College Sports Information Directors of America

Although he might not agree with the reference, Doug Chin, Associate Commissioner of the NCAA Division III Commonwealth Coast Conference, is a Renaissance man of sorts.
 
With a soccer-playing background, he has coached soccer collegiately. Since the age of 14, he's been a USSF certified referee, even officiating youth games at Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL's New England Patriots. He has worked in athletic communications on campuses and at conference offices. Chin also is working on a second masters degree, this time his MBA, He is a major advocate for the sports of … Futsal.
 
And then there's his hobby of posting his guitar-playing country music covers on Youtube. 
 
Chin's career continues to evolve as well. Prior to his current position at the CCC which began in 2015, Doug was at the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, first part-time as a multimedia specialist and championship correspondent and then was hired as Assistant to the Commissioner, with that position funded through the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women's Grant program. In an NCAA feature a few years ago, the 2010 Boston University graduate (broadcast journalism major) reflected on what it meant to receive this two-year Grant (for 2013-14) and how it jump-started his career:
 
"The program creates a great environment for the recipients where they have a cohort of peers who are in similar situations trying to break into the business. ... I also loved that part of the grant allotted money for professional development. The ability to attend Regional Rules Seminars and CoSIDA conventions has definitely served me well in my career."
 
Since then, Chin moved to the Commonwealth Coast Conference where he has been for the last five years. The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) has its member institutions located in New England in the states of Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Chin has been with the CCC for five years.

 

 
And, the future-focused Chin continues his learning and professional growth. When asked what goals he currently is working on, Chin noted that he is studying at Western New England to finish up a second master's degree.
 
"I got a master's in sports leadership and coaching last year and will finish my MBA in the spring," Chin noted. "I'm hoping the business degrees will help me continue to climb into more leadership positions where I can continue to advocate for the people in our line of work."
 
Elevated to the role of Associate Commissioner at the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) a few years ago, Chin talks below in the Q&A about his role at the CCC, who has influenced him, offers some professional development advice and talks more about all those outside interests .
 
What do you think are the best skills that you bring to your job?
I think my strength definitely lies in my ability to learn technical skills quickly. I don't think I'm ever going to be the best graphic designer or the best writer or the best photographer, but give me a computer and I'll figure out how to do it at a passable level. That and Googling. I can't tell you how many skills I've learned just by knowing how to Google.

Your communications career began with work at both Pine Manor College and the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Conference. You wore the head women's soccer coach/assistant SID cap first at Pine Manor, then spent the 2014-15 academic year as Pine Manor SID which started your communications career. What motivated you to turn your attention away from college coaching to the communications field? Did you choose this profession or did it choose you?
My athletic communications journey is kind of an interesting one. I went to BU to study broadcast journalism because I originally wanted to work on the media side of things, not necessarily media relations. When I graduated, the job market being what it was, I had to take whatever was out there for me. I was already doing some volunteer video and social media work for the GNAC, when the Pine Manor AD John Griffith called Commissioner Joe Walsh asking if he knew anyone with soccer experience. Soccer was my primary sport in high school, plus I was a licensed coach and referee, so Joe sent me his way.

I knew based on my experience level, I probably did not have a future in coaching, but I figured there might be some other stuff that I could help out with. The SID at the time, Miles Roberts, was also coaching the volleyball team, so he told me he could teach me how to stat games and I could help him out with some stuff, so I started learning.

When Miles left PMC to take the job at Wellesley, Grif gave me a call and asked if I'd have interest working for them full time. It was my first full time job in college athletics and I guess I just kind of fell into it. They haven't had a full-time SID since I left so, I still go back there and work a lot of their games.
 

You spent time at the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, first as multimedia specialist and championship correspondent and then as Assistant to the Commissioner (position funded through the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women's Grant program). How did those experiences, plus working with Commissioner Joe Walsh, a huge CoSIDA advocate, shape your professional career?
My experiences with the GNAC were invaluable. Joe has been an amazing friend and mentor. I wouldn't be working in college athletics if it weren't for him. Joe is the kind of guy who will volunteer you for positions even though you might not think you're ready because he knows you are. He's always eager to give you that push to encourage you to take the next step.

While working with the GNAC, I was able to build solid networking base. I had the opportunity to connect with a lot of ADs and SIDs. Even though I've since left the league, I still see those people around at Convention or maybe on the road or at an NCAA event and it's always great catching up.

You are in your fifth year at the CCC. Two years ago, you were elevated to the league's first-ever Associate Commissioner position. How have your role and responsibilities changed with the new position?
It was a great honor being named the first-ever Associate Commissioner of the CCC. Commissioner Gregg Kaye has definitely put in a lot of work to make the conference the best that it can be and I'm glad that I could be a part of it.

My role was already evolving before my position was elevated, but the primary focus is still on communications. In addition to the traditional website and social media management, I also help create conference schedules, serve as the advisor to our conference student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC), and am the primary point of contact for our coaches committees.

I also obviously work very closely with our group of sports information directors. We have a great group in the CCC. We have everything from industry veterans to rising stars and I believe everyone wants to do what's best for our student-athletes. I feel we do a pretty good job of working together to make sure that happens.

Is there an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of? Tell us about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career - or your personal life.
This probably isn't life-changing or career-altering, but I was very proud of the work we did on the GNAC Professional Development Seminar (PDS) in 2014 because it was my first time serving as the point person for a major event.

With the help of GNAC Assistant Commissioner Michael Ghika (who had just been hired) and GNAC intern Rebecca Mullen (who has gone on to have a very successful career in athletics), we hosted an event that brought together almost everyone in the conference – coaches, SIDs, athletic trainers, ADs – everyone was there. It was a full day of professional development with speakers, vendors, and others to help our conference learn and grow.

There was a lot of work and planning that went into it and I was really happy with the way it turned out.

You are a really busy guy outside your CCC commitments. You are heavily involved in youth soccer as a coach and we know you've also officiated youth matches at the Patriots' Gillette Stadium. Additionally, you are a big advocate for the growing sport of futsal (the official indoor game sanctioned by FIFA). What keeps you interested and involved in both sports, and how do you find the time to do so?
I've scaled back on my involvement in soccer in the past few years, but I would definitely like to get back involved in some capacity, whether it be reffing or coaching. Soccer has just always been part of my life. I think I started playing when I was in first grade. I became a USSF certified referee when I was 14. I coached teams from when I was in high school up through college and into my adult life. It's just been something I've always been involved in.

 

Can you talk about some of the best moments you've experienced while coaching soccer and promoting the game of futsal? And, can you give a thumbnail description of what futsal is?
I think like most of our coaches will attest to, it's not wins and losses that are the most meaningful when coaching. It's having an impact on a young person's life. My favorite moments as a coach have been when former players or their parents come up to me and tell me that they enjoyed playing for me and that they learned a lot. Of course, winning is nice too.

Futsal is the official indoor game sanctioned by FIFA. It's played 5-on-5 (four field players and a keeper) on a basketball court-sized pitch with a reduced bounce ball. It's fast-paced, high-scoring and is responsible for a lot of the creative individual ball skills in the South American style of play. Many soccer greats grew up playing the game and it is growing in popularity in the US.

I've been a huge advocate for the sport both as a development tool for soccer, but also as a stand-alone sport. I was lucky enough to ref at both the regional and national level in futsal in my teens and am good friends with the USFF National Director of Coaching.

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps into this career?
Don't follow my footsteps! Everyone's path is different. There is no road map to success. You just have to be looking for opportunities even if they're not exactly what you're looking for.

I always encourage people to take advantage of the opportunities as they present themselves. You never know what's going to happen. Being a part-time women's soccer coach at the smallest school in the NCAA might not sound that appealing, but taking that job could land you in a spot where you're running a nine school league with 18 championship sports.

What's something we would never guess about you?
There may or not be some videos out there on the internet of me singing acoustic covers of country songs. (Editor's note: Here's the reference again to Chin's Youtube channel where he's placed his country song covers.)

 

What's one tool that you couldn't live without?
My computer.

Do you have a personal motto or favorite quote?
I have two and they're both lyrics from country songs.

One is "Cry when it hurts. Laugh when it's funny. Chase after the dream, don't chase after the money," from Old Dominion's "No Such Thing as a Broken Heart" and the other is "Follow your arrow wherever it points," from Kacey Musgraves' "Follow your Arrow."

I think the first one is important because a lot of people in this profession tend to hide their emotions when sometimes they should just let it out. But then in the end even if you feel overworked or underpaid, you need to remember that you're doing it because you love it.

I like the second one because no matter what you do, there is going to be someone telling you that you're doing it wrong. It's important to remember that no one knows you better than yourself. As I said before, there isn't one path to happiness or success and you need to follow the path that is right for you.