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.
Parents of young athletes
We all know how challenging it can be for families to balance childhood and the high-competition environment that young athletes face. The key to parents and carers supporting children and young people who are performing at high sporting levels, include, but is not limited to:
- Putting the child first - always
- Positive parent behaviours
- Clear and open communication with the club
- Checking safeguards at the club
- Conflict management with coaches
- Care of their child
- Finance management
Putting the child first in sport
Parents and carers should always put the wants and needs of their child over any of their sporting commitments.
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. Remember - it's their sport.
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. Take a look at our Speaking out in sport pages for advice.
Positive parent behaviours in sport
Our annual Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport campaign provides lots of useful information about how to display positive behaviour as a sport parent, even during tough times before, during and after sport. Young athletes are still children so, therefore, helping them to feel supported and to feel safe to raise concerns is a vital part of being a positive sport parent.
Clear and open communication with sports clubs
Coaches, parents and carers should always communicate effectively and ensure they are working together to support young people.
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.
Checking that safeguards are in place
You should ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your child. You can do this by asking about your club's safeguarding arrangements.
Download our poster, which covers the 5 key questions that parents should feel confident about asking their child’s sports club
Conflict management 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, your focus should be on supporting your child.
Parents and carers should avoid conflict with the coach, and ask coaches for clarification about decisions, calmly, and away from any young people. Some outcomes and decisions are disappointing and tough, but it's important to put your own feelings aside and focus on how you and the coach can both support the young person in their enjoyment and success.
A 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, you should encourage your young athlete to 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.
Care of your child
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.
You should communicate with care providers, including coaches, event organisers and chaperones to ensure you know drop-off and pick-up details, and who is responsible for your 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 cost for parents and carers. However, young people should not be made to feel that they themselves are becoming a financial 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.
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 professionals to understand what funding opportunities may be available, and how to apply for and secure appropriate funding.
Parents and carers 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. 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.
