Earning the title of captain was a meticulous process for those selected. Coaches requested teams to submit anonymous votes for peer insight, then further deliberated amongst coaches and staff. To cement their position, players reviewed and agreed to the FIERCE Captains Handbook. On September 26th, FIERCE kicked off weekly Captain's Council meetings for the leaders of several teams to come together.
Staff and players alike already see the payoffs of these meetings. 10G NL's Kasyn G. shared that “attending the Captain Meetings has helped me truly understand what it means to lead on and off the field.” Beyond teaching players about servant leadership, the meetings have promoted collaboration amongst different teams. 09G NL's Kate H. explained, "The captains council is an opportunity to have the teams across ages come together and talk about how to better develop their teams and the club!"
The wide range of ages in the room has also fostered inter-team mentorship. Executive Director Nick Marquez is delighted by the way he has seen captains from older teams step up to help captains on younger teams. He recalls, "in a meeting one of the younger team's captains mentioned an issue they were facing. Immediately, older captains drew from their own team's experience and how they handled the same issue. The positive impacts these meetings already display - empowering our players to mentor one another and the humility of players seeking guidance - it astounds me."
With captains and staff praising the Captain's Council after only a few meetings, the club looks forward to its evolution over the course of the season!