Edina High School is known for its many state titles, skilled sports teams, and high quality coaching. But who is behind the scenes setting up games and practices, hyping up the team, and bringing donuts? Student sports managers are the hidden MVPs that keep the game going.
At a high school sports game, a crowd member may solely see the action on the field; it’s easy to overlook the role of student sports managers. Although they are underrecognized, they still dedicate nearly the same amount of time as the coaching staff to ensure the game runs smoothly.
For Edina Football managers, spending hours at practices four days a week and even longer at the field on game days, takes up a considerable amount of time from their schedules.
“We have to set up the fields if it’s a home game, and if it’s away then we have to go earlier and set up the bus. [At the game] we have to do the water, [at practice] we do film or whatever the coaches want us to do,” senior Edina Football manager Alessandra Wieden said.
The Edina Girls’ Soccer managers show up an hour early to every game to prepare the field for warmups, including setting up cones and grabbing the equipment for the players to make sure the team is able to maximize warm up time.
“We play a big role in team spirit and cheering them on,” senior Edina Girls’ Soccer manager Holiday Fischer said.
Getting an entire sports team hyped and ready to go can be a lot of work for a coach alone, so it’s an easy and fun way for student managers to step in.
Becoming a student manager also brings opportunities to learn new things. The position often involves learning how to interpret player statistics and handle social media, which can be tough to get a hang of initially, but with the support of the team and coaches, it can change the way high school sports run and operate.
“It was tricky at first, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to pick it up, but I learned as I went and asked teammates [for help],” senior Edina Boys’ Soccer manager Liliana Avila said.
Throughout the beginning of the season, the team plays a big role in helping the student managers get set into their new tasks. As they begin to work more with each other, the collaboration between managers and players has a big part in having the whole team fuse together and work their best.
“Their individual personalities help connect with all of our players,” Varsity Boys’ Soccer coach Dave Jenson said.
When the team is able to work together, especially with the help of student managers and keep the game running smoothly, it guarantees a fun, successful season.
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on Oct. 2, 2025
