Roles and responsibilities in a sports team

Ask a team with no clear division of roles who's arranging the referee for Saturday, and you'll get silence followed by three people saying "I thought someone else was doing that." Roles aren't bureaucracy for its own sake — they're the reason things actually happen without someone having to chase it down every single time.

The core: coach and team manager

The coach is responsible for everything on the field: tactics, training, lineup. The team manager handles everything around it: communication, planning, administration. In small teams, this is sometimes the same person, but it's wise to separate these roles when possible.

Other essential roles

• Captain: the point of contact on the field, bridges players and coach.
• Treasurer: manages the team treasury, collects fines and contributions.
• Equipment manager: looks after balls, bibs, cones, and other gear.
• Secretary: processes match results, deals with the association, and circulates meeting notes.
• Social media manager: shares updates, photos, and results externally.

How to divide roles fairly

Start the season with a short meeting where you discuss the roles. Ask who is interested in which role. Share the workload fairly and make sure nobody has to do everything. Also remember: roles can rotate each season, which gets more people involved in running the team.

Document the agreements

Record roles and their tasks in writing. This doesn't have to be a formal document — a shared note in the team app is enough. That way, everyone knows who is responsible for what, and nothing can be "forgotten."

What goes wrong without role division: a real example

A fifteen-player cricket team spent a whole season with no fixed roles assigned — the coach handled "a bit of everything" on the side. Result: no referee arranged for a home match, twice; no balls available once because nobody felt responsible; and a fine pot still sitting at €0 after eight months because nobody actively tracked it. After introducing five fixed roles — including an equipment manager and a treasurer — none of these problems recurred the following season.

Assigning roles costs one uncomfortable conversation up front about who does what. But having that conversation once is cheaper than improvising for an entire season.