Mission Statement for Your School or Youth Sports Organization

A compelling mission statement can help inspire people and galvanize their energy to make it come
true. People working within organizations sometimes forget about the organization’s noble goals as
they get caught up in their day-to-day responsibilities.

A mission statement for your school athletic department or youth sports organization (YSO):

• Helps organizational leaders communicate the organization’s core values to all constituents.
• Makes clear to all stakeholders what the organization is about in a concise, memorable way.
• Serves as a source for messaging in newsletters, banners, presentations to coaches and
  parents, etc., to remind them of the mission.
• Provides guidance for the organization when facing difficult, ambiguous situations.
• Creates accountability when comparing the state of the organization to its ideal.

All schools and YSOs should have a mission statement explicitly listing the use of sports to help youth athletes develop positive character and values that will help them succeed throughout their lives as a goal. Check your YSO’s mission statement to see that it reflects your organization’s aspirations. Positive Coaching should be an explicit element of the mission statement.

Sample Mission Statement

(YSO name) aspires to be an outstanding educational-athletic organization that provides a high-quality experience to every athlete. A high-quality experience is one in which every athlete:

• Is coached using the principles of Positive Coaching.
• Has fun at practices and games.
• Feels like an important part of the team regardless of performance.
• Learns “life lessons” that have value beyond the playing field.
• Learns the skills, tactics and strategies of the game and improves as a player.

We recognize that coaches are the people who most directly make this all possible. It is our goal to provide every coach with the tools to succeed as a Positive Coach. We are committed to creating a positive culture, in which coaches, parents, fans, officials and athletes work together to achieve our mission.

If Your YSO Does Not Have a Mission Statement

Start developing a mission statement that captures what your organization aspires to do and be. The board should appoint a small committee to write a draft mission statement and field-test it with coaches, parents, officials and athletes. The committee can then bring the statement to the board for a vote to approve.