Xceptional Idea #1
Baby Sitting Room for Awards Banquet

An idea that is extremely simple, but a Great way to serve the coaching staff is to have several huddle members host a baby sitting room at the awards banquet for the coaching staff's younger children.  If you can arrange to use a room in the same building that you are having the banquet, the coaches and their spouses will love being able to drop off their children, knowing they will be right down the hall if you need them.  It's a great way to serve the coaches and it doesn't cost FCA or the coaches anything.

Xceptional Idea #2
Team Schedule Cards

Team pocket schedules are a Great Idea.  Please contact me if you want the information to have them printed,  they cost a little more, but they are an Xceptional idea and it's usually not hard to find a couple local businesses who will split the cost.  They are particularly good to hand out at the beginning of the year.  They can be a fund raiser, but work really well as just a way to serve the athletic teams.  Football on one side and Volleyball on the other side is a great schedule to kick off the year with. 
We have a local fellow named Jeff Daigle who is a local Christian Graphic Artist who does a Great Great Job.  He has been doing all of the ones in our area for the last several years and is Great to work with.  Click here for his website.   www.adapdsn.com   Go to portfolio and then prints for an example.
If you want some samples and information on putting together a schedule drop me an email at dwall@fca.org . 

Xceptional Idea #3
Coaches Wives Social


This is an idea that is still in the works, but there is such a need for these meetings.  Coaches wives live a life totally different from everyone else.  The moves, the unusual demands, the ups and downs.  It is important to find a local coaches wife who is strong in her faith and has a real heart for ministering to other coaches wives.  Planning monthly meetings that are not necessarily Bible Studies, but are opportunities to get the wives together, have a small devotional, maybe break up into small groups for a few minutes to share concerns, problems, and prayer request.  And then have a majority of the time having refreshments and time to relax and socialize.  So many coaches families are struggling in their marriages and it can be a great way to minister to these coaches families by ministering to the wives.

Xceptional Idea #4
Coaches Golf Outing

This is another great way to minister to your area coaches.  It is important that you bring some of your local coaches on board in order to help you plan the event.
This is a very sponsor intensive project since the funds need to be raised to provide a round of golf, lunch, and goodie bag for each player.  There are a ton of golf tournaments out there today and many of your coaches jump at the chance to play in any tournament they can.  You want your FCA Coaches Golf Outing to be a real event.  Something that the coaches will be talking about.  It is a great time to partner with some of the sporting vender's in packing the goodie bags. 
But we don't want to just put on a tournament.  It is great to have a brief speaker during lunch or dinner that really speaks the language of coaches.  This is a great event for closing out the summer and encouraging your coaches for the upcoming school year.

Xceptional Idea #5
Pre-Game Meals

Several years ago one of our local coaches encouraged F.C.A. to begin offering pre-game meals to the area teams.  His desire was not for F.C.A. to get into the catering business, but he saw it as a way to make sure his guys were off the streets, that they got a good meal, and that they heard a good devotion before taking the field on Friday night.  We began asking area churches to host one meal a season.  They help provide the meal and either their pastor, youth director, or the team chaplain offers a brief devotion.  We also encourage each church to ask one of their men's Sunday School classes, Bible studies, or men's groups to take on the meal as an annual project.  The men love rubbing shoulders with the guys and it is great to have some Christian male role models in these guys lives.  We have had a lot of success with pre-game meals and have put together a Pre-Game Meal Resource Manual that we would be glad to send you.  Pre-game meals for any sport on any level is a great way to serve the guys and support the coaches.

Xceptional Idea #6
Christmas Postcards

Hope Middle School passed on a Great Idea that really worked well.  They took a picture of their Huddle and went to a local Pharmacy and had Christmas Cards Printed.  They mailed out the cards to some of their speakers and local supporters.  They looked Great and are not expensive.