“As the team was wrapping up a meeting in the University of California, Berkeley’s High Performance Center for Athletics, my coach called me to the front of the room.
“My heart was pounding in my chest as I walked to stand next to him. Once I met his gaze, I slowly turned around. This was the first moment I remember addressing the twenty-two remaining members of my team. Everything was silent. Then, I hear him start to talk about the qualities of a leader and finally he says the words, ‘Anja will be Captain of the Cal Women’s Soccer team starting today!’
“I was ecstatic. ‘Me!? Captain of the team!’ As my teammates were cheering and celebrating me in the moment, my mind wandered and the intrusive thoughts began to seep into my consciousness.”
- What were all my responsibilities?
- How was I going to handle arguments between teammates?
- How would my relationships with teammates change now that I had a role more closely associated with my coach?
- What was the best method to pull my team together if we were stuck in a losing streak?
- Ultimately, I wanted to know, how was I going to be the most effective leader for my team?”
Team Captains Need Support
Did you know that 96% of student-athletes have fears about being a captain, with only 15% truly feeling supported in the role? Team captains and leadership team members, in an effort to be more effective, are struggling to find tools that resonate with their experiences and can provide insight into how they lead with their strengths.
Some may say that leadership is a skill that we are born with. We either have it or we don’t. At Captain’s University, we believe that each person has the capability to learn to be a leader.
We believe that leadership is more than an armband. It’s about building confident and effective team leaders during sport and beyond. From a study by Deloitte, 94% of female C-suite leaders played sports – illustrating the link that sports experiences have on our lives outside of the playing field.
Captain’s University offers a research-backed leadership assessment and tailored courses designed to empower your captains and student-athletes. Through focused training on clarity, communication, and confidence, participants can discover their natural strengths, execute goals with discipline, and step into leadership roles with assurance.
Led by founder and former Division 1 soccer captain for UC Berkeley Women’s soccer and the University of Portland Women’s Soccer, Anja Koehler, Captain’s University speaks to the experience of student athletes and their journey towards leadership.
Leadership Assessment Webinar
As a special offer, use code “SWIM5” at checkout (or follow this link to auto apply discount) to enjoy a discount on your enrollment to take the leadership assessment and participate in the Captain Your Life Webinar. During this webinar, we will be diving further into how your athlete can lead most authentically while providing tools to take the first step towards holding others accountable, leading different personalities, and overcoming the fear of letting the team down when making critical decisions.
Wondering how you can learn more? Visit captainsuniversity.com to explore how we can support your leaders, team, and athletic program’s leadership journey or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn. We currently support student-athletes at the collegiate and high-school levels. Let’s empower your captains and student-athletes to lead with confidence today!