Article

The Coach’s Guide to Building a Student and Volunteer Support Staff

How to Scale Your Football Program Without Adding to Your Payroll

Modern football isn’t just about schemes and strength. It’s about execution—and the systems that make execution possible. That includes everything from real-time analytics, film, sideline setup, and gear logistics to simple communication between units.

Most staffs are stretched thin. Coaches wear too many hats. But the solution isn't always hiring another coach—it’s building the right support team.

This guide walks you through how to build a student assistant and/or volunteer support staff that adds real value on game night, in practice, and throughout the season.

Why It Matters

If you’re spending valuable coaching time managing tech, filming practice, hauling gear, or trying to chart plays in real-time—your program is leaking efficiency. You’re not coaching as well as you could be.

Building a support staff gives you:

More focus on football: Delegate the logistical work.
Better data: Get consistent, accurate in-game and post-game info.
Stronger culture: Involve more students. Create pride. Teach responsibility.
Future opportunities: Many students land college scholarships as video staff, managers, or analytics assistants.

It starts with identifying your gaps and committing to a new system.

1. Identify Your Needs

Before building a support staff, pinpoint what’s slowing your coaches down. Ask yourself:

Are we filming every practice effectively?
Is our sideline replay setup slow or inconsistent?
Are we tagging plays or charting data in-game?
Do we spend too much time pre-game or post-game setting up and tearing down?
Is our sideline communication system manual or overloaded?

Start with 1–2 key pain points. That’s where your first assistant roles should be focused.

2. Define the Roles

Start small. You don’t need 10 people. You need 2–3 reliable students or volunteers with specific assignments.

Here are proven roles that can be scaled as needed:

Lead Operations Assistant

This is your captain—ideally a returning senior. They help train others, communicate with coaches, and make sure assignments are covered.

Tech Coordinator

Responsible for sideline replay setup, charging and distributing iPads, helping with headset logistics.

Practice Film Crew

Students trained to use drones, sideline cameras, or elevated tripods. They upload and organize footage daily.

Game Night Analyst (Play Charter)

This person sits near the OC or DC, tracking play calls and efficiency via Modern Football Technology. Can be a student or non-coaching adult.

Equipment/Logistics Runner

Manages water, med kits, gear boxes, generator setup, footballs, and warm-up tools.

Each person needs a clear lane. Don’t ask one kid to do five things. Let them master one.

3. Get Creative with Recruitment

Some students dream of being part of the program but aren’t on the field. Others are simply looking for a meaningful elective or resume booster.

Here’s how coaches have recruited great assistants:

Look at current student managers who want more responsibility.
Recruit players who decide not to return—many still want to be part of the team.
Work with guidance counselors to identify tech- or video-savvy students.
Use social media or team meetings to make the opportunity visible.
Treat it like hiring—use interviews to create accountability.

The best teams use a pipeline—seniors train juniors, who train sophomores. That way, roles are never empty from year to year.

4. Make It Part of Your Culture

If your support staff feels “less than,” you’ll never get buy-in—from them or your team.

Make your assistants part of the family:

Outfit them in team gear—hoodies, polos, hats.
Introduce them to the team like you would a coach.
Include them in pregame meals, meetings, and the team photo.
Promote their contributions on social media.
Celebrate them at the banquet.

One successful program even gives championship rings to their student assistants. Another gives out a "Top Cat" award to the best Meerkat (yes, their assistant team has a name—and culture).

You don’t have to go that far—but you should go somewhere to make them feel like they matter. Because they do.

5. Work With Your Administration for Credit

Not every school offers a stipend or funding for volunteers. But almost every school can offer credit—which is a powerful recruiting tool.

Several coaches have worked with their admin teams to offer:

PE credit for students who help with practice and game setup
Tech or CTE elective credit for film and analytics work
Community service hours for volunteer support

If you can get your support staff aligned with your school’s academic framework, you’ll attract better students—and earn more long-term support.

Some schools now offer full courses, like Applied Football Analytics, using platforms like Modern Football Technology to turn assistant work into class credit.

6. Train in Practice First

The biggest mistake coaches make? Rolling out a student on game day without reps.

If a student is going to run your sideline or tag plays, they need to practice before Friday night. That means:

Assigning roles during practice
Running through setup and teardown drills
Testing drone footage and uploading workflow
Walking through headset assignments and troubleshooting
Practicing tagging plays from the OC or DC call sheet

Think of it like onboarding a new coach. Don’t just tell them what to do—walk it, rep it, review it.

7. Integrate Game Night Workflows

Once trained, your support team should be part of your game night routine. Here’s what an efficient system can look like:

90 minutes before kickoff: Tech assistants set up end zone and sideline cams, test drone feeds, confirm sideline replay is operational, headsets distributed.
Pre-game warmup: Logistics runner manages water, footballs, player needs.
During the game: Analyst listens on a headset channel and charts plays; tech assistant handles iPad swaps; film crew adjusts angles.
Between series: Analyst provides play data (e.g., P&10, efficiency notes); coaches use info to make real-time adjustments.
Halftime: Film and data assistants prep breakdowns for review.
Postgame: Equipment put away, film is tagged or queued, feedback loop opens.

Start small—but give your student assistants a real job, not a symbolic one. You’ll be shocked at how quickly they take ownership.

8. Track Progress and Build on It

Your student assistant program will evolve. Make sure you’re tracking what works:

Which roles are critical?
What data actually helps you on game night?
Where do you still feel overwhelmed?
Which students have potential to take on more?

Start capturing that year over year. Build a short handbook. Document your process. You’re not just managing the present—you’re building a system for your program’s future.

9. Help Them Move On

If a student assistant loves what they do, help them take the next step.

College programs are looking for:

Student video assistants
Recruiting interns
Analytics taggers
Operations interns
Social media producers

As a coach, you already have the connections. One phone call to a college staffer saying, “This kid isn’t a player, but he’ll change your operation,” is powerful.

Programs like Tennessee, Arizona, Ohio State, and more have student assistant pipelines that started with coaches like you.

Final Drive: Don’t Wait

You’re not too small of a program.

You don’t need a massive budget.

You don’t need a classroom full of kids.

You just need to stop trying to do everything yourself—and start building a support team around you.

It might be one student with an iPad. One parent who loves spreadsheets. One player who wants to stay involved after hanging up the cleats.

Start there.

Give them a title.

Train them up.