Program Improvement Plan/Quality Control??

Matthew Tesoriere

I feel like one of the biggest things I have come to realize is that coaches preach about "new" programs and "change" especially at the school I am at in California, but in reality most of it is a facade. Recently getting the Head Coaching position at Hanford West made me realize that I am the 4th new head coach in the past 5 years. If I was a current player that would put a bad taste in my mouth. They feel like they have been forgotten about and that they are not important, so my vision really for the program is transform these young player's lives.

Before I interviewed for the Head Coaching job this year, I realized I needed to talk to somebody that understood football and the lessons it taught to players. I knew going to my old head coach would not help at all because we bumped heads and his philosophy is so much different than mine. So instead I went to somebody who use to be the head coach at the school I am at now. I knew of him, but never really talked to him. After the first time I got to sit down and talk to him my eyes became open. Our coaching philosophy was basically the same thing, but he understood the why and could explain to me exactly why I coached the way I did. After that moment I wanted to learn as much as I could and what I learned and now realize is that my vision was to use football and the lessons it provides as a way of getting out the absolute best in my players and not just during football, but for life as well. Football had such a big impact on my life and I figured it has the same effect on players now a days as well. My vision is to enhance young player's mentally, physically, and socially. Once this has been accomplished they will be successful with whatever life throws at them.

My Core Values for the program stem off of the vision in that we pursue the following three things with excellence.

1. Mental Development. Football is a tough game, so is life. If our players are mentally dialed in and can show that they are ready for anything that is thrown at them, they will be successful in life when things get hard.

2. Character/ Social Development. Football teaches sportsmanship, which teaches good character and being morally sound. In society today, you see so much evil in the world and people doing bad things. Why not teach our players to be beacons of light in a dark world. That in itself makes them young men with integrity and we need more of that in society, especially in our very own communities. Football teaches a lot of social behavior as well because you end up having to trust your teammates and they have to trust you as well. One of the biggest things that I have noticed lacking in society today is the ability to communicate. Most of the time you just see these athletes stuck with their head in their phone and they lack social skills. Our program is trying to change that by making them get to know one another and be open about how they are feeling and able to communicate that not only to us as coaches, but to their teammates as well.

3. Competitive Excellence. What I have noticed especially in football is that the will to work hard and compete in everything you do, along with doing everything to the best of your ability is what makes you a better football player. This in itself transcends football though, in life if you are working to the best of your ability and you are competing to be as perfect as possible in everything you do, you will be successful in life. This has been a guiding force in my life. I do everything to the best of my ability and will not stop until I feel like I did my absolute best. Getting players to do their very best every single play is not an easy task by all means, but it is an important one if you are going to make them successful in life.


These are the three things I want my new program to be known for and yes it is a process, but it is one I am willing to go the distance with until this program becomes successful.