Sports Leadership Activities

Sports leadership helps guide people towards organizing events, directing programs and managing teams through skills they learn by participating in sports activities. Sports leadership provides practical, fun activities that all age groups may enjoy. Physical Education teachers and team coaches use sports leadership activities every day. Other places, such as youth groups, community organizations and businesses can benefit from sports leadership activities as well.

  1. Peer Teaching

    • Peer teaching utilizes the existing knowledge and skills of others, such as classmates or coworkers, to teach participants. For example, in a school setting, a student on the volleyball team would teach spiking and serving skills to classmates. These instructional skills speak to the leadership skills needed to train employees and keep them in tune with the changing needs of the workplace.

    Team Captains/Coaches

    • Captains and co-captains must work together in directing, managing and organizing teammates. Coaches make decisions that are best for the team. For instance, during a baseball game, coaches rotate players in and out. When there is a tie game or close score, the coach may decide to not rotate pitchers and keep the best one in. The personnel-management skills necessary to captain or coach a sports team can carry over to many other endeavors.

    Organizing the Activity

    • Organizing the activity is similar to the job of an athletic director. The organizer makes decisions for both teams and plans the event from beginning to end. For example, an athletic director at a school secures facilities, arranges sporting matches, manages finances and oversees coaches; all useful organizational skills applicable to leadership in a variety of areas beyond sports.

    Sports Officiating

    • Sports officials must know the rules and regulations of the sport inside and out in order to make fair, unbiased decisions based on facts. Umpires, referees and scorekeepers are examples of sports officials. Playing the role of sports official helps develop decision-making skills that are neutral and evidence-based.