Green Hornets Lacrosse Commissioner Has Big Plans

When the position of boy’s lacrosse commissioner in the Green Hornets came available, Matt Schaller stepped up.  Having played for the Green Hornets program as a child, Schaller felt a pull to help the program grow and improve.  Because he had already spent several years coaching his son’s Green Hornets team he was able to see just where those improvements could be made.

Schaller started his position as commissioner with a big goal.  Schaller believes there is a certain atmosphere of community that football teams are able to encourage.  This atmosphere starts with getting more parents involved in the team and taking some responsibility off of the coaches.  The program has recently added team moms or managers to take some of the load off of the coaches.

Another way the program has been able to ease the stress on the coaches is through the addition of the lacrosse program’s website Green Hornet's Boys Lacrosse Website where parents, coaches and players alike can find all of the information they need.

Instead of fielding the dozens of calls that came in on an almost daily basis before the website was created, coaches are now able to spend that time with their families or planning the next practice or game strategy.

These improvements not only helps the current coaches, it also makes it easier to recruit coaches into the program.

“We don’t have a huge problem with recruiting,” Schaller said, “We have so many dads, uncles and even recent college graduates who love the game and want to stay involved.  Those guys step up, but it is a lot easier to get the commitment if they know that their responsibility is limited to coaching.”

Schaller wants to see the lacrosse community to pull together in a way that gives the program a more family feel.  With the big push in the spirit wear and the attempts at getting all of the teams together for club wide events, Schaller hopes to see the community really come together. This year it took a step in the right direction with a tailgate party at the Navy versus Maryland game.

“It was pouring rain,” Schaller said, “but people still came out and we had a great time.  I would like to see more events like this for our community.”

Schaller believes that the more involved the parents and players are with the program, the more they take responsibilities within the program, the more they will take pride in the program’s accomplishments.  With this pride, he feels the program can be much more than it is today.

As a former Green Hornet, Schaller has a vision of being able to move the club forward.  He hopes to see his children stay involved in the program until they begin playing at the high school level and he envisions them coming back as adults to find the program still thriving