football Strategy and overall Club Development Plan.
For another linked article the roles and responsibilities of a Technical Director, in the short, medium and long term, check it out here https://medium.com/@stevenleedillon/10-key-responsibilities-of-a-club-technical-director-91e199b59e88
For many other Football Management articles, follow me on Twitter @stevendillon.
