What You Celebrate, You Replicate | Building Effort, Culture, and Buy-In with Marcus Klund

Your players are already giving you effort. But like all of us… they’ll give you more when the right things are rewarded. In this episode of the Arena Podcast, I sit down with Marcus Klund—linebacker coach and run game coordinator for the Calgary Stampeders—to talk about one of the most important (and most overlooked) principles in coaching: What you celebrate… you replicate. We break down simple, practical systems you can implement immediately to get your players to run harder, practice better, and compete at a higher level—without constantly demanding it. You’ll hear: The “Flying 40” system Calgary uses to measure and reward effort on kickoff Why T-shirts and small rewards can completely change player behavior How to build competition inside your program without creating division Ways to reward effort, toughness, and consistency—not just production How to create a culture where players want to earn it, not just be told We also talk about how championship programs use simple reward systems to build consistency over time—including ideas like “100% Dog” shirts for perfect attendance. If you’re a head coach looking for ways to get more out of your players—without more yelling—this episode will give you tools you can use immediately. 👉 Listen now and start building a program where effort is the standard.