A: YES. The student-athlete is the primary “customer” of the athletics program and the athletics director and coach should have such “customer satisfaction” input. Player evaluation instruments should be constructed collaboratively by the coaching staff and the athletics administrators and administered annually. Following is a sample Student-Athlete Evaluation form. Player evaluations of coaches should be administered without coaches being present and player confidentiality must be assured in order for such evaluation efforts to be effective.
SAMPLE: STUDENT-ATHLETE EVALUATION OF COACH
Coach Name: ______________________Title/Sport: _________________Date: ______
For the following criteria, rate the coach according to the following scale:
1=always, 2=usually, 3=sometimes, 4=rarely, 5=never
____ 1. Coach demonstrates enthusiasm for the sport and for coaching.
____ 2. Coach’s error correction is free from personally demeaning language or profanity.
____ 3. Coach provides practice activities that promote learning and are not punitive in nature.
____ 4. Coach instruction is available to all athletes.
____ 5. Coach treats athletes equally (this should not reflect judgment on playing time).
____ 6. Coach promotes a supportive practice environment.
____ 7. Coach works well with other coaches, trainers, and strength coach.
____ 8. Coach promotes teamwork and cooperative effort between players.
____ 9. Coach prioritizes and encourages academic success.
____10. Coach demonstrates professional behavior during practice.
____11. Coach demonstrates professional behavior during contests.
____12. Coach is available for and open to one-on-one meetings.
General Questions:
Are you satisfied with the overall experience you had as a player on this team? If not, please elaborate.
Would you play for this coach again? If not, please elaborate.
Do you feel that the expectations for participating on this team were reasonable? If not, please elaborate.
Additional Comments:
-- Prepared by Connee Zotos, Ph.D., Senior Associate, Sports Management Resources