Football Players’ Pledge

Team Building and Goal Setting

During the month of January we will start to goal set with our individual position players. Goal setting is a highly powerful technique that can yield strong returns in all areas of our life’s. In its simplest form goal setting helps individuals and teams choose those things we want to be, do, or have in life. Some goals will be athletic, some will be academic, some will be career oriented, some will involve family, team or friends and some spiritual.

After setting goals with our position players, we must help develop a plan to help them achieve those goals. We must be able to take a serious look at where we are currently and what steps need to be taken in order to reach our goals. There are four main steps that will be discussed in helping our athletes with their goals both as individuals and as a team. They are as follows:

Step 1 – Set Your Goal (make it specific, measurable and attainable)

Step 2 – Categorize Your Goal (athletic, academic, career, family, spiritual, etc.)

Step 3 – Reason for Your Goal (why do you want to be, do, or have these things? Is it fair to everyone involved?)

Step 4 – Develop an Action Plan ( how are you going to reach this goal?)

As a coaching staff when meeting with your position layers we must encourage communication and explore with our athletes the goal setting process for each of their goals set. If you do this with your athletes sincerely put a great effort towards them exploring their individual and team goals that there will be no doubt that they will become more assertive, focused, confident, and experience more success than ever before. Help turn their dreams into goals and their intentions into actions.

Coaches should take these sessions with their athletes seriously. After completing your goal sessions with your athletes please provide them with a copy. Once our assistants have completed their goal setting sessions you, as the head coach should then set down with each one and review their goals with them as well. Coaches will use the following pages entitled “Position Players Goals and Pledge” when goal setting with their players.

Position Players Goals and Pledge

Players Name:_____________________

To be a member of this team, I know it is an honor and a responsibility. I am no longer an individual; I am a part of a family. Within the family is a brotherhood (name by position example offensive line). Being apart of this brotherhood has its costs and responsibilities. I make my commitment to uphold and protect the legacy of my family and my brotherhood.

I pledge the following:

I will give my very best effort towards receiving a quality education.

I will strive to be a complete player.

I will conduct myself in a manner that does not draw unwarranted attention to my family, my school, my team, and my position players.

I will when on campus and in the classroom, cause no problems for myself, my teammates and or my teachers.

I will be the best possible student that I can be and to make sure that my grades will not jeopardize my good academic standing. If grades are in doubt I will make every attempt to make all study hall sessions and get help from my teachers and attend all tutorials.

I will follow all rules and regulations laid out by the football program.

I will treat others the way I would want to be treated.

I will work towards knowing all my football assignments and become a student of the game.

I will play with Character – “Play as hard as I can, for as long as I can”.

I will play with Pride – “Know that I won’t quit when it gets tough”.

I will be mentally Tough – “Accept discomfort and coaching and learn to live with it”.

When I walk out onto the football field I represent:

My School.
My Teammates.
My Family.
Myself.

I know that when I take the field I represent all those that came before me and that have worn the colors of my school and all those that will come after me.

Now it is my time in history. I pledge that before I leave, history will remember me as a champion both on and off the field of play.

I Promise To Follow These Vows:

Players Name: _________________________ Date: ___________

Position Players Goals and Expectations

Anticipated Goals By Start Of Football Season:

Height: __________ Weight: _________ Vertical Jump: __________
Bench: __________ Squat: __________ Power Clean: ___________
40 Yd. Dash: ______ Shuttle Run: ________ Power Ranking: _________

Players Immediate Goals       Players Long Term Goals
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Coaches Comments and Expectations       Players’ Phone Number:

Street Address:
City and Zip Code:
3.
4.
5.

Players Signature:

Parents Signature:

Coaches Signature:

Remember: We only pass this way but once, let’s make the best of it. We will only be as good as the last guy, so, how good will you be?

Remember, you can also home visit your parents and goal set with them and then share what their sons goals our for the upcoming season and long range.

About the Author of this post:

Jerry Campbell has over 30 years of high school and college coaching experience. He has experience as a head coach, offensive coordinator, and various position coaches. He has written numerous football coaching articles in various publications, is the author of over 30 books on coaching football, and has produced 12 coaching video series. Additionally, he is a nationally sought after speaker on the coaching clinic circuit.