Its now common knowledge that the FA are considering the sale of Wembley, an offer of £600m for the national stadium is believed to be on the table from Fulham owner Shahid Khan.

Opinion seems to be split 50/50 about the sale and arguments will be debated all around England, however what is refreshing is the FA have finally came out and told the truth, the truth we have known and the entire grassroots community have known for decades, the facilities at Grassroots level are inadequate with the FA themselves citing two thirds of pitches are not adequate for use.

Take that in for a second, the aim of the FA as per their website is as follows;

“The Football Association’s Management Team, working together with The FA Board, Council and staff, aims to deliver an effective and professional organisation for the greater good of English football.”

The FA also oversaw the introduction of the Premier League and the enormous sums of money that it has generated without the promised funds finding its way into the Grassroots game, the FA have stood by and watched the super agents suck huge amounts of money from the game.

We believe the FA have failed Grassroots Football and now more than ever a the FA need to listen to the Grassroots community and be represented by members of the grassroots community.

The Key Facts

There are 21,000 grassroots clubs, 50 county FAs, 25,000 schools and 330 local authorities which are catered for by the FA and, along with the finding that only one in three grassroots pitches are of adequate quality, the FA’s written evidence also highlights:

• 150,000 matches were called off last season due to poor facilities
• One in six matches are called off due to poor pitch quality
• 33 of 50 county FAs are without their own 3G pitch
• Cancelled matches account for the equivalent of 5,000,000 playing opportunities lost this year because of poor facilities
• There are half the number of 3G pitches in England than there are in Germany

What do you think?

 

The noise from the whistle by the official signals the start of the game, with young players eager to impress both sides of the sideline.  Coaches on one side of the field, parents/guardians on the opposite, and players taking centre stage. Parents that observe the beautiful game of football will at some point think/ask themselves, “Shall I shout anything?”, “I want to look and sound like I’m being positive and offer encouragement”. Parents may feel if they remain silent or say too little they are deemed unsupportive or lack interest in their child level of participation.

With parents being highlighted as one of the major influences in a child’s level of enjoyment and participation, it’s important firstly to understand and appreciate what your son or daughter may want from you as youth sport parent. Simply ask them before the game, a child will tell you what they want and it may differ from game to game. We often think we know what our children want, and parents will always have their child’s interest at heart. We continue to hear/see parents scream/yell aggressively on the sideline.  Just ask them, you might be surprised with the answer given.

Once the game is underway and players are within the bubble of fun with friends, parents need to respect the given environment. The children play the game, therefore it’s theirs to enjoy, parents should take a hands-off approach from such environment and situation that doesn’t belong to them. Naturally, such approach will cut any unnecessary stress and decrease the eagerness to influence the game by yelling avoidable statements that negatively influence the levels of enjoyment and participation.

Taking a “Hand-off” approach doesn’t mean you remain silent or unnerved throughout the game, it solely provides a perspective that it’s a youth game where players a given opportunities to take chances to learn, make mistake and grow as individuals and players.  Young players learning the game will inevitably make mistakes, we should look at the scenario at hand and have realistic expectations. They’re not the “perfect player” yet, like anything we venture upon in life, we will make mistakes, will then logically reflect and learn. If you allow players to fail we provide them with an opportunity to be brave, in overcoming the mistake, finding the solution and learning on their own accord.

If any problems on the field can be solved through guidance from the coach and/or knowledge from the players, why is there need to assist in that process? Worrying or interfering will do no good in the long run. Taking another perspective, when children have tests/examinations, they find solutions to problems from knowledge gained, not from parents yelling at them from the hallway. Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will, finding the best solution may not happen straightaway every player develops at their own pace.

The truth of the matter is there is no reason to interfere, because it’s their game, not yours. Whenever you feel the urge to shout negatively or steal a learning opportunities from the child, STOP, reflect and consider the environment and learning opportunities given to the child to develop. There is no actual stress from observing the game, it’s your thoughts that creates such beliefs. You can’t package stress, touch it or see it. There are only people engaged in stressful thinking, or feel like they NEED to interfere, STOP!

To conclude and answer the initial question “Shall I shout anything?”, it depends firstly what your son or daughter wants, secondly if they are happy for you to shout during the game, make sure you consider what is said, how it’s said and when and to who? Attempt to be positive at all times, with a positive and enthusiastic tone of voice to the player and the whole team. At times, simplicities are better for example a smile or thumbs up. Revert from showing negative behaviour or using a tone of voice that can be deemed angry or frustrated. Remember to have perspective and if you’re ever unsure of what to say, it best to ask the coach what can be said. Working within the athletic triangle to provide the best environment for the player to reach one’s potential.

Enjoy the watching your son/daughter play the game, it won’t last forever, cherish the memories and smiles.

Article courtesy of guest author Richard Cashman of the Sporting Influencer, more from Richard HERE https://thesportinginfluencerblog.wordpress.com/

A junior football club has been left devastated by vandals who have caused chaos in an utterly deplorable act that will effect hundreds of players at South United.

Paint was tipped over the floor, carpets soiled with human excrement, taps were left running and anything and everything that could be tipped out of cupboards or storerooms and wrecked. Goals used by the children for training and matches have also been destroyed. The pitches were all strewn with rubbish, glass and broken crockery.

The club are raising money to replace equipment damaged and destroyed at the break-in at Southam United’s junior clubhouse.

Any support will be greatly appreciated by all involved in the club, especially the children who enjoy playing here and using the facilities.

If you can support the re-build, please donate HERE https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/southam-united

Smoke free environments are a key ambition of Hull’s work to de-normalise smoking for children; children copy behaviour that they see. Smoke free Playgrounds were implemented in Hull in 2017 followed by Smoke free School Gates. Smoke free side-lines is a project that The Hull and District Youth Football league and East Riding County Football Association propose to implement a rule amendment that will help to end exposure to tobacco use and smoke at football.

The smoke free side-lines ambition is to support all adults involved in youth football across Hull and East Riding to understand their responsibility as positive role models. It is about promoting a sports club as a healthy and inclusive place, where the wellbeing of all, but particularly children and young people, is a priority. This initiative will support 600 youth teams, equating to approximately 7,000 players and their families.

Norwich Public Health and Norfolk Football Association launched their smoke free side-lines project in 2017. The ambition in Hull and East Riding is for all young people’s sports clubs to be smoke free and we want to lead the way by being a smoke free football league with your help.

 

What does smoke free side-lines mean to clubs?

Smoke free side-lines means that members and visitors to youth and children’s football are asked to refrain from smoking or vaping on the side-lines and in sight of children at matches and during training. Vaping will be included in the smoke free side-lines initiative to help guard against youth uptake of vaping. Vaping is not recommended for young people. In the UK protection is in place via prohibitions on the sale of e-cigarettes to under 18s.

It is anticipated that parents will recognise what the initiative is trying to achieve and adhere to the rule. The campaign will give parents the opportunity to report smoking or vaping on the side-lines or in the view of children, to the coaches. Any further concerns by clubs can then be communicated to the league administrator who can offer support.

All clubs will be issued with leaflets, optional smoking cessation brief advice training, logos, access to information about the initiative on the league website and an optional policy template to use to promote the positive move to being a smoke free area. A launch of the project is planned for the start of the 2018/19 football season.

 

If you have any questions, then please contact the League Administrator

We hope that you will join us in making youth football a healthy environment for young people.

 

Smoke free side-lines Hull and East Riding

• The Hull and District Youth Football league and ERCFA propose to implement a rule amendment that will help to de-normalise smoking for children; children copy behaviour that they see.
• The smoke free side-lines ambition is to support all adults involved in youth football across Hull and East Riding to understand their responsibility as positive role models. It is about promoting a sports club as a healthy and inclusive place, where the wellbeing of all, but particularly children and young people, is a priority.
• Smoke free side-lines means that members and visitors to youth and children’s football are asked to refrain from smoking or vaping on the side-lines and in sight of children at matches and during training. Vaping will be included in the smoke free side-lines initiative to help guard against youth uptake of vaping. Vaping is not recommended for young people. In the UK protection is in place via prohibitions on the sale of e-cigarettes to under 18s.
• The campaign will give parents the opportunity to report smoking or vaping on the side-lines or in view of children, to the coaches. Any further concerns by clubs can then be communicated to the league administrator who can offer support.
• All clubs will be issued with leaflets, optional smoking cessation brief advice training, logos and access to information about the initiative on the league website.

BBC 5 Live Investigates are kicking off the new football season with a programme exploring whether enough is being done to protect football clubs at grass-roots and lower league level.

We are interested in hearing from clubs up and down the country to understand their experiences.

Maybe your club has faced threats to move or pitches aren’t being maintained because councils are looking to save money?

Or perhaps you feel the council has done a good job in providing the facilities for your club to thrive?

If you have an experience similar to these, or feel you can help in any other way, please can you make contact by 5pm Friday 15th June.

Ollie is the point of contact, number and email below:

oliver.newlan@bbc.co.uk
07846 776 419

Sport can teach our children many valuable life lessons and can have a major part to play in shaping our children’s behaviours and attitude.

Whether coaches like it or not, however, parents predominantly still play the most influential role.  Parents spend the most time with their children and as a result can have the greatest influence.  That is why the perfect combination of coaches and parents working in harmony, singing from the same hymn sheet has the most positive impact on our sporting children.

Being a positive parental role model probably has a greater impact than you may think and if we want our children to be good sports for example then you have a key role to play.

‘That team is rubbish’

“Those referees were awful, not sure what games they were watching”

“”What a complete waste of time, I wish I never signed up for this.”

These are just some of the comments that I am sure many of us have heard on the sidelines of sporting contests and many with very similar connotations, so is it any kind of surprise if our children follow suit and become bad sports?

Losing is not easy for many children, and being a graceful winner can in some ways be even harder, so the question becomes: what can parents do to teach their children good sportsmanship?

Our very good friend John O’Sullivan of the Changing the Game Project sums it up beautifully, “Children are not very good at listening, but they are fantastic at imitating.”

If this is the case everything that we do from our attitude, body language and our verbal communication is being watched by our children.  They are pretty sure to follow suit.  We need to stop and think about how our actions may be affecting the attitude and approach of our own children?

So if you want your kids to display good sportsmanship, you should.

If you don’t want your kids to yell at referees, you shouldn’t yell at referees.

It all sounds very straight forward but we all know as sporting parents in the heat of battle that sometimes we may get it wrong, but there may be further consequences.

I recently heard a 9 year old yell ‘snap him’ to another player on his team to an opposing player running with the ball.  Really?  A 9 year old being asked to break somebody’s leg?

I do not apologise for this,  but that is not the language of a 9 year old child without the influence of adult behaviour and is just a most shocking remark.

If we want our children to be good sports we cannot allow them the excuse that my parents aren’t good sports so I don’t have to be.

Bad sportsmanship and bad mouthing opponents is probably on the rise and if it isn’t, it has certainly become more public.  If we take a look at some of the talk on the television when players disrespect opponents, this is also adding to this growing trend in children’s sports.

This is why it is so imperative that both parents and coaches go out of their way to address this and ensure that children are being steered down the correct path.

So how can you potentially address it as a sporting parent?

As a parent, could you find sportsmen and women around the world on the TV who always display a good attitude and show good sportsmanship and use them as an example to help your children if they are finding this tough?

When your child wins a game, a gentle reminder to them about how their opponents may be feeling based on their own experience is a good way of them handling victory in a positive manner.

The fact that many children’s sports games do not carry the significance that we place upon them and will be forgotten in the future remind us that keeping things in perspective is really important.

Try to keep all of your praise and focus based on the processes and not the outcomes.  If we see a bad decision from an official and we have this in the back of our mind, the chances of us reacting badly reduce and crucially our children will see a positive approach to model their behaviour on.

Article courtesy of guest author Gordon Maclelland of https://www.parentsinsport.co.uk/