Creating a systematic approach to archive and report scores is an important aspect of a coach’s job that should not be overlooked. Whether the purpose of such record-keeping is to keep the school community informed on a daily basis or prepare information for Hall of Fame nominations, record-keeping remains an important function of the high school coach.

In previous years, newspapers served as good sources of record-keeping both long-term and short-term. Nationwide, coaches would call in scores to anxious newspaper reporters waiting to print the most updated statistics in the next day's print to keep their subscribers informed; however, with the cutbacks in readership and consolidation of many local newspapers, good high school coverage is hard to find, let alone to verify accuracy.

Mass and social media outlets have rushed to fill the void left by local papers. The benefits have increased the exposure of our athletic programs, which has both benefits and drawbacks; but it has also left some coaches at a loss of what statistics to keep and where such information should be reported. Finding a system that works for individual coaches and school sites is something that can be explored with athletic directors, administrators and even school staff to better reflect the values of a school's particular vision. Here are a few tips to finding what best fits your community.

Keep daily records of outcomes

Keep a good rapport with the athletic director on what records are important. Some athletic directors want daily updates after games through email, text or even Twitter. Giving short, informative statistics of team and individual performances can allow athletic directors to share such information with school and district personnel. Most staff in schools have a genuine interest in supporting athletics programs and want to be informed. They realize educational data shows athletics helps benefit academic environment. Such daily reports need to be informative, but not overly subjective, especially if coaches use social media posts. Statistics with embellishments or emotionally charged material can create problems for teams, schools and even communities. Daily reports should state the facts – those who read them can create their own commentary as they see fit.

Individual and team records for motivation

Transparency and publicity are important when archiving individual and team records. Whether a school has a rich 100-year history or has started in the past year, records can serve as motivation for athletic achievement. Head coaches can foster healthy perspective and goal setting within student-athletes if they are familiar with and share records.

Some teams have leaderboards posted in their team rooms while others use school websites or even outside prep athletic sites like MaxPreps or USA Today. Some prep sites encourage such use and are easy to use; however, check with the athletic director to make sure such use is appropriate and to find if a school prefers one site to another.

Historical recognition

Some high schools, leagues, sections and states have established Hall of Fame organizations to build pride in communities, relive past seasons of glory, and continue positive relations with alumni; however, these organizations cannot properly recognize student accomplishments without accurate records.

Although many coaches have aspirations of staying in their positions for an undetermined length of time, few give thought to who will fulfill their roles once they leave their positions. This perspective – the ability to pass on procedures of a program to the future coach – can be tremendously beneficial.

Passing handwritten scorebooks to the next coach may have been appropriate 20 years ago, but creating digital entries of such data is necessary in high schools today. Whether it's a free Google docs spreadsheet or a more complex statistical program schools purchase, coaches should use a system that will allow a future coach to continue data entry seamlessly. How to create such a system does not have to be limited to a coach and athletic director; schools may have web design classes, school newspapers and even yearbooks that can help coaches navigate the waters of data recording. This creates community and support within a school and continuity for bodies that look for historical documentation. 

Final thoughts

Good record-keeping can seem like a daunting task, but identifying the priorities of a school, keeping daily records, and keeping perspective of how to pass on such information to future coaches can lay the groundwork for success. Schools, communities and, most importantly, athletes will appreciate and learn from this attention to detail. This data can serve as a motivation for future generations of athletes and connects students to the history of their school, league, section and state.