Parents Positive Coaching
Published on:
15
September 2009
Positive Coaching Scotland increased its outreach into the Scottish sporting community with 550 parents of young footballers in Central Scotland attending the courses last week.
In partnership with the Scottish FA and Forth Valley Football Development Association, Positive Coaching workshops were held on consecutive evenings in Stirling, Alloa and Falkirk, where mums and dads were invited to hear the PCS message.
The PCS philosophy teaches that 'winning' for youngsters in sport goes beyond what the scoreboard reads, and that winning can mean reaching other targets, such as achieving their ambitions through effort, learning from mistakes and working within a team.
The workshops focused on the core concepts of Positive Coaching, based around teaching life lessons through sport and honouring the game by playing fair, respecting officials, opponents and teammates. Then the lessons from the workshop were put into practice on match-days, giving parents the power to try out their new skills across seven playing locations.
Michael McPake, Assistant Football Development Officer with Active Stirling, said: "The PCS workshops will prove to be extremely beneficial for the Forth Valley Football Development Association. All coaches and parents of local clubs should keep their eye out for workshops involving their clubs in the future."
Andy Gould, Head of Regional Development for the Scottish FA, hosted the workshops. Giving parents an introduction to Positive Coaching, saying: "We want our kids to be the best they can be - happy, healthy, educated, committed and enthusiastic. Sport of any kind, including football, can help deliver this.
"But sometimes we lose sight of that when we go to watch our children play. And if we don't teach them this, things can go the other way, and their footballing experience will turn negative.
"People associate what we do at the Scottish FA by how the national team does. But football for us is 99% grassroots. What we want is for young people to develop into upstanding citizens, enhanced through their time in football. And if they enjoy a positive experience by parents, coaches and club leaders creating the right environment for them to play in, then they will stay in the sport for their lifetime and hopefully also become better players."
Andy's message was backed up over the three evenings by some inspirational sporting stories from several Falkirk FC players. Canadian international goalkeeper Josh Wagenaar, one of the SPL club's summer signings, said: "I grew up within a sporty family - we played soccer in the summer and ice-hockey in the winter. We loved doing it and our parents loved doing it with us. They created a positive atmosphere for us growing up. Playing sport provided a great balance in my life. If I didn't want to play my parents didn't make me, but they were always there for me, encouraging me."
Positive Coaching Scotland Director Tommy Boyle was delighted with the impact of this series of events, and hopes to run further workshops in the area in the near future. He said: "This is just another step in our quest to change the sporting culture in Scotland with Positive
Coaching, and we will continue to work hard to do so. We will be coming back to the Forth Valley area soon to further educate parents, coaches, teachers and sports club leaders on how to ensure every child has a fun, fulfilling experience on the sports field.
"And thanks go out to all those who helped us to organise the week's events - the FVFDA, Active Stirling, Sport Central, Falkirk FC and Clackmannanshire Council. Their support has been integral in ensuring the PCS word gets out."
Image shows guest speaker Alloa-based Scotland player Leanne Ross.