Varsity Field Hockey Coach

Job description

Riverdale Country School, a Pre-K through Grade 12 independent all-gender school in New York City, is dedicated to inspiring students to live meaningful and purpose-driven lives. The school achieves this by fostering a culture of academic excellence, critical thinking, and curiosity, supported by a diverse and inclusive community. Riverdale emphasizes both high challenge and high support in its approach to education, encouraging students to engage deeply in interdisciplinary learning, research, and experiential education, both inside and outside the classroom and beyond our campuses. This holistic approach aims to develop well-rounded individuals who are prepared to make a positive impact on the world. At Riverdale, we strive to reflect the diversity of the New York metropolitan area in our students, faculty, and staff. We believe that a diverse and inclusive community enriches the educational experience and is integral to our mission. With a student body of approximately 1,300 students from 117 different zip codes, Riverdale is a vibrant community where 48% of our students identify as students of color. We seek to employ educators and leaders who bring a student-centered approach, passion for their work, a commitment to DEIB, and a desire to contribute to the growth and development of our entire school community. Riverdale Athletics’ mission is to provide a meaningful athletic experience for each student-athlete, while maximizing student participation, promoting sportsmanship, representing the school with integrity, and understanding the importance of balancing the commitments of being a student-athlete. We aim to hire coaches who emulate the values of both Riverdale Athletics and Riverdale Country School. Our group of coaches are dedicated to their given sport, student-athletes, and team. Coaches are public-facing representatives of the school and interscholastic athletic activities. Coaches should be viewed first as teachers who utilize effective teaching strategies, striving towards having expert knowledge in their discipline. Effective planning, instructional skills, and the ability to set expectations, motivate, and discipline student-athletes are essential components of being a successful coach. Coaches must set high expectations and expect high levels of effort and commitment, but must understand the physical and emotional stress of competitive sport, in conjunction with the Riverdale Country School academic expectations. At all times, coaches must maintain all applicable safety standards and report any unsafe environments. **Preseason begins on Thursday, August 20th and ends Friday, September 4th. Preseason practices are 8:00am-11:00am. Regular season begins Tuesday, September 8th and ends on Monday, November 9th. Practices and games are Monday- Friday after school with occasional Saturdays. Coaches must be available for the duration of the season.** ### Responsibilities - Plan and deliver daily practices that include sport-specific fundamental technique, strategies, rules, conditioning, and safety - Develop and execute game strategies; conduct opponent scouting and film analysis to prepare the team for competition - Collaborate and assign tasks to assistant coach(es) - Stay current with rule changes and trends in your sport - Seek professional development and collaboration with fellow coaches - Communicate effectively with athletes, families, school personnel, and the athletic department - Attend pre and post season league meetings