In football as in any organization, the strength of a team depends on how well they co-ordinate and work together and for this to happen, there has to be effective communication. The captain, defenders and the goalkeeper play a key role in communication on-field because they have a tactical view of the game better than other outfield players. It is their duty to inform other player of open positions, possible runs and man marking for set-piece defending. The manager plays a key role during the game of communicating the strategy and changes to each player. He is constantly observing the game from an overall strategy and what the team wants to achieve in every match, of course winning the game is on top of the cards in this.
Much like during the game, looking at it from a metaphoric point of view, football associations and clubs, play the role of the manager and captain of a team (in effect the caretaker for the organizations) and have a key role to play in the development of not only their respective entities, but also the game as a whole.Why is football in certain countries more advanced and popular than others? Is it because they have better players, better managers and teams? Yes, partly this is the reason, but if we delve deeper into the situation, we will see that most popular Leagues like the Premier League, La Liga and teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona have started very much the same like our Indian, African and other less popular and successful Leagues and teams currently.
We have broadly classified the possible methods of communication into 5 main themes:
1.Traditional Methods
Today, almost everyone possesses a cell phone or a landline, which has made the traditional method of calling easier than ever before.It is very efficient to convey messages clearly. This method is one of the most reliable modes of communication.
SMS or short message service is a simple way of exchanging text messages between two cell phones. This is vital in nature as when calling is not a viable option; one can simply drop an SMS and convey the message to the receiver. However, one may not be able to give the complete information.
One cannot convey all messages via these methods as they would not be as efficient as other methods but can be used as a basis of major communication. Let us assume that the FA needs to come to a conclusion regarding their new offside rule, given the size of an FA and the involvement of members, the FA can’t come to a conclusion over phone calls. However, they can use this method of communication to coordinate about their meet and other details regarding the same over phone calls or SMS.
2.Other Old And Effective Methods:
Mails and letters have been in use for a very long time. These are efficient in nature and help one communicate with ease. The size of the association does not matter as it is used by all. It may be old but it is the most followed and a widely recognised official way of communication. Information about changes, updates, inter and intra FA communication can take place this way as one can keep a track of all interactions online. Email’s dependency on the internet maybe considered as an issue by some but due to advancement in technology, most people possess phones that support both internet connectivity as well as email clients which makes communication via this method easy.
3.The first ever form of communication:
The clearest way to get one’s message across is to give it a personal touch and one can do to that by talking to someone face to face or a select group of people face to face. Research has shown that some people respond to this way of communication more than others and it may help cover the communication gap one may face while talking to some employees.
Let us assume that members of an FA need to be informed about updated tasks. Sending a mail would be the standard method of doing so but meeting personally would ensure that communication is more effective. An interaction which takes place in this manner is more effective as it promotes an interactive environment which in turn leads to clearer communication. Of course the personal touch is not possible for every communication, and so priorities have to be set for this activity.
4.The Corporate Way:
Presentations, Meetings and group discussion can be used to settle topics which may involve people with different opinions, helping them come to unanimous decision.
Let us assume that a big Football Association, A, which has smaller associations, B, C and D under it. ‘A’ needs to communicate with the other three about change in tournament structure and certain rules. A has decided to send a mail for the same however, conducting a meeting for the same would ensure a better communication and higher response.
5.Unique Tools:
Inter-firm communication can take place using portals which are specifically dedicated for the same purpose. One can either use already established sites or pay to create their own portal. Both methods have their pros and cons, where an established site may not be customizable down to the last detail, a club dedicated site may face a wide array of problems ranging from development to server related issues. It is certainly easier to use an established site as the burden is not on the FA but on the provider.
It is important that all members of the FA are on the same page. The Football Mind is one such portal that helps the FA’s in internal communication (within the FA and directly affiliated with the FA), External Communication (with the fans and external factors), organizing tournaments and transfers amongst other things. With internal messaging, event notifications, news and updates and an integrated flexible structure of communication all in one place, this promises to give the required tools for the FAs and clubs to use. The content and the social media aspects can also be taken care of via this portal and fans can directly connect with the FA which makes communication as a whole much easier.
Football has earned the title of being the most popular sport in the world because of its fans. Communication has played a major role in this. In the current age, with solid communication and networking tools, it has received a major boost making communication easier. It needs to be done via multiple mediums as it is one of the key aspects which will ultimately lead to growth and development. One can almost directly relate development and effective communication, without one, the other cannot be achieved. Communication can either help in upgrading the FA’s standards or deteriorating the FA’s standards, one needs to clearly understand the message that needs to be put across and then select the mediums of communication for effective communication to take place.
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