In this Clubs Winning Culture series interview, Dallas Surf’s Director of Soccer and Methodology, Gavin Mole, shares why the club created a Parent Engagement Director position and how intentional parent engagement strengthens club culture, improves communication, and supports long-term player development.
Skye:
Hi, and welcome to our Club’s Winning Culture series, where we talk to clubs about amazing things they’re doing to help build their club culture.
When I saw this program come across my LinkedIn last week, where Dallas Surf has created a Parent Engagement Director, a staff position at their club with a real, sincere focus on parent engagement, I knew that I needed to have Gavin Mole, who’s here with us from Dallas Surf, on to talk about their Parent Engagement Director.
Gavin, welcome. Thank you.
Gavin:
Thank you, Skye. Thank you for noticing it on LinkedIn. Thanks for sharing it as well and bringing attention to an important topic.
Skye:
Absolutely. I was so excited. I was like, “I have to repost this right away.”
You really are leading the way. I’ve never seen a club or sporting organization have somebody specifically titled within their org chart as Parent Engagement Director. Congratulations. I hope many clubs will follow.
What prompted you to start this?
Gavin:
It’s been a long time coming.
It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and it was about finding the right person to help support it and grow it with me, and being at a club that’s willing to actually put this in place and value it.
It’s not like there is a direct monetary return, so finding a club that’s going to implement these sorts of things is difficult, especially in North Texas. I’m really grateful that the club is willing to do things like this.
The reason we wanted to do it is because the parent relationship is really the most important thing for long-term development.
It’s that simple, really.
On average, we spend three to four and a half hours a week with the kids, including games. Maybe you add an extra hour or two on, but the rest of the time is spent with their parents.
The things that get said and done in between those moments, after games, on the car ride home, in between training sessions, all those little conversations that happen, can really impact the child, either in a positive way or a negative one.
That alignment and collaboration between parent, player, and coach is key for any sport.
I see it in how we raise kids, too. Values and belief systems are inherited from the environment, and I don’t think soccer is any different.
Those are really the main reasons.
Skye:
That’s great. I love it.
I would push back just a tiny bit when you say there’s not a direct line of revenue coming back from this role. I get it. It’s not like there’s programming you’re charging for that will pay for this role.
But I will say the research is so clear that when we effectively engage parents, kids stick with sport longer. They don’t drop out. They have a stronger sense of self-belief. Parents are more empathetic, and coaches are more satisfied.
There are a lot of challenges that might be addressed by having this person in place.
What will their responsibilities be?
Gavin:
Mainly, more intentional engagement across the club.
That can take a few different forms. There’s an online platform we’re going to use, webinars, in-person events, simple emails, and simple posts to engage parents around discussion points.
It might be things that are good to know, and how we can share responsibility between parents, coaches, and players.
We’re also still working on this part, but there may be more support in a club-building environment as well, such as social events and things that bring parents into more of a club feel rather than a collection of teams.
We want to bring more culture to the club overall and support relationship growth as well.
The main focus is engagement, and that involves lots of different things.
It’s also listening to parents and gathering feedback.
What support do they need? What do they need more information on?
Then we try to implement those things in a simple, practical way to bridge that gap and make sure there is collaboration, so we’re all singing from the same hymn sheet. That’s really important, too.
Skye:
That’s great. I love the intentionality here.
You’re right. Having somebody whose specific role is to intentionally engage, connect, get feedback, and importantly, establish community is powerful.
The research around establishing a sense of community and how important that is to player inspiration and player development is really clear, too.
I love seeing you all take the lead and create this role, which ultimately will support player development.
With that in mind, what does success look like for this person?
At the end of the year, they’re sitting down for their review and they’ve had a great year. Their job has been successful because what has happened at the club?
Gavin:
That’s a difficult one to answer, because, as we mentioned earlier, there isn’t necessarily a tangible KPI we can look at.
Retention rates in the club are one thing, and we generally do a pretty good job with retention rates. I think retention is obviously a big one.
But there are also things that maybe you can’t measure as easily, such as fewer recurring issues around parent-coach communication.
There are bigger cultural goals, such as parents better understanding the player journey, parents and coaches feeling more aligned, and maybe a more supportive environment on game days.
Hopefully, this helps with long-term development, and we see our players grow, have more joy, have more autonomy, and grow as soccer players because of the relationship we’ve put together.
Skye:
Absolutely.
Gavin Moll, Dallas Surf. I’m so excited to see what happens with your Parent Engagement Director role at the club.
I want to have you back here in a year to see how it’s going and what’s happened, because I’m pretty sure that with the intentionality behind this, you’ll come back and say, “Wow, we had all of these other consequences of this that we didn’t even realize.”
I think a lot of it, to your point, will be around game day environments for players being much more supportive.
Gavin:
I certainly hope that’s the case. Definitely give us time.
If I come back on and that’s not the case, I’ll be disappointed, because I think this is a massive thing.
I sincerely hope every club in North Texas copies us.
If that happens, then all the standards have to rise.
That’s good for the kids, and that’s the most important thing.
Skye:
Absolutely.
Thanks for joining us today and telling us more on our Club’s Winning Culture series.
Gavin:
Thank you, Skye. I appreciate it.
Trending Products
