The midwest regional was a fun experience which really helped bring the team together and more importantly the coaching staff.  Throughout the two day experience a lot was learned and even more questions about management, organizational structure, and business planning and preparation.  As fun as the tournament was and the excitement subsides as the business element to this begins.  How are we going to get 20 players and 7 coaches to Bradenton, Florida and how can we do it as cheap as possible?  Flights are difficult to coordinate for that many people with so many working parts.  We need to be in Bradenton, Florida on June 21st for the Cam Newton Skills Competition at 5:00 pm. 

A big hurdle will be to customize each individual player schedule for their June Camp schedules and get them to the schools that have interest in them without conflicting with the National Championship.  It's interesting because last year's national tournament was actually a week into July, but because of Nike's: The Opening which airs on ESPN and is at the University of Oregon, some players chose to attend The Opening instead and to avoid that conflict IMG moved the tournament to June 21-23.  So we have a lot of work ahead to get kids to as many camps as possible.  There is a conflict because have some players that attend Catholic schools and they attend the Notre Dame one day camp and 7v7 annually as a team on June 21 and June 22 so we will have to get that figured out quickly!

Another element to the preparation for this trip is the exposure and recognition.  The local media in Fort Wayne, Indiana will receive text message updates and IMG will also send a news feed to them with highlights of our games to keep everyone back home posted on the progress.  In the next week or so CEO Mike Ledo will be on the local sports news to discuss the trip and our journey thus far which will be a great opportunity to continue to mold the brand and more than that, provide life experiences for the kids involved and hopefully make a powerful impact on these kids who will eventually become key figures in our society.

As we sat and discussed all of these issues, it became evident that we are at the mercy of responses via phone or e-mail from college coaches before determining our plan of action to get down there (bus or plane) and what players we need to bring on the trip in case the ND campers/7v7 attendees cannot secure transportation separate from us down to Florida. 

Until next time...

From a business standpoint, outside of the competition, this tournament offered an opportunity to spend driving time and down time discussing strategy and implementation of policies across the company with my mentor and other members of the staff. 

The competition was fierce and our "Black" team pictured above qualified for nationals while our other team was one game away from qualifying after losing an overtime heart-breaker in the quarterfinals.  The benefits for the organization would have been tremendous if both teams would have been representing AWP at the national tournament.  The organization has received an outpouring of support in the product we produce on the field and in the community and the organization is legitimized by the quality of athlete (mentally and physically) that is produced.  This recognition has come from college coaches who have some of our former players, coaches we talk to at tournaments and on the phone throughout the week, the community, the high schools the kids come from, and the parents involved who have seen growth in these young men.  Another element to the competition is interaction with the media.  Following championship games we are often approached by members of the media.  This is an opportunity for us to promote our organization and most importantly our players.  We exchange information, business cards, social media handles and begin the relationship building process.  Media outlets rely on us for scouting purposes and providing significant content to their websites and magazines.  Media outlets like ESPN.com, Rivals.com, 247sports.com, Scout.com, and smaller regional networks are all present at these events and their relationship is vital in brand building.  In our industry media impressions (social networking mentions, facebook likes, google search rankings) can improve our client base and the recognition of our organization in the sports realm.

Again from a business standpoint all of the training that is done at the facility is provided immense credibility from these tournaments and relationships we build with colleges and parents and communities.  As time goes on, evolution of the market and our competitors takes place and in order to sustain a competitive advantage we must get together and discuss growth opportunities and evaluate things like key success factors, core competencies, and strengths and weaknesses.  The next post will be from our tournament at the University of Toledo and a one-day camp at Bowling Green State University

Yesterday, May 25th, was our first day of a two-day tournament in Southfield, Michigan.  This is an IMG Regional Qualifier so the top four teams qualify for nationals, but winning this tournament will make us repeat champions in the Midwest IMG Regional (AWP won in 2012 as well).  Throughout pool play our Black team lost one game, which was the first loss of the season, to a team from North Carolina with a Quarterback headed to NC State.  That 3-1 record put us in a good position for the single elimination tournament tomorrow.  Our Grey team had some ups and downs but ended up with a 2-2 record after a slow start, we began to play much better.   From a brand building stand point if our Grey team can also qualify it will even further emphasize the type of service AWP offers for training.  The 25th was a day full of pool play that finished up at 1:00.  We had to then get lunch, rest at the hotel, and come back at 5:00pm for the skills challenge. 

The skills competition pits players from each of the teams at the tournament (which include other training programs and all-star teams) against each other.  This is where product credibility can truly be measured.  It is also used as a measuring stick to determine our strengths and weaknesses in the services we provide.  As it turned out, in the Quarterback challenge our quarterbacks finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in a competition with over 20 quarterbacks and we also finished 1st in the fastest man and wide receiver challenge and finished in the top 5 in the defensive back challenge.  Following the competition it was obvious our preparation, training, and strategy are strengths of what we do.  Tonight will be spent preparing with the staff for the single-elimination tournament, managing bumps and bruises, and getting the players mentally prepared for their responsibilities and expectations tomorrow.  

As the coaches met at Applebee’s to eat dinner, we ran across the tournament directors and found out our teams would be on opposite sides of the bracket which is a great opportunity to continue to showcase our company as the best by having both teams in the championship.  Day starts early at 7:00 AM for breakfast so until then…

As I stated in a previous post, I would make another entry to this blog once we completed our regional qualifying tournament in Chicago, IL.  Well, we decided not to attend the tournament for a number of reasons that I will leave private, but what I can say is it was a decision made because our attendance at the tournament was not in line with the current state of the organization.  Sometimes difficult decisions are made in management, but in the end they work out to be effective in the long-term for the organization.  We have another qualifying tournament this weekend, May 25-26th, so we still have an opportunity to make the national championship tournament and it allows the organization to better re-align itself with the mission statement and strategic vision laid forth.  As of right now the company is experiencing some growth and with that comes the potential for a lack of communication or the need for more effective communication.  To commit an entire weekend to a tournament, organize funding, secure transportation, and on top of that effectively motivate and strategize the football side of things would be difficult.  Personnel cannot be expected to unite behind all of the different services being provided until they thoroughly understand why the strategic course has been chosen and how, as the company grows, strategy evolves making communication more important.  I am being very vague in this post, but it is important to know that all good organizations make calculated decisions and while it may come off as disorganization at the time, it is actually a continual effort to be more efficient as a COMPLETE organization. 

This week was a lesson in execution for me.  Leaders sometimes are overwhelmed with duties and when they begin to delegate it is important that those who are empowered are capable of execution.  The core values of AWP are never in question, but as previously mentioned, any growth will encounter a necessary strategic alteration or evolution so it is imperative that those in the position to execute the strategy refer back to the core values of the organization and effectively execute while communicating at all levels of the organization. 

When making decisions like not going to this tournament, which is the major brand builder for the company on a regional and national level, for some it would have been a major disappointment, failure, or unsatisfactory decision in the minds of the clients and all the stakeholders to AWP or to other organizations, but with AWP it is not.  The sustainable competitive advantage AWP has is the character development
aspect of the training and the fact that clients are not treated as cash cows for the organization that need to be kept coming back to sustain market presence.  The character development and growth oriented nature of the clients and stakeholders to AWP trust in the process and see each decision as not a change in path or direction, but rather an acceptance of a separate opportunity to grow and develop.

This weekend coming up is a major growth opportunity for the organization and also the 7v7 team.  This weekend is another 1 day camp event for players to get exposed to the AWP brand and top performers will receive a free session.  It will also kick off the last round of Academy sessions which are 4 week sessions for players to get intense instruction and evaluation.  You can see a flier for the upcoming camp at the bottom of the page.  The previous 1 day camp brought in some players that signed up for the 4 week Academy session and saw great growth as players and people and most are expected to return to the next one day camp as well as the final Academy session.  To me, the next step in the development process is to get all those involved in the Academy and 1 day camp to sign up for other services offered by AWP such as speed classes, strength classes, and continue to cultivate working relationships with them year round.

I will be back next weekend after the IMG Regional Qualifier in Southfield, Michigan with another post.  Until then, enjoy the Holidays weekend and be safe!

From April 19th to May 4th I spent some significant time at AWP Sports in Fort Wayne.  This time has been crucial in building a rapport with the AWP Sports staff.  It is always an interesting dynamic to enter a situation with a staff already established and being an "outsider" can sometimes be difficult.  One of the things I have learned as a new member is that workers at AWP do a tremendous job of making all feel welcome and the familial atmosphere of the organization is clearly evident. 

One of the key elements to this atmosphere is employee empowerment.  As I have learned in many management classes through Tiffin University, empowerment is vital to maintain employee loyalty and to develop those within the organization to eventually handle much larger roles.  On April 26th I worked an Academy night in my individual position without my partner, Dre Muhammad, who had to leave for mini-camp in the Canadian Football League (CFL).  Throughout the week leading up we exchanged text messages and e-mails with ideas on how to effectively administer our message for the week to the Academy.  We follow a schedule given to us by those above us at AWP, but we are given a lot of latitude with the drills and management of our group.  After the academy is a great opportunity to meet with parents and to continue to sell AWP the service.  One of the great aspects of AWP is that we all speak with one voice and the message to all about the mission is clear.  Each member of the AWP staff has a different perspective, different background, different skillset, but all speak with one voice and one purpose which is an important element of a successful business.

May 3rd was an Academy night as well, followed by 7v7 practice.  At the conclusion of the 7v7 practice, a schedule was passed out to the members of the 7v7 team with the upcoming events that AWP will be a part of and this was an opportunity for the kids to discuss with coaches the best approach for themselves throughout the summer in terms of college recruiting.  I was able to sit down and discuss realistic options with players and determine a schedule that best fits their abilities and puts them in the best situation to earn a scholarship.  May 4th was an Academy day at the facility which was an opportunity to review film with the players and also 45 minutes of further skill development. While this was going on, the Sport One Fieldhouse had many other sports going on downstairs including a multi-team AAU Basketball tournament.  Being in attendance at the event was quite interesting to see the set up, scheduling, and logistics behind such a large scale facility.

AWP is also holding a free event to continue to market the service.  This is a great strategy to get people a taste of what can be had by being a part of the organization.  A flier is attached below.  My next blog post will occur following our IMG Regional Qualifier Tournament in Chicago, Illinois on May 18th.