How to Build a Team

You see it all the time -- softball teams folding because one or two girls leave, and it's a shame. But why is it that way? There are a few ways to build a team and, of course, there are pros and cons to each. Let's look at some examples.

Some teams build their roster around a select number of girls. This is what some refer to as "core" building, where you have a core group of girls to which you add on other players each year, as the "others" age out or the core group ages up. This presents a great opportunity for the core group to truly mesh and develop a "sisterhood," which conveys on the field through trust, leadership, and mutual respect. However, typically "cores" are made up of only 5-6 girls. That means almost every year you have to fill at least 5 or 6 spots to fill an entire roster and, as girls age up into the older brackets, that can sometimes be very difficult to do.

Other teams build their roster around a position. For example, there are teams that will stack their bench with pitchers; the most common reason being that it keeps those pitchers off of other teams, so that no other team can compete against them. This, obviously, has its pros and cons. The major pro being that, yes, in fact, you do keep all (or the majority) of pitchers in the region on one team, so that you can dominate on defense. The major con, however, is that many pitchers aren't quite "utility" players; they can only play a select number of positions. It's rare to find a pitcher who also plays shortstop or center field, for example; typically, they pitch and stick to the corners (third base and first base). So, where as you try to stack your defense with a roster-sized pitching staff, you limit your defense by lacking any true, position-specific talent.

Another way to build a team is the "sick and tired" method. Whether it's the coaching staff that you can't stand (and think you can do better, yourself) or the organization, you -- and hopefully some of the other parents/girls on the team -- just get sick and tired of dealing with the BS. So, what do you do? You start your own team/organization. You find a lot of travel teams coming out of rec leagues through this method. You also find a lot of travel teams coming out of other travel team organizations this way. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. It really depends on how much support you have behind you from fellow coaches, players and parents. It also depends on how dedicated you are to developing a new team/organization -- you know, there's much more to it than just signing up for tournaments and running practices...like budgets, renting practice facilities, purchasing uniforms and equipment, sanctioning the team in the different leagues, maintaining rapport with the other coaches, players, parents, umpires and league directors, etc. Yikes. This is a long and difficult road. Plus, this method of team building tends to create an excess of new and half teams in the market, which can destroy other teams/organizations, and -- in the case of Richmond, for example -- create an environment where there are simply not enough girls to fill all the teams, reducing the quality of play.

The last way to build a team, that I've seen, is through the ever-dreaded "merger"; that is, when two teams decide to combine due to lack of players or to form one "super team." Team dynamics, especially with girls in sports, can win or lose games/tournaments. Merging two teams together can create tension between the girls, who now need to learn new names and ways, fight for their starting positions again, and learn to respect the new coaching staff. For the coaches, it can also present problems -- who will stay and who will go? Who will coach third or first? Who will create the roster? Who will run practices? Etc., etc., etc. Now, don't get me wrong. This way of building a team does have is cons; but it does have its advantages. For example, taking two teams that are of similar quality and dynamics, can create a great and productive atmosphere for a team.

Now, there's really no wrong or right way to build a team. It all depends on the situation, really, the coaching staff and the girls. Either way, it should be all about the girls and what's best for them. So build your team right, based on what's right for the girls.