The Role of Parents in Youth Sport: Building the Coach ... · •What behaviours to expect and to use •Cricket: Lack of aggressive behaviour, focus on development, •Football:

2nd iCoachKids International ConferenceLeeds 5th & 6th Sept 2018

Developing Effective Environments for Children in Sport

The Role of Parents in Youth Sport: Building the Coach-Parent-Child Partnership

Ian Cowburn, Leeds Beckett UniversitySteve Dorey, West Riding Football Association

@iCoachKidsEU www.icoachkids.eu #iCKConference

Supported by

http://www.icoachkids.eu/

Introductions

Ian Cowburn

Senior Lecturer Sport Coaching

Leeds Beckett University

@ihjcowburn

Steve Dorey

Senior Football Development Officer

West Riding Football Association

@WestRidingFA

Introductions

Who are you?

• What do you coach?

• Who do you coach?

Why are you here?

• Why did you pick this session?

• What are you hoping to get out of it?

Purpose of the Session

By the time you leave today, we’re hoping that you will:

1. Have a better understanding of, and be able to explain, parent perspectives in sport

2. Have developed/created proposed strategies for coach-parent-child partnership building in your own context

3. Start to develop relationships with other coaches to follow-up on progress to parent involvement.

We’re looking to learn from you as well… the problems/success you have had, strategies, feedback, etc.

Check Point 1 – What Do We Think of Parents?

Best / Worst Thing About Parents…

Let’s do a bit of research

Put your top 3 best and top 3 most challenging things about parents on a post-it note (each)

Why Should We Care about Parents?

• Spend most amount of time with athlete (role changes over time)

• Athlete Development• Role models to their child(ren)

• Interpreters of the sport experience

• Providers of the sport experience

• Children want them there

• Coach / Club Functioning• Parents can help support coach

objectives OR

• Parents can be disruptive and (ab)usecoach time

Why Should We Care about Parents?

• Overall, parents are overwhelmingly positive and helpful (7/10)

• Poor behaviours are the exception, not the rule

• Helping to guide parent efforts can benefit everyone

Child Benefits (i.e., why do parents put their children in sport?)• Make friends and learn to interact with adults

• Development as people (athletically and otherwise)

• Experience success and failure

• Develop life skills

Parent Benefits

• Getting to spend time with child

• Sharing the developmental

experience with their child

• Friendships with other parents

• Experience big competitions

• Family benefits of being together

Perceived Benefits for Parents

Check Point 2 – What Do We Already Do?

If sport is an opportunity for positive parent interactions…

• Do you know what the participants and their parents enjoy about participating in your sport and what they want out of it?

• What do you do for/with parents as a coach to create a good experience?

• What is the experience at your club?

Parents are ‘socialised’ into Sport

Learning the ‘rules of engagement’ through involvement with others

• About the sport • Examples: swimming parents learn rules of various types of meets; dance

dads learn about and start to take more interest in dance

• What behaviours to expect and to use• Cricket: Lack of aggressive behaviour, focus on development, • Football: Abuse of officials, aggression toward players/parents, allow coach

to do their job (some parents)• Both: positive support and pushy/under-involved parents

• What is ‘acceptable’• Cricket does not accept aggressive behaviours, calm environment• Football ‘leeway’ for aggressive behaviour – professional game sets

‘standard’ for behaviour

Parents are ‘socialised’ into Sport

• Parents learn the ‘rules of engagement’ through involvement in sport

• Key message: We can help set that environment and appropriate behaviour standards

So how can we better understand parents such that we can create a better environment?

• Parent well-being and stress

Parent Stressors

1. Organizational Stressors

2. Competitive Stressors

3. Developmental Stressors

Organizational Stressors

• Planning and Organization

• Time

• Coaches and Clubs

• Child Development

• Multiple Roles

• Social stressors

Competitive Stressors

• Expectations and outcomes at competitions

• Watching competitions

• Lack of sport knowledge

• Travel for competition

Developmental Stressors

• Child well-being

• School development

• Lack of other opportunities

Parent Coping Strategies

• Values and beliefs for involvement in sport

• Goals based on values and beliefs

• Communication

• Support from family and friends

• Working with their child

• Planning and organization

• Passive and/or short-term coping (less good)

Strategies for Involving Parents

The Goals

• To have similar values and beliefs about involvement in sport between parent, coach, and child

• Develop similar goals and objectives between coach, parent, and child

• Create a welcoming and developmental environment where these shared goals can be achieved (pedagogical climate)


1. Your Own Values / Beliefs

• Do you have a good understanding of what your program of coaching is about, and can you communicate this clearly and concisely to both parents and athletes?

• Is involving parents something you really want to do and believe in?

• Does this align with your organisation?

• Do you actually know what your parents / athletes want out of their sporting involvement?

Check Point 3 – Your Philosophy

• Do you have one?

• What would the advantages be of having a clearly defined coaching philosophy?

• Beliefs – values – behaviours


2. Coach Attitudes• Treat parents the same way you would treat your athletes: as

people and individuals• See parents as an asset• Create a task-oriented and cooperative atmosphere

3. Clear, Concise, and Consistent Communication• Plan your communication• Use a variety of communication methods• Individualize where possible


4. Environment

• Build a sport community, help connect parents

• Actively involve parents where possible

• Provide support for volunteer roles

5. Coach Parents

• About the sport and commitment required

• About their roles

• About appropriate rationales and goals for involvement

Check Point 4 - Individual Reflection and Re-Cap

Worksheet is blank for you to make your own notes and reflections. Some suggestions:

• Your biggest ‘take home’ point of the day

• What would you tell other coaches in your club?

• What makes the most / least sense?

• What are you going to do differently having attended the session?

• Questions you still have? (feel free to contact Ian or Steve)

Purpose of the Session

By the time you leave today, we’re hoping that you will:

1. Have a better understanding of, and be able to explain, parent perspectives in sport

2. Have developed/created proposed strategies for coach-parent-child partnership building in your own context

3. Start to develop relationships with other coaches to follow-up on progress to parent involvement.

We’re looking to learn from you as well… the problems/success you have had, strategies, feedback, etc. – what did we learn?

“Parents are not a problem to be solved, but an asset to you and your organisation”

Thank you!

Ian Cowburn

Senior Lecturer Sport Coaching

Leeds Beckett University

[email protected]

@ihjcowburn

Steve Dorey

Senior Football Development Officer

West Riding Football Association

[email protected]

@WestRidingFA
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

Documents

The Role of Parents in Youth Sport: Building the Coach ... · •What behaviours to expect and to use •Cricket: Lack of aggressive behaviour, focus on development, •Football: