Running FLL without a trained coach?
Our position, and other voices worth reading before you decide.
Our position
Secure the coach first. Then register the team. Then buy the equipment. Every year, schools reverse this order and the season collapses. The kit is useless without the person.
FLL coach training is free and online. The coach does not need to be an engineer - they need to be an organized adult who commits to 2-3 hours per week for 5 months. Finding that person is the hard part. Make it the first decision.
Other voices
Reputable sources worth reading before you decide. Labels reflect our honest read of each source's general stance, not direct quotes.
FIRST official coach guidance
Broadly agreesThe FIRST coach training materials assume a named coach exists before the team launches. The whole program is built around that adult.
Veteran FLL regional partners
Broadly agreesRegional Program Delivery Partners consistently report that the top predictor of a team completing the season is whether a committed coach was identified before the kit was ordered.
Optimistic school administrators
Pushes backSome school leaders commit to a team assuming a coach will emerge. Occasionally one does. More often the kit sits in a closet. The optimism-without-coach path works just often enough to be a trap.