Making Youth Sports Parents Your Partners

SUCCESSFUL SEASONS START HERE!

S

MAKING YOUTH SPORTS PARENTS YOUR PARTNERS

John Engh & Kate Dilworth

TODAY’S SESSION NAYS Introduce Topic of Youth Sports

Parents Undesirable Parent Behaviors Reactive Measures for Dealing

with Parents Desirable Parent Behaviors Proactive Measures

Parent Orientation Behavior Agreement Accountability

NAYS Tools to Assist Wrap up!

Education & Membership Programs-Coaches-Parents-Officials-Administrators

Youth DevelopmentPrograms-Start Smart-Hook a Kid on Golf-Ready, Set, RUN!

Youth Sports Parents

Youth Sports Parents

Undesirable Parent Behaviors

• Rage• Abusive• Over-involved• Pushy• Living vicariously through child• Overly critical• Yelling (players, coach, officials)• Competing with other parents• Selfish dreaming• Too serious• Not involved • Bragging

Why do parents sign their

children up for organized sports?

What happens?

“The Sport-Parent

Paradox”

Negative Role

ModelsToo often, professional sporting events have become venues for aggressive, bottle-throwing fans, who vent their frustration at officials and players.

Reactive Measures for Dealing with Parents

Complete training program Remove parent from

game/event Suspension Yellow/red cards Personal meeting Require parent to sign behavior

contract “Silent Saturdays” no cheering

at all

Desirable Parent Behaviors

Supportive/ encouraging Be a positive role model Compliment ALL players, coaches,

officials Leave coaching to the coaches Volunteer Treat young athletes like children, not

mini-professionals Be realistic about child’s future in

sports Emphasize enjoyment, developing

skills, and team play Friendly with other parents Knows the rules of the game

THE ROLE OF THE RECREATION

PROFESSIONAL                                             

       BE PROACTIVE!!!

It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that the activity meets the philosophy of your program.

Proactive Measures

• Parent orientation

• Behavior agreement

• Accountability procedures

• Trained coaches and officials

Parent Orientation

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

Why?

WHY?!?

Parent Orientation • Expectations for proper behavior• Acquaint parents with the

coaches and administrators• Educate parents about the

objectives, goals, and rules of the program

• Get parents to understand and reinforce the coaching philosophy that will be used

• Establish clear lines of communication

• Help coaches and administrators understand the concerns of parents

Parent Behavior Agreement

Code of Conduct – very useful but not "the solution" to the problem

of parental misbehavior

Parent Behavior

Agreement

What happens if a parent

violates the code?

ACCOUNTABILITY• Agreement must be explicitly

worded and clearly identify the penalties for potential violations

• Tell parents up front what the consequence will be if they do not uphold the behavior agreement (Suspensions, removal)

• Evaluate behavior violations as part of a formal hearing process

• Include mechanism for violators to demonstrate evidence of behavior improvement (written statement, meeting with administrator)

Follow through with what you say you’re going to do!

TRAINED AND COMPETENT COACHES

AND OFFICIALS Trained to utilize techniques that tone

down confrontations among players, coaches, officials and spectators

THROUGHOUT THE SEASON Open communication Opportunity for parents to provide feedback Recognition – Be sure to recognize positive

parent behavior. Say thank you! On-going education – keep parents up to date

with relevant information

PARENTS ARE COACHES AND

ADMINISTRATORS, TOO!

TOOLS TO ASSIST FROM NAYS Parents Association for Youth Sports Rate Your Coach Let’s Talk Sports National Youth Sports Coaches Association National Youth Sports Officials Association National Youth Sports Administrators

Association

PAYS PROGRAM

• 40 minute orientation

• Educational video and code of ethics

• Nationally recognized

•Developed by professionals

• PAYS online option

• Member Area

Video Clip

PAYS Content

Sportsmanship

Cheering

Playing time

Developing Sport Skills

Nutrition

Parents are part of the team

Model behaviorOfficials

Supporting the Coach

Winning

FUN!!

ONLINE PROGRAM

MEMBER AREA

How to get involved?

•Easy for recreation

departments to offer PAYS

to parents

• Parents can sign up as

individual members

RATE YOUR COACH

Provide an avenue for parents to give feedback about coaches

Online system

View All Results:Historical results can be exported to a spreadsheet for management.

View Individual Results:Results can be used to follow-up with coach complaints or to reward coaches for great service.

“Rate Your Coach” Evaluations

View Categories:You and coaches will be able to see the areas where they need to improve their coaching.

LET’S TALK SPORTS! Program is focused on helping parents and

their children understand and encourage the development of life skills through sports

Free, easy to sign up online Parents complete the program along with

their child and receive a certificate of completion.

Helps parents understand the real value of playing organized sports is not winning!

letstalksports.nays.org

SPORTS PARENT PLEDGE AT NAYS.ORG

OTHER TRAINING & MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS

National Youth Sports Coaches Association How to deal with parents Coaching your own child

National Youth Sports Officials Association How to deal with parents

National Youth Sports Administrators Association Managing parents

WRAP UP Review Questions?

If you would like a copy of today’s presentation or a temporary login to the PAYS Member Area. Please email me at:

Kate Dilworth - [email protected]

SCENARIO #1

You receive several e-mails from an angry parent who is upset because her child has not played every inning of the first five baseball games (the team lost three of the five games). Her child is considered by most to be one of the top five players in the league. The parent is blaming the coaches for the losses.

SCENARIO #2

One of your parents begins to regularly yell a chant that is foul (rhymes with “ducks”) and disrespectful to the officials. The players and some of the parents appear to be joining in on the chant.

Thank you!