Throughout the career of a young person on the talent pathway, parents and carers who are positively involved play a key role in their health and wellbeing as well as their overall success.
Coaches, parents and carers should always communicate effectively and ensure they are working together to support young people. Parents and carers play an important role in their child’s sporting life, both when things are going well and by supporting them with any issues. In the adult world of high-performance sport, having a trusted adult to turn to with any worries, concerns or help is vital to ensure the young person feels safe.
If you are worried that your child is being abused or at risk during their involvement in sports, it is vital that you talk to someone appropriate about your concerns. Take a look at our Speaking out in sport pages for advice.
Parents and carers should always put the wants and needs of their child over any of their sporting commitments.
As a parent or carer of a young athlete, you will appreciate how tough it can be for your child to achieve their best at the right moment in the many different environments they are part of – sport, friends and social, school or academic work and even growing and maturing physically and mentally.
Coaches, parents and carers need to talk together to understand and support the needs of the young person. For example, if the coach is discussing recovery ideas with a young person, the parent or carer should be involved in the conversation too, so that everyone involved in looking after the child is aware of what they should be doing and why.
Regularly having conversations with your child about how they are feeling can help them to know that you are there to listen to any concerns they may have. Being mindful with feedback can also help your child feel well supported during competitions and training.
Checking the safeguards are in place
Parents and carers should ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect their child.
Conflict with coaches
There may be occasions when a parent or carer disagrees with a decision that a coach has made; for example, their child may not have been selected for a team or competition. However, unless there is a genuine concern that the decision has been made on the basis of inappropriate bias or misconduct, parents and carers are advised to focus on supporting their child.
Parents and carers should avoid conflict with the coach, and approach coaches for clarification about the decision, calmly, away from any young people. Both coach and parent or carer should take a child-centred approach and put their own feelings aside, focusing on how they can both support the young person in their enjoyment and success.
Coaches, parents and carers should bear in mind that the young person may feel more upset if they see their parents reacting negatively to the decisions made, and they may think that their parent or carer is making things worse.
Parents and carers should listen to their child and support them in their feelings towards the decision. Where possible, parents and carers should encourage athletes to maintain a positive attitude towards the sport and see that they are on their own continual journey of improvement, and there will be future opportunities for progression.
Maintaining positive parent-coach relationships can help young people to succeed in and enjoy sport.
Responsibility of care
Parents and carers should ensure that they are always aware at what times they are responsible for looking after their child at events, competitions and training.
Parents should communicate with care providers, including coaches, event organisers and chaperones to ensure they know drop-off and pick-up details, and who is responsible for their child during times when they are not participating in their sport.
Managing finances
Funding a young person through elite and high-performance sport can be a huge financial burden for parents and carers. However, young people should not be made to feel that they themselves are becoming a burden.
Healthy communication about the financial side of their involvement in elite and high-performance sport could assist a young person's financial learning. By openly communicating in a positive way, a parent or carer can help the young person to understand money management and appreciate when finances are tight.
There may be opportunities to earn or be given funding within high-performance sport. This could be through being awarded a grant, winning a bid or being approached with sponsorship deals.
Parents and carers should work with coaches and sports personnel to understand what funding opportunities may be available to them, and how they can apply for and secure appropriate funding.
They should also ensure that any scholarships or sponsorship deals that have been offered to the young person are legitimate, and are appropriate for the young person to be involved with. Make sure that the young person isn’t being tied into a contract that requires them to do anything that they can’t, or don’t want to, commit to.
