Team managers have huge jobs to do, looking after players, parents, kit, equipment, pitches, and 100 other things. And all of this is done in spare time, after work, at a weekend and often at their own cost.

Team managers are a vital part of any successful club, and without enough of them, a club simply cannot function. But what happens when a manager is unavailable for any reason? In the hectic world we live in, unavailability is inevitable, be it work commitments, clashing family commitments, or simply illness.

Many teams have Assistant managers, but their role, and level of real knowledge varies greatly from club to club and also within clubs. In some teams, the Assistant manager is more of a coach, helping out with the training pitch routines, and team selections. In other teams, the Assistant might get involved with fixtures, player transport and communications.

In any well run club it's essential that Team managers and their Assistants know their role and what is expected of them, and no more so is this the case then when a Team manager is unavailable, particularly at short-notice.

It's at this point that many clubs find out just how well organized they are to cope with the absence of a manager, even for a brief period. The Assistant must now come into his own and run the team as his own, dealing with everything that comes his way. The task can be huge, especially for Assistants that are less familiar with team process. There are though practical things that you as a Club can do to ensure that the Assistant has the best chance of managing through the absence of the Manager.

1. Ensure the Assistant has an up to date contact list quickly and easily available. This needs to include every player/parent, the Club Secretary and Chairman, opposing team manager of any immediate fixtures
2. Ensure the Assistant has keys to any training equipment
3. Make sure that the Assistant has complete access to training facilities including alarm codes, gate passes and lighting

These simple steps will make sure that your team can function, whatever the situation. Of course, knowing what to do and actually doing it are entirely different. Whilst physical items like keys don't change often, keeping track of players can be a lot more challenging to achieve. A good system for your club that provides easily accessible player/parent contacts is essential, and it needs to be available for consistently throughout the club so that there is only ever, one simple set of instructions to follow. You should also look out for a system that enables access without the need for a pc. It's no use having to deal with something quickly if the first thing you have to do is drive home and log on.

Team manager absence is an unavoidable feature of modern sport, but short or long term, it needn't be disruptive provided you are organized before it happens.

A final thought for Club Secretaries, you ought to take the lead on this, because the one number an Assistant will have, will almost certainly be yours.