EVIDENCE BASE FOR SPORT
Engaging Parents in Sport
Parents have a unique opportunity to help their children develop life-long engagement and enjoyment with sport and physical activity.
The behaviour of adult figures (coaches, teachers, extended family, etc.), as well as peers and siblings, play an important role in influencing a child's behaviour. However, parents are the enduring role models that their children use as a basis for their own development.
Parents who actively enable their child’s sport and physical activity can offer encouragement and support— financial, practical and psychological. This plays a significant role initiating and sustaining a child’s sports participation and positive mindset towards maintaining physical fitness through life.
Key messages
Parental behaviours and engagement within the sporting environment, parenting style, and, attitudes in general can positively or negatively influence a child’s sporting experience.
AusPlay data shows that 73% of children with at least one active parent participate in organised sport or physical activity outside of school. Participation rises to 88% when at least one parent is both physically active and involved in a non-playing role.
Organisations can foster a ‘partnership philosophy’ which encourages coaches and parents to work together as mutually supportive partners in the development of a child’s sporting potential.
Topic focus
Influence of parents on child participation and development
Support
Supportive and encouraging parents who do not overly pressure their child to participate generally provide the best environment for developing enjoyment of, more frequent participation, and long-term interest in sport and physical activity.
Encouragement
Parent and child sport and physical activity participation are positively associated with each other. However, even when parents are less active (e.g. due to physical, financial, or time restrictions), consistent encouragement can still result in higher child moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
Competence
Parental support plays a critical role in developing a child’s belief in their own physical activity and sporting competence. This influence is particularly valuable in the infant, toddler, and pre-school age periods when children begin to build their movement experiences and physical literacy.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- Swimming for Parents: the ultimate education guide for swimming parents, Barclay G, self-published, (2009). This practical guide for the parents of swimmers covers aspects of athlete development, the parent-coach relationship, the athlete-coach relationship, training, swimming clubs, competition, nutrition and rest and recovery. (Held by the Clearinghouse for Sport, GV837.65.B37)
- Bowling with Babies, Bowls Victoria, (accessed 19 April 2021). 'Bowling with Babies' brings new and expecting parents together to enjoy a coffee, a chat and a social roll. Supported by VicHealth, 'Bowling with Babies' aims to assist less active parents to become more active and enable them time to focus on their physical well-being in a fun, relaxing and comfortable environment – with their baby.
- Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered, (accessed 28 April 2021). A world-first lifestyle program targeting fathers as the agents of change to improve their daughters’ physical activity levels, sport skills and social-emotional wellbeing. Formally known as DADEE, the program also engages girls to improve the fitness and physical activity levels, and parenting skills of their fathers.
- Nature Play WA. This program was originally developed by the Government of Western Australia as a way to get young children outdoors and active. Programs involve engagement with parents, resources include the ‘Family Nature Clubs Tool Kit’ that is designed to provide inspiration, information, and tips for those who are interested in more family time spent in the outdoors. Ideas are drawn from what other families have done and learned and participants are also encouraged to develop and use their own ideas. The program has since expanded to Queensland, Nature Play QLD, South Australia, Nature Play SA, and the Australian Capital Territory, Nature Play CBR.
- Five tips to help your kid succeed in sport - or maybe just enjoy it, Mitchell Smith, Lecturer in Skill Aquisition and Motor Control, University of Newcastle and Job Fransen Senior Lecturer in Skill Aquisition and Motor Control, University of Technology Sydney, The Conversation, (12 February 2019). Provides a brief overview of five points for parents, athletes and sporting organisations to consider for talented sports programs – and kids playing sport in general.
- 10 Tips For First-Time Sports Parents, Positive Coaching Alliance, (2015). Among the items covered in these 10 tips: Keeping your eye on the "Big Picture;" How to choose the right sports environment for your child; What to say (and not say) after the competition; Guidelines for sideline behavior; and Pursuing positive relationships with your children's coaches.
- How to destroy your child’s athletic future in 3 easy steps, Russ M, Sport Factory, (10 December 2015). Parents are naturally excited about their child’s potential and possible athletic career. The author suggests parents need to objectively look at their motivations if any of these behaviours occur: (1) imposing your own ambition upon your child; (2) overspecialising too early – leading to a higher incidence of sport injury; (3) focusing on a single sport – this often leads to overtraining.
- Nurturing a child's sporting development, Sport Australia, (accessed 19 April 2021). Top 10 tips designed to help nurture and support a child's sporting development. Includes some suggested ways in which parents and carers can actively help children develop a variety of skills for life-long sport and physical activity engagement. For a positive, fun and nurturing experience of sport, individuals must remain positive, regardless of the result, and stay realistic in their shared expectations to avoid putting pressure on the child. You can greatly assist a child’s development by providing a strong and positive role model and upholding integrity and respect.
- Raising champions: Have fun, be a good sport, Cleaver D, The New Zealand Herald, (10 May 2015). The author has put forward a number of ideas for parents to consider, that may help them be more informed about the nurturing of their children’s sporting talent. A summary of key points include:
- There is no right or wrong way to raise a child who is involved in sport – only your way. There are multiple examples of children who are actively encouraged at a young age to participate in sport who go on to be successful and happy; and other examples of parents who push their child, with the end result being drop-out and dissatisfaction. The author concludes that what’s important is parents helping their children understand that sport is important for many reasons, including enjoyment, health and social benefits.
- Don’t expect children to place the same value on sport as you (parents) do. Children are first and foremost looking for fun and friendship.
- Relative age effects do matter, particularly in contact sports. Children born close to the age-group cut-off date are more likely to have an inherent advantage.
- Many advanced coaching programs often promise more than they can deliver. Parents should do due diligence on these programs before they enrol their child.
- Parents should ask about the sporting philosophy of a school or club before enrolling a child. Philosophies that aim to develop the whole person (as opposed to purely outcome-based aims) tend to be more successful.
- Resilience can be learnt, but not taught. Children must learn to fail and then move on; parents play an important support role.
- Seek advice when necessary. Parents of athletically talented children are often pursued by organisations – good advice can help clarify the options.
- Go in with your eyes open. Parents must understand that only a small percentage of talented junior/youth athletes will rise to the top of their sport as a senior.
- Don’t be afraid of becoming involved in your child’s sport. Sport participation can be a rewarding experience for parents as well as their children.
- Sport Parenting – The performance partnership, Goldsmith W, WG Coaching, (2015). The sporting parent has some important responsibilities within the performance partnership between coach, athlete and parent. A sporting parent, for example, is responsible for helping their child to develop values like honesty, integrity, humility, courage and discipline. A sporting parent can also help their child develop valuable life skills that will help them cope with the demands of sport – time management, getting enough sleep, adequate nutrition, and balancing school work and personal relationships. Most importantly, a sporting parent can provide the one thing that no one else can – unconditional love and support.
- Tips for Parents, Play by the Rules, (accessed 19 April 2021). Parents can help create a positive sporting environment and reduce sport rage by being good role models. First, watch the short video from ABC journalist and sports coach Paul Kennedy who produced a series of videos for Play by the Rules on tips for parents, coaches, administrators and officials. In this first video Paul talks about setting a positive team environment.
- Addressing the decline in sport participation in secondary schools—Findings from the Youth Participation Research Project, Australian Sports Commission and La Trobe University (2017). Sport, as it is being delivered, is less able to meet secondary student needs. This is particularly true for disengaged students. It is important for sports and sport deliverers, schools and teachers, and parents and guardians to understand the barriers that impact these students, and what can motivate them to participate in sport for active and healthy lives. Parents/guardians are a significant contributor to the school sport culture as they support the direction of the school by continuing to enrol their child, or giving/denying their child permission to participate in sport activities. The conversation at home about sport can significantly affect a student’s attitude and engagement with sport. Parents and guardians are the key influence of sport participation for students. Building relationships between families, students, schools and the sport is crucial for engaging students. Sporting organisations and schools can engage parents/guardians by developing innovative ideas and resources to value-add to their programs.
- Australian kids need active, sporty parents, Factsheet, Australian Sports Commission, AusPlay Survey (2017). AusPlay research indicates that active parents are more likely to have active children. There is a high correlation between a parent’s engagement in sport and that of their children, indicating that active parents can be a positive influence. Survey data show that 73% of children who have at least one active parent are physically active in organised sport or physical activity outside of school, compared to 59% of children with an inactive parent. Being an active parent is a good start; but parents who participate in sport, or contribute as a volunteer in organised sport, boost the likelihood of their children’s participation even higher—child participation was 88% when a parent both played and acted in a volunteer role. [note: key message statistics have been updated to reflect most recent AusPlay survey data - April 2021]
- Parent and caregivers perceptions and attitudes towards children's physical activity and physical education – results of a NZ primary schools physical activity project, Cowley, V, Hamlin M, Grimley M, et.al., University Of Canterbury, NZ, (2009). Part of the evaluation of this project was to investigate parents’ perceptions and attitudes to their children’s involvement in physical activity and physical education and the changes in these perceptions and attitudes as a result of this intervention. Respondents indicated that family, school, and enjoyment of the activity were key factors in continued participation in physical activity for children.
- Active parents, active children: The importance of parental organized physical activity in children’s extracurricular sport participation, Daniela Rodrigues, Cristina Padez, Aristides M Machado-Rodrigues, Journal of Child Health Care , Volume 22(1), pp.159-170, (2018). Having both parents active was significantly associated with frequent participation in more sports both in girls and boys but a strong relation according to gender was found. The odds of boys practicing more than one sport and more times per week were higher if they had an active father. Girls with physically active mothers, particularly with mothers practicing organized PA in a regular way, were engaged in more sports and practiced sport more times per week. The type of PA practiced by the parents was not related to boys’ participation in sport. Future interventions should be family-based and focus on the promotion of higher levels of parental PA, including organized, in order to improve their children’s active behaviors.
- Active Parents–Active Children: A Study among Families with Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome, Ann-Christin Sollerhed and Gerth Hedov, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 18(2), 660, (2021). The aims were to investigate PA patterns in children and adolescents with DS, as well as their parents’ and siblings’ PA patterns. Methods: A survey was performed among 310 families with children with DS (54% boys and 46% girls) aged 8–18 years (mean 14.04, SD 3.18) in Sweden. Chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression were carried out. Results: Nineteen percent of children and adolescents with DS and 34% of the parents were active three or more times per week. The child’s PA level was significantly associated with parents’ PA (OR = 5.5), siblings’ PA (OR = 5.1) and the child’s locomotion ability (OR = 3.5). Physically active parents had active children to a greater extent than inactive parents (59% vs. 29%; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Physically active parents have active children. To promote PA among children and adolescents with DS, it is important to promote and pay attention to the parents’ and siblings’ PA behavior, as children with DS are dependent on support from the family.
- Athletes' perception of parental support and its influence on sports accomplishments: A retrospective study, Siekańska M, Human Movement, Volume 13(4), pp.380-387, (2012). This study looked at family environmental factors and their effect upon different levels of sport accomplishment; low, medium or high. The study concluded that from a practical perspective, the family environment may be the most important social dimensions affecting a young athlete. These conclusions were presented from the analysis:
- Significantly more high achievers came from a ‘child oriented’ family environment.
- Compared to low achievers, high achievers perceived their parents as more involved in their own sport participation and in sports in general.
- From the perspective of a parent, it is difficult to recognise the subtle and thin line between supporting and pressuring a child.
- As coaches are ‘task leaders’ and parents serve to provide ‘socio-emotional leadership’, the interaction between coach and parents is important to an athlete’s success. Increased coach-parent cooperation that includes open communication was seen as beneficial.
- The continued importance of family sport culture for sport participation during the teenage years, Åse Strandbu, Anders Bakken and Kari Stefansen, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 25(8), pp.932-945, (2020). Growing up in a family with an affinity for sports increases the likelihood of participating in club-organised sports. Few studies to date have addressed whether the importance of family sport culture is stable or changes during the teenage years. This article examines the association between family sport culture and participation in club-organised sports during teenage years and whether it differs between boys and girls.
- The Experiences of Being a Talented Youth Athlete: Lessons for Parents, Sam Elliott,Murray J. N. Drummond and Camilla Knight, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, Volume 30(4), pp.437-455, (2018). The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of being a talent-identified (TI) youth athlete and present the findings as “lessons” for parents seeking to enhance their involvement in TI youth sport settings. This article reports on qualitative data collected from the 1st year of a 3-year longitudinal study involving TI youth athletes from South Australia. Fifty male athletes (M age = 14.6 years) participated in focus groups to hear their experiences of being a TI youth athlete and understand what difficulties they want their parents to know. From the thematic analysis, 3 major themes were identified from the focus groups with TI youth athletes: (a) difficulties with being talented, (b) negotiating the future, and (c) playing for improvement. From the findings, a number of lessons for parents and youth sport organizations are offered to assist the transmission of knowledge to an applied setting.
- Exploring the effect of parental influence on children's physical activity: The mediating role of children's perceptions of parental support. Piotr Wilk, Andrew F. Clark, Alana Maltby, et.al., Preventive Medicine, Volume 106, pp.79-85, (2018). Parental PA was not significantly related to child's perception of parental support for PA. However, parent reported support for PA had a significant, positive effect on child's perception of parental support for boys and girls. In terms of the indirect effects, the effect of parental PA on child's PA was not statistically significant; however, as expected, parental support for PA had a statistically significant indirect effect on child PA level in both groups. The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of children's perceptions of parental support in relation to their PA behaviours.
- 'Finding perspective: influencing children’s initial and ongoing participation as a contemporary sport-parent', Elliott S and Drummond M, Proceedings of the 28th ACHPER International Conference, 27-29 November 2013, Melbourne, pp. 38-45, (2013). The concept of sport-parenting has been a focus of academic research, yet few studies from an Australian perspective have contributed to this discussion. This paper reports on a series of focus group discussions and individual interviews with 102 parents, children, and coaches involved in junior Australian Football from metropolitan, regional and remote areas of South Australia. The participants provided important perspectives on the challenges facing the contemporary sport-parent, and how best to optimise parental involvement in children’s sport, given that parents play a crucial role in the overall sport experience of their children. Three recurrent themes are discussed – home practice, coercive participation, and sacrifice. The findings indicate that most children navigated their way into a junior Australian Football programs as a result of engaging in home practices with their parents, demonstrating the potentially positive role of parents in the early years. Coercive parental behaviours were also identified as crucial in promoting continuation. Indeed, children confessed that coercion was not necessarily a negative aspect of sport parenting, but rather important in promoting and encouraging physically active behaviours. However, coerced participation may be problematic under circumstances where children are negatively pressured into sport and physical activity. Finally, the notion of sacrifice was found to be an enabling factor that encouraged opportunities for sport participation. Although time commitments are an inevitable aspect of sport involvement, this study suggests the significance of parental sacrifices in promoting participation by their children.
- The importance of parents’ behavior in their children’s enjoyment and amotivation in sports, Sanchez-Miguel P, Leo F, Samcjez-Oliva D, et.al., Journal of Human Kinetics, Volume 36(1), pp.169-177, (2013). Socialization into sport and physical activity can be considered a modeling process in which family members are powerful role models. This research examined the relationship between parents’ behaviour and their children’s (mean age 12.4 years) enjoyment or amotivation toward their sporting experience. Results showed a positive relationship between parental support and players’ enjoyment. Those players who perceived more pressure from their parents were amotivated (i.e. the child showed a negative or unsatisfactory perception of their experience). These results support the observation that positive parental participation can promote a child’s enjoyment for sport.
- The influence of the family in the development of talent in sport, Côté J, The Sport Psychologist, Volume 13(4), pp.395-417, (1999). Case studies of four families having an elite athlete were used to describe patterns in the dynamics of family support throughout the athlete’s development in sport. Results permitted the identification of three phases of participation from early childhood to late adolescence: (1) the sampling years; (2) the specialising years; and (3) the investment years. The dynamics of the family in each of these phases of development is discussed. During the sampling years, parents were responsible for initially getting their children interested in sport. The results suggested that the main emphasis during this stage was to experience fun and excitement through sport. The specialising years, the athletes’ involvement between the ages of 13 and 15 were characterised by the influence of a significant person, such as an older sibling, parent, or coach. The age at which children begin the investment years can vary greatly depending upon the sport or activity they choose. Because of the increase in training and competition commitments, the child athlete becomes central to family activities.
- Influences of coaches, parents, and peers on the motivational patterns of child and adolescent athletes, Chan D, Lonsdale C and Fung H, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, Volume 22(4), pp.558-568, (2012). This study assessed the relative impact of social influences initiated by a coach, parents, and peers on children and adolescent athletes' motivational patterns (self-rated effort, enjoyment, competence, and competitive trait anxiety). Data was collected on 408 youth swimmers, aged 9 to 18 years, from Hong Kong. The analyses generally showed that the social influence from a mother was strongest in childhood (mean age=10.87 years) and the influence from peers was greatest in adolescence (mean age=16.32 years). The social influence from a coach was greatest on athletes' effort and enjoyment during childhood, and for competence during adolescence. The authors concluded that age appeared to moderate the impact of social influence from significant others on young athletes' sport experiences. Also, the type of influence a coach has on an athlete’s experience will change from childhood to adolescence.
- Intergenerational transfer of a sports-related lifestyle within the family, Hayoz C, Klostermann C, Schmid J, et.al., International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Volume 54(2), pp.182-198. (2019). In this article, the authors discuss the importance of a sports-related lifestyle within the family, parents’ education, and parents’ sports participation background in their children’s participation choices during adolescence and young adulthood (ages 15 to 30 years).
- ‘It’s alpha omega for succeeding and thriving’: parents, children and sporting cultivation in Norway, Patrick Foss Johansen, Ken Green, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 24(4), pp.427-440, (2019). It was evident that sport becomes taken for granted and internalised very early on in Norwegian children's lives. Less expected was the recognition that children's nascent sporting interests were often generated by sports clubs via early years schooling and, therefore, that parents played only one (albeit very important) part in the formation of their youngsters’ early sporting habits. Thus, parents, sports clubs and early years schooling appeared to form something akin to a ‘sporting trinity’ in youngsters’ nascent sporting careers. These findings may have implications for policy-makers looking towards Norway for a ‘recipe’ for sports participation.
- ‘It’s important that we learn too’: Empowering parents to facilitate participation in physical activity for children and youth with disabilities, Claire E. Willis, Siobhan Reid, Catherine Elliott, et.al., Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, Volume 26(2), pp.135-148, (2019). The actions and behaviors of parents have been identified as key factors that influence a child’s participation in physical activity. However, there is limited knowledge of how parents can be supported to embody facilitative roles. This study aimed to explore how an ecological intervention encourages parents of children with disabilities to develop as facilitators, to enable ongoing physical activity participation in a child’s local environment. The authors conclude that a family-centered approach, encompassing family-to-family support, may enhance physical activity participation outcomes for children and youth with disabilities.
- The longitudinal effect of parental support during adolescence on the trajectory of sport participation from adolescence through young adulthood, Chung Gun Lee, Seiyeong Park, Seunghyun Yoo, Journal of Sport and Health Science, Volume 7(1), pp.70-76, (2018). The main purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal effect of parental support during adolescence on the trajectory of sport participation from adolescence through young adulthood. The data used in this study came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a 4-wave longitudinal study that followed up a nationally representative sample of middle and high school students in the US. The effect of parental support during adolescence on participants' sport participation lasted until they become young adults (Wave 3) (p <0.001). Among the male participants, parental support at Wave 1 was a significant predictor for sport participation at Waves 1, 2, and 3 (p < 0.001). However, a significant effect of parental support at Wave 1 on sport participation in early young adulthood (Wave 3) becomes insignificant when adjusting for self-esteem and depression. Among the female participants, parental support at Wave 1 was a significant predictor for sport participation at Waves 1, 2, and 3 (p < 0.01) even after depression and self-esteem were introduced into the model. That is to say, unlike male participants, parental support during adolescence has an independent effect on sport participation from adolescence (Wave 1) through early young adulthood (Wave 3) over and above the effects of depression and self-esteem in female participants.
- Parental behaviour and children’s sports participation: evidence from a Danish longitudinal school study, A. Qunito Romani, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 25(3), pp.332-347, (2020). Parental involvement in their children’s organised sports has increased dramatically in the last decade. Recent debate has started to question whether parental involvement actually has a beneficial impact on child sports participation, and whether this is damaging for the children’s development of identity and autonomy. Prompted by this debate, we are using a longitudinal dataset of 1,096 Danish schoolchildren in the Municipality of Aalborg to explore the extent to which parental involvement or parental role modelling has a beneficial impact on children’s participation in organised sports. Our results suggest that parental involvement in children’s sport increases the likelihood that the child will participate in organised sports. When considering four types of parents, i.e. unengaged parents, servicing parents, self-realisation parents and super parents, our results remain unchanged. Further, we find that disadvantaged parents’ involvement increases children’s participation in organised sport whereas the involvement of advantaged parents’ has the opposite effect. From a policy perspective, embedding organised sport in a school context might be considered as a method of levelling the playing field.
- Parental characteristic patterns associated with maintaining healthy physical activity behavior during childhood and adolescence, Kwon S, Janz K, Letuchy E, et.al., International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Volume 13, article no.:58, (2016). This study used data from a large survey in the US state of Iowa, and aimed to: (1) identify diverse patterns of the relationships among parental characteristics, (2) examine the influence of these parental patterns on child sport participation and moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity trajectories during childhood and adolescence, and (3) examine whether family support mediates the influence of the parental patterns on child sport participation. The findings from this study suggest that socioeconomic status (SES) of families had the greatest influence on participation (i.e. in higher SES families, children are more likely to participate in sport at school) and the father’s role may be important to promote youth to sustain sports participation.
- Parental physical activity is associated with objectively measured physical activity in young children in a sex-specific manner: the GECKO Drenthe cohort, Silvia I. Brouwer, Leanne K. Küpers, Lotte Kors, et.al., BMC Public Health, Volume 18, article no: 1033, (2018). Physical activity (PA) is important in combating childhood obesity. Parents, and thus parental PA, could influence PA in young children. We examined whether the time spent at different intensities of PA and the type of parental PA are associated with the PA of children aged 4–7 years, and whether the associations between child-parent pairs were sex-specific. Higher PA in mothers, for instance in leisure activities, is related to higher PA in daughters, and more active fathers are related to more active sons. To support PA in young children, interventions could focus on the PA of the parent of the same sex as the child. Special attention may be needed for families where the parents have sedentary jobs, as children from these families seem to adopt more sedentary behaviour.
- Parental sport achievement and the development of athlete expertise, Stuart Wilson, Melissa Wilson and Joseph Baker, European Journal of Sport Science, Volume 19(5), pp.661-670, (2019). This study sought to examine how parental sport involvement and attainment were related to the eventual level of competitive sport attained by their children. Athletes (n = 229) were divided into three skill level groups (elite: n = 139; pre-elite: n = 33; non-elite: n = 57), based on the peak competition level achieved in their career, which were compared using chi-squares tests of independence and analyses of variance according to parents sport characteristics provided through the Developmental History of Athletes Questionnaire. Parental recreational and competitive sport participation was overrepresented among elite athletes, as were parents who reached an elite level of sport themselves. Results were found to differ according to parent sex, with athlete skill level significantly related to the sport participation and skill level of fathers, but not mothers. Results suggest parental sport experiences at different levels of competition influence the development of athletes, although these relationships are subject to many factors.
- Parents' participation in physical activity predicts maintenance of some, but not all, types of physical activity in offspring during early adolescence: A prospective longitudinal study, Jennifer Brunet, Jeffrey Gaudet, Erin Wing, et.al., Journal of Sport and Health Science, Volume 8(3), pp.273-279, (2019). One hundred and ninety youth completed self-administered questionnaires 3 times per year from 2011 to 2015, and their parents completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire during a telephone interview once in 2011–2012. Data on youth's and parents' activities were classified as interdependent or coactive/independent. Longitudinal associations between parents' and youth's participation in PA differed across type of PA. Encouraging parents' participation in interdependent activities may promote sustained participation in interdependent activities in youth.
- Physical activity among adolescents: The role of various kinds of parental support, Henriksen P, Ingholt L, Rasmussen M, et.al., Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, Volume 26(8), pp.927-932, (2016). The objectives of this study were to examine the association between various kinds of parental social support and adolescents' physical activity (PA) and to examine whether various kinds of social support (encouragement, joining, watching, and talking) from mothers and/or fathers were differently associated with boys' and girls' physical activity. Parental support is an important predictor of PA among adolescents; however, what aspects of parental support are most important is less clear. There may be differences in the significance of various types of support. Data came from a Danish school survey that included 2100 children at ages 11, 13, and 15 years. The results showed a significantly higher proportion of girls, compared with boys, reporting encouragement by their mother and girls talked more freely to their mother about their PA experiences. A significantly higher proportion of boys, compared with girls, reported that their father watched them participating in sport or physical activity. This study also suggests that associations may be stronger among girls than boys, and also independent of age group, family structure, social class, and migration status. The authors speculate that having an interested parent (either by talking, joining, or facilitating) can support a child’s reasons for continued PA. The authors concede that unmeasured or confounding factors may exist, such as availability of sports facilities or number of friends active in sports, which may influence an adolescent’s views on sport participation.
- Revealing Findings in Youth Sport Parenting Research, Camilla Knight, Kinesiology Review, Volume 8(3), pp.252-259, (2019). It is widely accepted that parents are a pivotal part of young people’s sporting journey, and over the last 4 decades there has been a substantial growth in research pertaining to youth sport parenting. The aim of this paper is to review the status of the literature pertaining to parenting in youth sport and suggest areas for future work. Specifically, the author provides a very brief history of sport parenting research before turning attention to the 3 areas of study that are currently attracting the majority of researchers’ attention: the influence of parental involvement in youth sport, factors affecting parental involvement in youth sport, and strategies to promote high-quality parental involvement. Future research directions pertaining to the sport parenting questions that are asked, the populations that are sampled, and the interventions that are developed and evaluated are subsequently provided. Finally, the paper concludes with some considerations for best practice in sport clubs and organizations that seek to foster more adaptive youth sport parenting.
- The Role of Parents in the Development of Tennis Players: the past, the present and the future, Harwood C and Knight C, Journal of Medicine and Science in Tennis, Volume 17(1), p.9, (2012). This article discusses research papers on the role and experience of tennis parents in the context of player development. A study by J. A. Fredricks and colleagues identified three roles of parents in influencing youth sport, namely parents as providers, as interpreters and as role models. The author concludes that research in the past few years have offered a solid understanding of the positive and negative roles that parents may play in their children's talent development.
- Select your parents with care! – The role of parents in the recruitment and development of athletes, Ronbeck N and Vikander N, Acta Kinesiologiae Universitatis Tartuensis, Volume 15 (2010). The authors explore the question – ‘to what degree and in which ways do parents influence their children in the development of talent through their socio-cultural contributions’. The absolutely fundamental condition for athlete development is exposure to the athletic setting; and this takes place in a social context composed of the family and the child participant. If parents present themselves as good role-models, then children prefer to identify with them.
- Toward a better understanding of the link between parent and child physical activity levels: The moderating role of parental encouragement, Tate E, Shah A, Jones M, Pentz M, et.al., Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Volume 12(9), pp.1238-1244. (2015). This study tested the strength of associations between parent encouragement, direct modelling, and perceived influence on their child’s level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Participants in this study were 623 parent-child pairs living in Chino, California (USA) and surrounding communities; children were enrolled in grades 4 to 8 at school. Results indicated that parent and child MVPA were positively associated with each other. Even in less active parents, greater encouragement for their children to be active resulted in children’s higher MVPA. This finding indicates how parenting behaviour may moderate the parent-child physical activity relationship. Parents who find it difficult to increase their own activity levels due to physical, financial, or time restrictions may find that encouragement of their children’s activity may be a useful strategy.
- Transmitting Sport Values: The Importance of Parental Involvement in Children’s Sport Activity, Francesca Danioni, Daniela Barni, and Rosa Rosnati, Europe's Journal of Psychology, Volume 13(1), pp.75-92, (2017). The transmission of positive values between parents and children is generally considered to be the hallmark of successful socialisation. As this issue has been widely discussed but surprisingly little researched – especially with reference to core sport values – in this study we aimed to: 1) analyse adolescent athletes’ acceptance of the sport values their parents want to transmit to them (i.e., parental socialisation values) and 2) examine the relationship between parental involvement in children’s sportive activity and adolescents’ acceptance of their parents’ socialisation values. From the relative weight analysis (a relatively new data analysis strategy), it emerged that parental involvement characterised by praise and understanding is the most important predictor of adolescents’ willingness to accept their parents’ sport values. Implications of these results and further expansion of the study are discussed.
- What are the drivers of cross-generational physical activity? Exploring the experiences of children and parents, Katharine Freire, Rodney Pope, Julia Coyle, Journal of Public Health, Volume (27(5), pp.591-601, (2019). Cross-generational physical activity is a complex, bi-directional physical activity partnership that takes place within a child–parent relationship, within a family. Its drivers are manifold, extending well beyond the dose of physical activity it provides, to strengthening relationships and skill development. Future research should include the child’s voice to provide a more holistic view of this phenomenon.
- Why do children take part in, and remain involved in sport? a literature review and discussion of implications for coaches, Bailey R, Cope E and Pearce G, International Journal of Coaching Science, Volume 7(1), pp.55-74, (2013). This review found that children’s participation in sport is mediated by five primary factors: (1) perception of competence; (2) fun and enjoyment; (3) parents; (4) learning new skills; and (5) friends and peers. These findings suggest that, in addition to the generally acknowledged psychological factors, the social-cultural context in which children play influences their motivations to participate.
- Active for Life is a movement in Canada that stresses the importance of parental involvement in developing physical literacy during the early childhood years. Active for Life advocates that parents should encourage their children to get the recommended amount of daily physical activity. Research has shown that physically literate children have more fun being active, and that makes them more likely to stay active for life. Active for Life tip sheets include:
- 6 ways babies develop physical literacy in their first year. Regular movement is essential to healthy infant brain development; a parent’s job is to stimulate and encourage age-appropriate movement in the right ways at the right times throughout the first year.
- Physical literacy checklist: 0-2 years. There are a number of basic fundamental movement skills that an infant should be learning and mastering and parents usually provide the guidance and motivation for learning. Movement skills at this age include: grasping, rolling over, sitting, crawling, holding on to larger objects to support body weight to develop balance, and walking.
- Physical literacy checklist: 2-4 years. Movement skills that a toddler should learn and master include: running, throwing, catching, kicking, swimming, and balancing. Most of these skills are acquired in a social setting through games and play with parents and peers.
- Physical literacy checklist: 4-6 years. Basic fundamental movement skills that a preschool child should learn and master are: running with confidence, throwing and catching, falling and tumbling, hopping and jumping, skipping, and cycling.
- Physical literacy checklist: 6-9 years. Different sports place an emphasis on different movement skills, a young child should learn and master a range of skills that will allow him/her to participate in striking sports, dribbling sports, gymnastics, balance sports (i.e. surfing, skiing, skateboard), aquatic sports, and skating or cycling sports. Parents may have a great influence on which sports their child is exposed to, and how they perceive their participation.
- Developing Physical Literacy: a guide for parents of children ages 0 to 12, Canadian Sport for Life, (2011). Developing physical literacy in our children will take the combined efforts of parents/guardians, day-care providers, schools personnel, community recreation leaders and everyone involved in the sport system; each has a role to play. Ultimately the responsibility for developing a physically literate child rests with parents and guardians. Just as parents and guardians ensure their children are in learning situations that result in them having the ability to read, write and do mathematics, they must also ensure their children develop physical literacy.
- Parents Guide to Clean Sport mini-course, Play by the Rules, (2019). At the conclusion of this mini-course you will have a better understanding of the important role you play in teaching your children respect for and appreciation of the true spirit of sport, and be able to inform your children about how to protect themselves in their sport career in relation to performance enhancing drugs and drug use.
Licencing restrictions apply to some resources.
All Clearinghouse members
'Australian' members only
'High Performance' members only
Restricted access
Various restrictions
- Supporting our Sideline Champions, Megan Fritsch, Personal Excellence, and Daniel Josifovski, Athletes, Coaching and Leadership, Australian Institute of Sport, Winning Pathways Workshop, GIO Stadium, Canberra (14 December 2017)
- Did You Win? Did You Lose? Those Are The Wrong Questions For Parents To Ask, Positive Coaching Alliance, (15 May 2017). In this video, Dweck talks about the importance of having a growth mindset instead of focusing on comparing your youth athlete to the other kids and putting pressure on them to be better than everyone else. Parents need to promote the idea that winning or losing are not all or nothing concepts and that both outcomes provide learning opportunities for the next game. The questions parents should be asking their kid is: “Did you give it your all?” because that’s what matters the most."
- The truth about sports parents, Ilovetowatchyouplay, YouTube (10 June 2016). Children talk about how their parents watch and respond to their sporting participation.
- Wayne Goldsmith's tips for parents and junior coaches, Sport New Zealand, YouTube, (27 November 2017). A series of six short videos aimed at parents and coaches to help support children to play and enjoy sport.
Influence of parents on child participation and development
Support, encouragement and competence.
Parental motivations
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has conducted research on various participant segments of the consumer sports’ market (adults, children, parents, volunteers) to determine the demographic profile of each segment and participation preferences.
The Market Segmentation for Parents study explored parents’ attitudes and behaviours towards sports and sport clubs. This helps to understand the decision making process that parents go through in selecting sporting activities or involvement in sport clubs for their children and/or themselves.
The research identified eight segments based on differences in parents' participation, attitudes and behaviours towards sport or physical activity for themselves and their children: (1) sport focused; (2) sporty actives; (3) self sport focused; (4) child focused; (5) family focused; (6) Sport uninvolved; (7) Club resistant; and (8) Unengaged. Key findings include:
- A key motivating factor for all segments is opportunities for a ‘free trial’ at a club. This can address concerns some parents have about committing time and money to a club before being sure that it will suit them and their children.
- ‘Sport focused’ parents are significantly more likely to be motivated by access to good coaching/training, reflecting the importance they place on skill building for their children. Whereas ‘Sporty active’ parents are so highly engaged with sport and physical activity that they are more likely to be motivated by a wide range of factors.
- The ‘Family focused’ segment, whose priorities are activities that fit in with family time, may be inclined to join a club if it offers flexible, family friendly options, and clear information about what commitment is required.
- ‘Child focused’ parents are motivated to have a child join club sport primarily if their child will enjoy it and secondly will learn values such as teamwork and responsibility.
- ‘Club resistant’ parents could potentially be encouraged by more social activities and less pressure for parents to be involved in fund raising, volunteering, etc.
- Reflecting their lower levels of engagement and involvement in sport and physical activity ‘Sport uninvolved’ and ‘Unengaged’ parent segments are motivated by significantly fewer factors and are less likely to become involved in a sport club than other segments.
- Finally, ‘Self-sport focused’ parents, while identifying with many of the benefits of club sport for their children, prefer to make time for their own sporting and recreational activities over their children’s.
The vast majority of parents agree that physical activity is good for their child and that having inactive children may reflect negatively on them as parents. Because of this, some parents feel pressure to ensure their children are participating in some type of sport or physical activity. Overall, however, the choice to participate in sport or other physical activities is driven by both parents and their children.
Other international research has indicated that key factors influencing parent's decisions about their children participating in sport are: cost, variety of sports available, and time commitments.
For more information about factors affecting sport participation see the Participation in Sport topic.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- Parents cry foul over the high cost of children's sports: poll, Ashleigh Gleeson, Newcastle Herald, (9 May 2014). Looks at the pricing of popular team sports for children around the age of 12 in the Newcastle region. Found significant variations, ranging from AU$50 to AU$800.
- Parents - Market Segmentation, Latitude Insights for the Australian Sports Commission, (June 2015). The overall aim of this study was to explore parents’ attitudes and behaviours towards sport and sport clubs in order to better understand the decision making process that parents go through in selecting sporting activities or involvement in sport clubs for their children. The study complements evidence from the 'Children’s Market Segmentation for Sport Participation', and when considered in conjunction provides a holistic understanding of the drivers for both child and parent to help sports create new and refine existing strategies that better target recruitment and retention of children in club sport.
- Understanding participation in sport: what determines sport participation among lone parents?, Sport England, (2006). The demands of being a lone parent means that a child’s participation in sport is made more difficult because of additional barriers such as transport, cost, and availability of childcare facilities for siblings.
- Can't play, won't play: longitudinal changes in perceived barriers to participation in sports clubs across the child-adolescent transition, Basterfield L, Gardner L, Reilly J, et.al., BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, Volume 2(1), (2016). This longitudinal study of children and adolescents uses an ecological model of physical activity to assess changes in barriers to participation in sports clubs and to identify age-specific and weight-specific targets for intervention. Data on perceived barriers to sports participation were collected from a birth cohort, the Gateshead Millennium Study in northeast England (N>500) at ages 9 and 12 years. The analysis showed that barriers at age 9 were predominantly of a physical or environmental nature. Young children relied upon parental involvement for transport, costs and permission to participate; also, there was a lack of suitable club infrastructure. At age 12 years the perceived barriers were predominantly classed as intrapersonal. Reponses for not participating in sport included – it’s boring and my friends don’t go to sport. At both ages weight status was not perceived as a barrier to sport participation.
- Parental perceptions of barriers to children’s participation in organised sport in Australia, Hardy L, Kelly B, Chapman K, et.al., Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Volume 46(4), pp.197-203, (2010). Results of research into parents’ perceptions of how cost, time, travel and the variety of organised sporting activities influenced their decisions to allow their child to participate in organised sport. Sporting costs, variety of sports available, and time commitments were the three greatest factors influencing parents’ decisions.
Parental motivations
The Market Segmentation for Parents study explores parents’ attitudes and behaviours towards sports and sport clubs.
Parental behaviour
Parents serve as role models for all manner of behaviours and attitudes. Although many adult figures (e.g. coaches, teachers, extended family), as well as peers and siblings, may also influence a child’s behaviour; parents remain the enduring reference (role models) that their children use as a basis for their own development.
Parents can help create positive sport and physical activity environments and reduce poor sideline behaviour (e.g. sport rage) by being good role models.
More information about role models can be found in the Role Models and Sport topic.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- Working with parents in sport is a UK based company that works with sporting organisations globally [including Little Athletics NSW], providing unbiased information that understands the difficulties that parents and coaches face in today's world. They support parents and coaches in working together to provide children with the best possible sporting experiences.
- 10 Tips For First-Time Sports Parents, Positive Coaching Alliance, (2015). Among the items covered in these 10 tips: Keeping your eye on the "Big Picture;" How to choose the right sports environment for your child; What to say (and not say) after the competition; Guidelines for sideline behavior; and Pursuing positive relationships with your children's coaches.
- How to destroy your child’s athletic future in 3 easy steps, Russ M Sport Factory, (10 December 2015). Parents are naturally excited about their child’s potential and possible athletic career. The author suggests parents need to objectively look at their motivations if any of these behaviours occur: (1) imposing your own ambition upon your child; (2) overspecialising too early – leading to a higher incidence of sport injury; (3) focusing on a single sport – this often leads to overtraining.
- Nurturing a child's sporting development, Sport Australia, (accessed 19 April 2021). Top 10 tips designed to help nurture and support a child's sporting development. Includes some suggested ways in which parents and carers can actively help children develop a variety of skills for life-long sport and physical activity engagement. For a positive, fun and nurturing experience of sport, individuals must remain positive, regardless of the result, and stay realistic in their shared expectations to avoid putting pressure on the child. You can greatly assist a child’s development by providing a strong and positive role model and upholding integrity and respect.
- Parents Making Youth Sports a Positive Experience: Role Models, Daniel Francis Perkins, PennState Extension, (20 October 2017). The atmosphere set by organizations, parents, and coaches is a major factor in determining whether or not youth will have a positive experience in a sports program. This bulletin is written to assist parents in fostering a positive climate that enables children and youth involved in sports to enjoy them-selves and reach their full potential. It focuses on the benefits and risks of youth sports, discusses parents as role models, and provides practical tips for parents.
- Why kids quit sports, Rogers S, Active for Life, (9 April 2014). In many countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, the number of children who sign up each year for team sports and then quit after a year or two can be substantial. Australian research offers these insights into why kids quit sports: (1) they’re not having fun; (2) they feel awkward because they lack physical literacy; (3) their parents become too enthusiastic, to the point of becoming obnoxious; and (4) they dread the post-game analysis by parents.
- The continued importance of family sport culture for sport participation during the teenage years, Åse Strandbu, Anders Bakken and Kari Stefansen, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 25(8), pp.932-945, (2020). Growing up in a family with an affinity for sports increases the likelihood of participating in club-organised sports. Few studies to date have addressed whether the importance of family sport culture is stable or changes during the teenage years. This article examines the association between family sport culture and participation in club-organised sports during teenage years and whether it differs between boys and girls.
- During play, the break, and the drive home: the meaning of parental verbal behaviour in youth sport, Elliott S and Drummond M, Leisure Studies, Volume 36(5), pp.645-656, (2017). Problematic behaviours by parents involved in youth sports generally focuses on the frequency and nature of verbal criticism, swearing and verbal abuse. There is a current lack of understanding surrounding the social significance (or lack thereof) of parental comments, criticisms and abuse in the context of youth sport. This paper reports on a study which sought to generate a greater understanding of parental involvement in the junior Australian Football experience. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with both parents and youth participants (N = 86) currently involved in a competitive Australian football season. The findings reveal how parents and youth attribute different social meaning to parental verbal behaviour during play, during the breaks, and on the drive home. While youth appear to experience parental verbal behaviour in polarising ways (good or bad), parents rationalise their own verbal behaviour and in doing so, contribute to a broader social perception of sport parenting behaviour.
- Educating and Supporting Tennis Parents Using Web-Based Delivery Methods: A Novel Online Education Program, Sam Thrower, Chris Harwood and Christopher Spray, Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 31(3), pp.303-323, (2019). This study evaluated the effectiveness of a novel online education program for British tennis parents and their experiences of engaging in the program. 13 parents completed pre- and post-program online questionnaires, and a subset of 9 participants shared their experiences via an asynchronous e-mail interview. Quantitative findings revealed positive directional changes for almost all of the variables in relation to emotional experiences, goal orientations, tennis parent efficacy, and general parenting efficacy.
- Examining the impact of the Respect in Sport Parent Program on the psychosocial experiences of minor hockey athletes, Katherine Tamminen, Carolyn McEwen, Gretchen Kerr, et.al., Journal of Sports Sciences, Volume 38(17), pp.2035-2045, (2020). Models of positive youth development suggest that athletes may be influenced by parent education programmes; however, there is little research examining the impact of such programmes on athlete outcomes. This study examined the impact of the Respect in Sport Parent Program on athlete outcomes among minor hockey players over three years. Cross-sectional results comparing athletes in leagues adopting the programme at different time points indicated significant differences in prosocial behaviours towards teammates. Multilevel longitudinal analyses revealed improvements in athletes’ antisocial behaviours towards opponents, initiative, goal setting, and cognitive skills over time, regardless of whether they were in a league that implemented the programme. However, athletes in leagues that implemented the programme during the study reported greater improvements in antisocial behaviours towards opponents, and there were trends with respect to improved personal and social skills. These findings provide suggestions to improve the delivery and impact of parent education programmes in youth sport.
- “Finding perspective: influencing children’s initial and ongoing participation as a contemporary sport-parent”, Elliott S and Drummond M, Proceedings of the 28th ACHPER International Conference, 27-29 November 2013, Melbourne, pp. 38-45, (2013). This paper reports on a series of focus group discussions and individual interviews with 102 parents, children, and coaches involved in junior Australian Football from metropolitan, regional and remote areas of South Australia. The participants provided important perspectives on the challenges facing the contemporary sport-parent, and how best to optimise parental involvement in children’s sport, given that parents play a crucial role in the overall sport experience of their children. Three recurrent themes are discussed – home practice, coercive participation, and sacrifice. The findings indicate that most children navigated their way into a junior Australian Football programs as a result of engaging in home practices with their parents, demonstrating the potentially positive role of parents in the early years. Coercive parental behaviours were also identified as crucial in promoting continuation. Indeed, children confessed that coercion was not necessarily a negative aspect of sport parenting, but rather important in promoting and encouraging physically active behaviours. However, coerced participation may be problematic under circumstances where children are negatively pressured into sport and physical activity. Finally, the notion of sacrifice was found to be an enabling factor that encouraged opportunities for sport participation. Although time commitments are an inevitable aspect of sport involvement, this study suggests the significance of parental sacrifices in promoting participation by their children.
- Helping Parents be Better Youth Sport Coaches and Spectators, Peter A. Witt, Tek B. Dangi, Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, Volume 36(3), pp.200-208, (2018). Youth sports experts have identified a number of benefits/advantages of parents serving as coaches for their own children, including parents knowing their children better than anyone else, thus being able to do what is necessary to meet their needs; parents being in a good position to deal with their child’s mood swings and reactions to certain situations; and parent-coaches being able to create shared experiences and memories with their child. Disadvantages of parents coaching their own children include parents becoming over-involved and children feeling that it is the parent, not them making the decision that they should play sports. In addition, children may become frustrated with their parent’s coaching tactics or team members may perceive that the coach’s child is receiving preferential treatment, which could be harmful to relationships the child has with teammates. Parents can also spend a lot of time watching their children participate and being cheerleaders and supporters. Unfortunately, parents can become overly involved in their children’s sports activities and end up becoming vocal critics of their children’s play, and the actions of coaches, referees, other parents and other players. There can also be a gap between the actual behavior of parents and the behavior children would prefer to see from their parents, which suggests the need to find ways to improve parent-spectator behavior. While many parents act in a healthy and responsible manner as spectators, negative parental actions can lead to youth abandoning sport involvements. Some parents lose perspective of sports as a fun and healthy activity and start seeing their young athlete as an investment and a means of achieving fame, glory or material rewards. Several initiatives have been taken to make parental participation as spectators more rewarding for children and parents, as well as for coaches, referees/umpires, and fellow spectators. Youth professionals can use this information to work with parents to facilitate better experiences for their children.
- The importance of parents’ behavior in their children’s enjoyment and amotivation in sports, Sanchez-Miguel P, Leo F, Samcjez-Oliva D, et.al., Journal of Human Kinetics, Volume 36, pp.169-177, (2013). Socialization into sport and physical activity can be considered a modelling process in which family members are powerful role models. This research examined the relationship between parents’ behaviour and their children’s (mean age 12.4 years) enjoyment or amotivation toward their sporting experience. Results showed a positive relationship between parental support and players’ enjoyment. Those players who perceived more pressure from their parents were amotivated (i.e. the child showed a negative or unsatisfactory perception of their experience). These results support the observation that positive parental participation can promote a child’s enjoyment for sport.
- Influences of coaches, parents, and peers on the motivational patterns of child and adolescent athletes, Chan D, Lonsdale C and Fung H, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, Volume 22(4), pp.558-568, (2012). This study assessed the relative impact of social influences initiated by a coach, parents, and peers on children and adolescent athletes' motivational patterns (self-rated effort, enjoyment, competence, and competitive trait anxiety). Data was collected on 408 youth swimmers, aged 9 to 18 years, from Hong Kong. The analyses generally showed that the social influence from a mother was strongest in childhood and the influence from peers was greatest in adolescence. The social influence from a coach was greatest on athletes' effort and enjoyment during childhood, and for competence during adolescence. The authors concluded that age appeared to moderate the impact of social influence from significant others on young athletes' sport experiences. Also, the type of influence a coach has on an athlete’s experience will change from childhood to adolescence.
- Life skills development and enjoyment in youth soccer: The importance of parental behaviours, Gareth Mossman and Lorcan Cronin, Journal of Sport Sciences, Volume 37(8), pp.850-856, (2019). This study investigated the relationships between parental behaviours and players’ life skills development and enjoyment within youth soccer. In total, 317 players (Mage = 12.83, SD = 1.70, age range = 10–16 years) completed a survey assessing parental behaviours (praise and understanding, directive behaviour, and pressure), perceived life skills development (teamwork, goal setting, time management, emotional skills, interpersonal communication, social skills, leadership, and problem solving and decision making), and enjoyment of soccer. Multiple regression analyses found that praise and understanding was the key contributor to the outcome variables, making the largest unique contribution to teamwork, goal setting, leadership, and total life skills. Directive behaviour made the largest unique contribution to emotional skills, and problem solving and decision making; whereas pressure made the largest unique contribution to participants’ time management and social skills. In practice, the results suggest that parents should display praise and understanding behaviours, which were the main contributor to players’ development of life skills within soccer.
- The motivational atmosphere in youth sport: coach, parent, and peer influences on motivation in specializing sport participants, Keegan R, Spray C, Harwood C, et.al., Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, Volume 22(1), pp.87-105, (2010). This research helps to delineate the roles for social agents (i.e. coaches, parents, peers) in influencing athletes motivations. Parents were influential in these roles: (1) support and facilitating opportunities, (2) developing an athlete’s competence, (3) the act of watching or being a spectator was seen as motivationally relevant.
- Parental behaviors in team sports: how do female athletes want parents to behave?, Knight C, Neely K and Holt N, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology Volume 23(1), pp.76-92, (2011). Parents display various positive and negative behaviors at youth sport competitions. This study examined early adolescent female athletes’ preferred parental behaviors at team sport competitions. Individual interviews were conducted with 36 female athletes (M age = 13.5 years) who frequently competed in team sports. Data analysis led to the identification of three categories of parental behavior across different phases of competition (before, during, after). Athletes indicated preferences related to preparation for competition, parental support and, encouragement during competition, and the provision of feedback after competition. The results suggest that parents should engage in different types of behaviors as the temporal context of competitions change.
- Parenting in Sport, Harwood C and Knight C, Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, Volume 5(2), (2016). Sport psychology has reflected a growing interest in parental involvement in sport; researchers have taken child- and coach-centric perspectives to investigate both the antecedents and consequences of parental involvement. This issue of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology looks at both the positive and negative effects of parental influence, through their practices, behaviours, and parenting styles.
- Parenting in youth tennis: understanding and enhancing children's experiences, Knight C and Holt N, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 15(2), pp.155-164, (2014). The purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory of optimal parental involvement in youth tennis. The theory was built around a core understanding of how to enhance a child's tennis journey. This was underpinned by three parental behaviours: (1) share and communicate goals, which referred to the need for parents and children to have the same aims for the child's tennis involvement; (2) develop an understanding emotional climate, which accounted for the need for parents to continually seek to foster an environment in which children perceived parents understand their experience, and; (3) engage in enhancing parenting practices at competitions, which denoted the specific behaviors parents should display in relation to competitive tennis. The theory predicts that consistency between goals, emotional climate, and parenting practices will optimise parenting behaviour in youth tennis.
- Parents in youth sport: what happens after the game?, Elliott S and Drummond M, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 22(3), pp.391-406, (2017). While parents possess a great potential to positively influence the sport experience of their child, they can also exert a considerable negative influence by engaging in a range of inappropriate behaviours. This study captured qualitative data from focus groups and individual interviews of 86 parents and children involved in junior Australian football. This research reveals an aspect of the sport-parenting role which can further enhance or undermine the youth sport experience. Specifically, it was found that children prefer different types of parental involvement before, during, and after competitive sport. This can provide insight into the way that parents engage in ‘debriefing’ children's performances to engender a positive and supportive influence. While the concept of sport-parenting receives much attention within the competitive setting, much can be learnt from exploring ‘what happens after the game’.
- Perceived parental behaviours and motivational processes among adolescent athletes in intensive training centres: A profile approach, Noémie Lienhart, Virginie Nicaise, Guillaume Martinent, et.al., Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 49(101708), (2020). The objectives of this study were to: (a) identify parental behaviours using a person-centred approach and differentiating mother’s and father’s behaviours; (b) explore the changes of parental behaviour profiles across the season; and (c) examine the prospective impact of parental behaviour profiles at the beginning of the season on athlete scores of motivation, satisfaction, and frustration of basic psychological needs at the end of the season. Latent profile transition analysis revealed three parental behaviour profiles: (a) moderate parental involvement; (b) moderate to high parental involvement; and (c) moderate mother’s involvement and low father’s involvement. The profiles were based on associated patterns of four mother’s and father’s behaviours: (a) directive behaviours; (b) active involvement; (c) praise and understanding; and (d) pressure. The three parental behaviour profiles remained stable across the season (i.e., inter- and intra-individual stability). Athletes who reported the moderate parental involvement profile at the beginning of the season had lower scores of controlled motivation and frustration of autonomy as well as higher scores of satisfaction of competence and relatedness at the end of the season than their counterparts from the two other profiles. This study contributes to enriching the complex picture of parental involvement in the sport to help sport organisations identify parents at risk of impeding their child’s development.
- Young people’s experiences of parental involvement in youth sport, Åse Strandbu, Kari Stefansen, Ingrid Smette, et.al., Sport, Education and Society, Volume 24(1), pp.66-77, (2019). Our study explores how adolescents understand and negotiate their parents’ involvement in sport and how they define ideal and undesirable forms of parental involvement. Our empirical setting is Norway, and we draw on data from 16 focus group interviews among 13–14-year-olds (n = 92) recruited from two lower secondary schools. The analysis shows that young people distinguish between different aspects of the sport activity when defining ideal and undesirable forms of parental involvement. When discussing sport as a healthy activity necessary for physical and social development, the young people interviewed approve of parents’ role in regulating and encouraging participation. When considering the athletic aspects and peer sociability, however, they see parental involvement as mostly undesirable. The analysis also shows that the adolescents generally describe their parents as attentive to the boundaries their children draw for them about levels and types of involvement. Therefore, young people should be seen not only as subjected to parental involvement but also as active co-constructors of valid parental roles in and beyond the sporting arena.
- Let Kids be Kids mini-course, Play by the Rules, (accessed 19 April 2021). No sport is immune from poor adult behaviour. Poor behaviour can have a serious impact on kids enjoyment of sport and their future participation. This free mini-course is a step you can take to help you understand and address poor behaviour. You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
- Parents Guide to Clean Sport mini-course, Play by the Rules, (2019). At the conclusion of this mini-course you will have a better understanding of the important role you play in teaching your children respect for and appreciation of the true spirit of sport, and be able to inform your children about how to protect themselves in their sport career in relation to performance enhancing drugs and drug use.
- Parents in Sport, Child Protection in Sport Unit, (30 July 2020). Parents play a pivotal role in encouraging and supporting their child’s participation, success and fun when playing sport. Therefore, it’s essential that sports clubs communicate regularly with parents so that both coach and parent work towards the same goals. Website provides information for parents on helping to keep their children safe, happy and enjoying sport; and for clubs and coaches to improve communication with parents and raise awareness of the importance of parents for positive child engagement and participation.
- Tips for Parents, Play by the Rules. (accessed 19 April 2021). Parents can help create a positive sporting environment and reduce sport rage by being good role models. First, watch the short video from ABC journalist and sports coach Paul Kennedy who produced a series of videos for Play by the Rules on tips for parents, coaches, administrators and officials. In this first video Paul talks about setting a positive team environment.
- True Sport, Western Australian Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, (accessed 19 April 2021). True Sport is an advocacy campaign that supports local sporting clubs and associations to promote eight values that represent the benefits of sport and recreation to our whole community. The eight values are: Play fair; Give back; Have fun; Include all; Be healthy; Be safe; Show respect; and Bring your best. By embracing these values, teams, clubs, participants and officials can work together to create fun, fair and safe environments for one and all to participate in sporting activities.
Licencing restrictions apply to some resources.
All Clearinghouse members
'Australian' members only
'High Performance' members only
Restricted access
Various restrictions
- Supporting our Sideline Champions, Megan Fritsch, Personal Excellence, AIS and Daniel Josifovski, Athletes, Coaching and Leadership, AIS, Winning Pathways Workshop, GIO Stadium, Canberra (14 December 2017)
- My Magic Sports Kit, UK Child Protection in Sport Unit, (9 October 2013). This video shows several children involved in different sports describing how the behaviour of parents and spectators deteriorates when they wear their ‘magic sports kit’ – that is, when they compete.
- The truth about sports parents, Ilovetowatchyouplay.com, YouTube, (10 June 2016). Children talk about how their parents watch and respond to their sporting participation.
- Wayne Goldsmith's tips for parents and junior coaches, Sport New Zealand, YouTube, (27 November 2017). A series of six short videos aimed at parents and coaches to help support children to play and enjoy sport.
Parental behaviour
Parents serve as role models for all manner of behaviours and attitudes that their children develop.
Parent-coach interaction
Coaches are in a powerful position to influence parental behaviours as well as shaping attitudes about support for children’s sporting involvement. The nature of parent-coach interactions can also have a great impact on the coach’s effectiveness. Coaches often set ground rules to provide clarity regarding the behaviours and standards expected from parents. Many organisations have also developed parent codes of conduct and standards of behaviour documents.
A ‘partnership philosophy’ is increasingly being adopted by coaches who see sporting parents not as adversaries, but as partners in the development of a child’s sporting potential.
Coaches may enlist the services of parents to complete tasks when they attend training or competitions, such as scoring, being team manager, keeping statistics, umpiring, or looking after equipment. This allows the parent to be involved in the coach’s program and develop a sense of ownership.
Parents are also ideally placed to develop the ‘person’ behind the athlete. That is, parents have a significant impact on how their child develops important life skills, such as time management, work ethic, sleep management; and personal values such as honesty, integrity, humility and discipline.
Parents are also less likely to intervene in a negative way if they believe that their child is in the hands of a knowledgeable coach. Factors such as experience, the coach's ability to communicate, qualifications, and providing a well-structured training environment help to demonstrate to parents that their child is well supervised.
Coaching education programs encourage the practice of developing effective communication strategies to keep parents informed about their child’s sporting progress. Communication based upon an honest, open relationship between the coach and parents generally produces greater support for the coach’s program from parents. Supportive behaviours by parents also enhance their child’s participation experience.
A number of coaching resources deal with coach-parent communications. Most coach education and training courses also contain useful information on how coaches can effectively bring parents into the sporting environment, and use them as a supporting influence.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- The coaching process: A practical guide to becoming an effective sports coach, Kidman L and Hanrahan S, Routledge, (2011). [Held by the Clearinghouse for Sport, GV711.C63 and Queensland Academy of Sport, 796.07 KID]
- Parenting freak ability, Dobson M, Like a Freak Publishing, (2010). Accounts of the parenting of well-known Australian elite athletes.
- Swimming for parents: The ultimate education guide for swimming parents, Barclay G, self published, (2009). [Held by the Clearinghouse for Sport, GV837.65.B37]
- Working with parents in sport is a UK based company that works with sporting organisations globally [including Little Athletics NSW], providing unbiased information that understands the difficulties that parents and coaches face in today's world. They support parents and coaches in working together to provide children wit the best possible sporting experiences.
- How I stopped 'dealing' with parents, Nate Sanderson, Breakthrough Basketball, (2016). Rooted in fear of conflict and confrontation, we negotiate parent interactions like tiptoeing through a mine field hoping to spend as little time as possible desperately trying to avoid an explosion. At the end of the day, we signed up to coach a sport, not to deal with parents. In thinking about this, I began to wonder how much this approach to the parent-coach dynamic prevented me from forming positive, constructive relationships with the people who influence our players as much as anyone.
- Engaging Parents in the Athletic Development Process, Sean Higgins, Ski Racing Premium, (8 March 2018). It’s hard to downplay the importance of the athlete-parent relationship when you’re talking about athlete development. Quite simply, it’s everything. You’d be hard pressed to find an athlete who has enjoyed any amount of success that did not have some sort of parental figure — be it a mom, dad, grandparent, or other individual– involved in their athletic development.
- Sport Parenting – The performance partnership, Goldsmith W, (2015). The sporting parent has some important responsibilities within the performance partnership between coach, athlete and parent. A sporting parent, for example, is responsible for helping their child to develop values like honesty, integrity, humility, courage and discipline. A sporting parent can also help their child develop valuable life skills that will help them cope with the demands of sport – time management, getting enough sleep, adequate nutrition, and balancing school work and personal relationships. Most importantly, a sporting parent can provide the one thing that no one else can – unconditional love and support.
- Tips for a positive parent/coach partnership, Positive Coaching Alliance, (accessed 20 April 2021). Coaches and parents both play an important role in the development of youth athletes. To ensure a positive experience for the child, and to avoid parent/coach conflict, parents should recognize the part they play in making the season a success. This can sometimes be difficult for parents. However, it is best for the athletes if parents can provide support in a different way than the coaches do during practices and games.
- Athletes' perception of parental support and its influence on sports accomplishments: A retrospective study, Siekańska M, Human Movement, Volume 13(4), pp.380-387, (2012). This study looked at family environmental factors and their affect upon different levels of sport accomplishment; low, medium or high. The study concluded that from a practical perspective, the family environment may be the most important social dimensions affecting a young athlete. A key takeaway from the analysis is that, as coaches are ‘task leaders’ and parents serve to provide ‘socio-emotional leadership’, the interaction between coach and parents is important to an athlete’s success. Increased coach-parent cooperation that includes open communication was seen as beneficial.
- Characteristics of Parents Who Feel a Lack of Communication with Coaches of Youth Sports, Yutaka Yabe, Yoshihiro Hagiwara, Takuya Sekiguchi, et.al., The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, Volume 253(3), pp.191-198, (2021). Communication between parents and their children’s coaches is important for children’s sports activities, but the relationship between parents and coaches is not well understood. This study aimed to elucidate the characteristics of parents who feel a lack of communication with their children’s coaches of youth sports. A cross-sectional study was conducted on parents of young athletes (n = 6,641). Among the respondents, 29.4% of parents felt a lack of communication with their children’s coaches. The factors related to the parents’ feeling were a shorter duration of their children playing the present sport, an absence of experience playing the same sport as their children or playing in a team with high competition level, dissatisfaction with their children’s attitude towards sports activities, and an awareness of verbal and/or physical abuse by the coaches and bullying by the teammates in their children’s team. Parents’ previous sports experience and awareness of interpersonal violence in their children’s team were associated with their feeling of a lack of communication with coaches. Educating parents on the sport and their roles in youth sport is necessary to make appropriate mutual communication between parents and coaches, which could lead to better circumstances for young athletes.
- The Coach–Parent Relationship and Athlete Development in Elite Youth Hockey: Lessons Learned for Conflict Management, Cassidy Preston, Veronica Allan, Lauren Wolman, et.al., The Sport Psychologist, Volume 34(2), pp.143-152, (2020). Extensive research highlights the important roles of coaches and parents in fostering positive youth development (PYD). However, little research has examined the complex coach–parent relationship in the bidirectional interactions of the coach-parent-athlete triad. This research is particularly pertinent in elite youth sport, wherein the performance-oriented environment may impede the pursuit of PYD. As such, this study aimed to deepen understandings of the coach–parent relationship in relation to athletes’ PYD. Specifically, the first author critically analyzed and reflected on his experiences as an elite youth ice hockey coach, thus offering a unique portrayal of reflective practice in the context of sport coaching. Two interconnected themes emerged: understanding conflict in the coach-parent-athlete relationship and fostering collaboration through enhanced coach–parent communication. Findings and reflections are discussed in relation to the dual-concern model of conflict resolution, and strategies to help practitioners foster cooperative coach–parent relationships are presented.
- The coach-parent relationship in Canadian competitive figure skating: An interpretive description, Jessie Wall, Leah Baugh, Kesha Pradhan, et.al., Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 45(101577), (2019). Data were collected using individual semi-structured interviews with 12 mothers of competitive figure skaters and 12 coaches (M years of experience = 25). Findings indicated that parents described a range of experiences of the coach-parent relationship, from negative and distant, to positive and enjoyable, while coaches described their experiences as mostly positive and enjoyable but with the potential for the relationship to be challenging and contentious. Participants’ descriptions of their experiences clustered around three configurations that represented different views about the nature of the coach-parent relationship, including (a) collaborative, (b) coach-athlete centric, and (c) contractual. These configurations are discussed in light of three prominent themes that characterized the relationship: expertise, communication, and trust.
- Coaches and parents hold contrasting perceptions of optimal youth development activities in track and field athletics, Philip Kearney, Thomas Comyns, Philip Hayes, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, Volume 15(2), pp.157-169, (2020). This study examined track and field coaches’ and parents’ knowledge of (a) the relationship between adolescent and later success, (b) factors contributing to adolescent success, particularly in relation to relative age effects, and (c) optimal athlete development practices, such as the timing of sport specialisation. Fifty-two coaches and 116 parents completed a survey comprising both closed and open questions. Compared to coaches, parents were more likely to believe that successful adults had achieved success during early adolescence and to connect that success to innate ability rather than relative development. However, there was no difference in the proportion of parents and coaches who reported familiarity with the relative age effect (approximately 50%). The most pronounced differences between coaches and players were in relation to optimal youth development practices, with parents more likely to encourage year-round training at an earlier age, and specialising in a single sport at an earlier age. Contrasting the knowledge reported by coaches and parents with the results of quantitative studies of youth development suggests that bespoke education is required for both groups. Furthermore, the explanations provided by parents and coaches for their beliefs about youth sport practices suggest that professional bodies need to provide more nuanced instruction to stakeholders on how to implement general guidelines on healthy youth sport practices into their individual practice.
- Coaches Can Utilize Parents to Optimize Youth Athletes’ Sport Experience, Bailey Sommerfeld and Tsz Lun (Alan) Chu, Strategies: A Journal for Physical and Sport Educators, Volume 33(2), pp.25-31, (2020). Coaches, as well as fathers and mothers, can independently and interactively satisfy youth athletes’ basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness by providing autonomy support and a task-involving motivational climate. It is essential for coaches to understand this to not only better the youth athletes that they coach, but also educate parents who have tremendous influence over the youth athletes and in order to help provide the best environment in which youth athletes can thrive. Coaches should listen to and communicate with parents about their youth athletes and together, as a team, work to give their youth athletes the best chance of success.
- Enhancing Coach-Parent Relationships in Youth Sports: Increasing Harmony and Minimizing Hassle, Smoll F, Cumming S, and Smith R, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, Volume 6(1), pp.13-26, (2011). The athlete-coach-parent relationship will have a significant impact on outcomes achieved in sport. The objective of the article is to identify goals for youth sport, parental responsibilities and challenges, and the communication necessary between coach and parents.
- Examining expert coaches’ views of parent roles in 10-and-under tennis, Gould D, Pierce S, Wright E, et.al., Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, Volume 5(2), pp.89-106, (2016). 14 of the most experienced and successful under 10 age-group coaches in the U.S. took part in a series of focus groups to discuss the challenges facing coaches working with parents of players in this age-group. Results revealed that coaches viewed parents as challenging when they did not understand or ‘buy into’ the coach’s long-term developmental approach, or when they were driven by the need for their child’s immediate success. Coaches believed that parents should adopt a supporter/facilitator versus coaching/parenting role and work to enhance a positive parent–child relationship. Advice and recommendations to the parents included embracing the ‘journey’ of long-term athlete development, using tennis-related communication and feedback, and finding ways to connect with the culture of tennis.
- How to Effectively Manage Coach, Parent, and Player Relationships, Shelley Holden, Brooke Forester, Christopher Keshock, et.al., The Sport Journal, Volume 41(2), (June 2020). Youth sports are an integral part of the culture in the United States and directly impact the lives of many children and adolescents. Parents play a major role in a child’s athletic development and are members of the athletic triangle. The athletic triangle consists of the coach, athlete, and parent and the relationships within this triad can have significant impact on the psychological development of the child. The following article aims to provide a general overview of the athletic triangle in the context of youth and high school sports with a focus on the role of effective communication for optimal athletic success.
- The Influence of Parent Sport Behaviours on Children’s Development: Youth Coach and Administrator Perspectives, Anthony Ross, Clifford Mallett and Jarred Parkes, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, Volume(4), pp.605-621, (2015). In this study, the authors sought to develop an understanding of youth sport coaches’ and administrators’ perspectives of parent sport behaviours’ influence on children’s development across various sport settings. Additionally, the authors explored participant awareness of and their perspectives of efficacy in relation to current parent education programs in Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve youth sport coaches and administrators (eight coaches, four administrators; eight males, four females) with an average of nine years experience. Coaches and administrators reported considerably more frequent negative interactions with parents than positive interactions. Participants also reported more negative observations of parent-child communications than positive observations. Four participants reported exposure to parent education efforts but all perceived these approaches to be inadequate. Recommendations, practical implications, and future avenues of research are discussed.
- A parent’s guide to effective coaching, Sports Coach UK, (2010). This publication identifies a number of ways that parents and coaches can communicate more effectively.
- Best Practice Guide: Parent Engagement, Up2Us, (accessed 7 October 2020). A best practice guide on how to foster parental involvement based on successful methodologies employed by member organizations of the Up2Us coalition.
Licencing restrictions apply to some resources.
All Clearinghouse members
'Australian' members only
'High Performance' members only
Restricted access
Various restrictions
- Managing Parental Expectations, Korn N, presentation at the 2010 National Coaching and Officiating Conference , Melbourne, 23 November 2010.
- Wayne Goldsmith's tips for parents and junior coaches, Sport New Zealand, YouTube, (27 November 2017). A series of six short videos aimed at parents and coaches to help support children to play and enjoy sport. Topics include 'support the coach and 'a message for junior coaches'.
- What Steve Kerr Wants From Sports Parents, Positive Coaching Alliance, (16 May 2018). Steve Kerr is the Golden State Warriors Head Coach and a PCA National Advisory Board Member. Kerr is a five-time NBA champion and former General Manager of the Phoenix Suns. Coach Kerr explains that the best technique for a coach when dealing with parents is to have a pre-season meeting and simply, explain your philosophy and standards. Kerr then states that when he was younger he often performed better because his parents would come to his games and be supportive no matter the situation or the outcome. Kerr offer a piece of advice for youth sports parents, "I would like to see more parents just let their kids develop and figure it out on their own, it is a much better way to learn".
Parent-coach interaction
The coach is in a powerful position to influence parental behaviors as well as shaping their attitudes about support for their child’s sporting involvement.
Parents as coach
Sometimes parents may find themselves accepting a role as a parent-coach, i.e. performing a coaching role which includes directly coaching their own child. Typically these situations occur when a team or club does not have a large or diverse coaching cohort and parents are asked to step-in and help by coaching.
Parents who coach their children—particularly at a high performance level—have the difficult task of remaining supportive as parents, while providing independent and objective coaching services, including motivation and guidance as coaches.
How does this dual role influence the relationship between the parent-coach and child? Research generally indicates that younger athletes are more open to parent-coach feedback, but become more resistant during adolescence. Some studies have noted that daughters viewed expectations from their father-coach as pressuring, whereas sons viewed expectations from their father-coach as recognising their competence.
Studies on boys who were coached by their father identified positive factors: perks and praise, additional technical instruction, a greater understanding of ability level, insider information, and quality time together. Negative aspects were also identified such as: negative emotional responses from one’s father, pressure from expectations, lack of empathy, and excessive criticism for mistakes.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- Coaching your own child, Thompson J, Positive Coaching Alliance, (2011). Historically, young people have apprenticed with their parents’ business. Today there is little opportunity for this but coaching your own child can be a wonderful experience in working together. Many parents and children look back on their times together on a sports team as some of the best moments of their lives. Here are some tips for making that shared experience a positive one.
- Coaching your own child – The parent-coach, child-player relationship, The Coach Diary, (11 September 2014). As many as 90% of all community volunteer coaches are parents. A number of studies have looked at the parent-coach and child-player relationship, with this research showing both positive and negative results. This article presents a number discussion points that a parent and their child should consider before a decision is made by the parent to coach his/her child.
- An intensive longitudinal investigation of a parent–coach’s practices and strategies ‘in action’; challenges and opportunities, Chris Zehntner, Jenny McMahon and Kerry McGannon, Sports Coaching Review, Volume 9(2), pp.147-167, (2020). Sports coaching and sport psychology researchers have explored the challenges for parents who undertake the role of coach. Arising from previously research on the parent–coach, a number of strategies have been suggested to assist parent–coaches to be more effective as they negotiate the dual roles. No research has examined the issues, nuances and possibilities of these strategies and practices “in action” from the perspective of the parent–coach. An intensive longitudinal diary approach was used by one parent–coach to document and reflect on coaching practice when applying the researcher proposed strategies. This study adds to scholarship that examines the dual roles of the parent–coach by outlining what works and what does not in terms of previously outlined strategies. We found that the unproblematic presentation of the two roles, in previous research, fails to prepare the prospective parent coach for the complexity of managing the dual roles.
- Child-rearing in public spaces: the challenging dual-role relationships of parent–coaches and child–athletes of coaches in Swedish team sports, Inger Eliasson, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 24(9), pp.1006-1018, (2019). The aim of this study was to examine the challenges of being either a parent–coach or a child–athlete of a coach within the context of Swedish youth sport. Conceptually, this paper draws on educational and sociological theories regarding changing perspectives in child-rearing. The results are based on data gathered from interviews with parent–coaches and child–athletes (age 13–15) of coaches involved in team sports. The results indicate that a range of meanings emerged through these unique sets of interactions, resulting in both positive and negative experiences for both children and their parents. To manage the perceived challenges, four behavioural strategies were used including fairness, distancing, defence and quitting. Overall, this study provides a deeper understanding of the challenges of these unique dual roles in relation to contemporary child-rearing perspectives.
- Helping Parents be Better Youth Sport Coaches and Spectators, Peter A. Witt, Tek B. Dangi, Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, Volume 36(3), pp.200-208, (2018). Youth sports experts have identified a number of benefits/advantages of parents serving as coaches for their own children, including parents knowing their children better than anyone else, thus being able to do what is necessary to meet their needs; parents being in a good position to deal with their child’s mood swings and reactions to certain situations; and parent-coaches being able to create shared experiences and memories with their child. Disadvantages of parents coaching their own children include parents becoming over-involved and children feeling that it is the parent, not them making the decision that they should play sports. In addition, children may become frustrated with their parent’s coaching tactics or team members may perceive that the coach’s child is receiving preferential treatment, which could be harmful to relationships the child has with teammates. Parents can also spend a lot of time watching their children participate and being cheerleaders and supporters. Unfortunately, parents can become overly involved in their children’s sports activities and end up becoming vocal critics of their children’s play, and the actions of coaches, referees, other parents and other players. There can also be a gap between the actual behavior of parents and the behavior children would prefer to see from their parents, which suggests the need to find ways to improve parent-spectator behavior. While many parents act in a healthy and responsible manner as spectators, negative parental actions can lead to youth abandoning sport involvements. Some parents lose perspective of sports as a fun and healthy activity and start seeing their young athlete as an investment and a means of achieving fame, glory or material rewards. Several initiatives have been taken to make parental participation as spectators more rewarding for children and parents, as well as for coaches, referees/umpires, and fellow spectators. Youth professionals can use this information to work with parents to facilitate better experiences for their children.
- The parent-coach and child-athlete relationship in youth sport, Weiss M and Fretwell S, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Volume 76(3), pp.286-305, (2005). The roles of coach and parent are often synonymous in youth sport, but little data-based research has been conducted on the parent-coach/child-athlete relationship. Six boys in U–12 competitive soccer were interviewed regarding positive and negative aspects about playing for their father-coach. Similar questions were posed to father-coaches and two teammates. Inductive content analysis indicated that, among the benefits, sons identified perks, praise, technical instruction, understanding of ability level, insider information, involvement in decision making, special attention, quality time, and motivation. Costs of being coached by one's father included negative emotional responses, pressure/expectations, conflict, lack of understanding/empathy, criticism for mistakes, and unfair behavior. For father-coaches, positive themes included taking pride in son's achievements, reason for coaching, positive social interactions, opportunity to teach skills and values, enjoying coaching son, and quality time. Negatives included inability to separate parent-child from coach-player role, placing greater expectations and pressure on son, and showing differential attention toward son. While teammates perceived some favoritism by the parent-coach, they cited mostly positive instructional experiences.
- Tips for Coaching Your Own Child: A Coach Hat, Positive Coaching Alliance, YouTube, (25 Oct 2014). PCA Founder and Executive Director, Jim Thompson, discusses a tip for coaching your own child and it involves a hat!
Parents as coach
Sometimes, due to a range of circumstances, parents may find themselves accepting a role as a parent-coach.
Resources for organisations and parents
National organisations
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has collated a list of the top 10 tips for Nurturing a child's sporting development. They recommend that for a fun and nurturing experience of sport, parents and caregivers should remain positive, regardless of the result, and stay realistic in their shared expectations to avoid putting pressure on the child. You can greatly assist a child’s development by providing a strong and positive role model and upholding integrity and respect.
As part of the Physical Literacy framework the ASC also provides a short Tips for Parents fact sheet. Physical literacy involves holistic lifelong learning through movement and physical activity across four domains: physical, psychological, social, and cognitive. Parents have an important role in helping to build children's physical literacy.
Play by the Rules provides information, resources, tools and free online training to increase the capacity and capability of administrators, coaches, officials, players, parents, and spectators to prevent and deal with discrimination, harassment, child safety, inclusion, and integrity issues in sport.
- 7 ways how yelling at officials is hurting children, Play by the Rules (article adapted from ‘4 ways yelling at referees is hurting our children’, Switching the Field), (March 2017). Whether they are aware of it or not, the inappropriate actions of parents toward game officials may be harming their children. This article presents seven outcomes that may happen when parents are aggressive toward match officials: (1) children learn that mistakes are not okay; (2) they learn to make excuses; (3) they learn to give up when facing adversity; (4) they learn to disrespect authority; (5) they have a negative role model; (6) they learn to be rude, and (7) they learn to be selfish.
- Let Kids Be Kids campaign and toolkit, Play by the Rules, (accessed 20 April 2021). The resources provide practical advice and steps to help sports groups stamp out poor sideline behaviour and encourage positive support from everyone involved. Resources include:
- Understanding poor sideline behaviour provides background information and further research to understand the complex issue of poor sideline behaviour and the effect it can have on children in particular.
- What you can do - your toolkit provides a suite of resources which can be downloaded and adapted to individual organisational needs. These resources include: videos, banners and audio files; an infographic and article; policy templates; and, posters.
- Videos from Usman Khawaja, Ellyse Perry, Caitlin Thwaites, Sam Thaiday and Ange Postecoglou in support of the campaign which can be shared through organisational networks/websites.
- Case studies of real organisations have addressed issues of poor sideline behaviour.
- Let Kids be Kids mini-course. No sport is immune from poor adult behaviour. Poor behaviour can have a serious impact on kids enjoyment of sport and their future participation. This free mini-course is a step you can take to help you understand and address poor behaviour. You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
- Engaging Parents: a guide to engaging parents in junior Rugby League, National Rugby League (NRL) Coach Education, (accessed 20 April 2021).
- Go Swim Parent Handbook, Swimming Australia, (2015). This handbook is a guide to help you ensure your child is learning from their experiences in the sport of swimming, regardless of whether they end up swimming for Australia or whether they simply swim for fitness. You will also find ways in which you can support your child in becoming the best athlete they can to be.
- Keeping our sport safe: our parent handbook, Swimming Australia, (2016).It is the responsibility of everyone involved in swimming to be aware of our responsibilities and expectations and to help safeguard each other and the children and young people involved in our sport.
- Resources for Parents, Tennis Australia, (accessed 20 April 2021). To help you help your child on their tennis journey, we’ve put together some information about our Parent Program and gathered some resources that you may find useful.
State and Territory organisations
- Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered, NSW Office of Sport, (accessed 28 April 2021). Developed by the University of Newcastle, Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered is an award-winning, evidence-based program proven to enhance the physical and social-emotional well-being of girls. The program is for dads and their primary school-aged daughter(s) (K-6) and focuses on empowering young girls and improving girls’ fundamental movement skills through fun activities and one-on-one time with their dad [or other significant male figure in their lives, e.g. a grandfather, uncle, older brother or trusted family friend]. A statewide rollout of the program was announced in 2018, funded by the NSW Office of Sport, as part of the Her Sport Her Way strategy aimed to increase the number of girls and women playing sport across the state.
- Move, Play and Go, Department of Health and Human Services, (accessed 25 May 2021). Ideas and activities to help parents help children to be active every day. Physical activity helps children to live longer, healthier lives. It is great for health, fitness and confidence.
- Stride and Ride, Department of Health and Human Services, (accessed 25 May 2021).Encourage your child to walk or ride to get places. Walking and riding are great ways to increase physical activity as well as reduce traffic congestion and promote a healthier environment.
- Fair Play Code Guidelines, Government of Victoria, Sport and Recreation Victoria, (accessed 16 January 2023). At the heart of the Fair Play Code are the five principles: Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Safety, and Fairness. These principles apply to everyone involved in sport in Victoria, no matter what role they play. The Fair Play Code is a guide on how to apply the principles, and the responsibilities of those involved in sport. The Fair Play Code first came into effect on 1 July 2018. Victoria's sporting organisations who receive funding from the Victorian Government are required to actively promote, adhere to and enforce the Fair Play Code.
- Active Parent education kit, Government of Western Australia, Department of Sport and Recreation, (2010?). This resource provides parents with information so they can optimise their child’s sport and recreation experience. Currently there are nine information sheets within the kit, they have been developed by the Department of Sport and Recreation in Western Australia. The topics include: (1) benefits of physical activity for children, (2) value of sport and recreation, (3) active kids at different ages, (4) preventing teen drop out, (5) inclusion of children with disabilities, (6) inclusion of children from CaLD and Indigenous backgrounds, (7) parent role on game day, (8) harassment-free sport and recreation, and (9) volunteering.
- Nature Play WA. This program was developed by the Government of Western Australia as a way to get young children outdoors and active. Programs involve engagement with parents, resources include the ‘Family Nature Clubs Tool Kit’ that is designed to provide inspiration, information, and tips for those who are interested in more family time spent in the outdoors. Ideas are drawn from what other families have done and learned and participants are also encouraged to develop and use their own ideas. The program has since expanded to Queensland, Nature Play QLD, South Australia, Nature Play SA, and the Australian Capital Territory, Nature Play CBR.
International practice
- #FamilyInfluence: the role of the family in the physical activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours of children and youth, 2020 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, ParticipACTION, (2020). This report is both an annual update on the how Canadian children and youth are performing against 24 hour movement benchmarks and a Consensus Statement on the evidence relating to the influence of families on physical activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours. Family support has been shown to be positively associated with children’s physical activity levels. Furthermore, family-based interventions have been effective at improving physical activity levels in children and youth. How we move as a family has a direct impact on our kids. We need to use this knowledge to positively influence kids’ lives. Some other key highlights include:
- Parents and caregivers can facilitate physical activity by encouraging, watching, role modelling, co-participating and attending physical activity events. Be active as a family and make it a priority – this encourages physical activity, social support, connectedness and attachment, which are all important for good mental health.
- Recent findings show that parents’ physical activity is directly associated with that of their children’s. Each additional 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity by a parent is associated with an additional 5 minutes in their child’s daily physical activity.
- Long-Term Athlete Development, information for parents, National Coaching Certification Program, (2016?). Doing what is best for your child is what Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) is all about, and Canadian sport is working hard to develop LTAD plans for all sports. What those plans tell us is that early specialization, and early intense training in most sports, doesn’t help the child develop to be the best they could possibly be. The evidence is that too much early specialization actually prevents children from developing to their full potential.
- Summary of Information to Parents, Canadian Sport for Life, (2012). This one-page summary of the Canadian LTAD model helps parents to understand the long-term nature of athlete development. It contains testimonials from age-group athletes about their experiences.
- Families Fund, Sport England, (2017). Sport England introduced a Families Fund to achieve outcomes set out in the government’s Sporting Future strategy. As part of Sport England’s investment in sport, the Families Fund will provide support for families, particularly low income families, to become engaged in sport activities. By encouraging parents to be active (i.e. through sport and physical activity) with their children, this program seeks to: (1) provide positive support and encouragement for parents to be active; (2) model active behaviours of parents, so their children will see this as the norm, and; (3) facilitate access to new opportunities for families to be active.
- Parents in Sport, Child Protection in Sport Unit, (30 July 2020). Parents play a pivotal role in encouraging and supporting their child’s participation, success and fun when playing sport. Therefore, it’s essential that sports clubs communicate regularly with parents so that both coach and parent work towards the same goals.
- Every October we celebrate Parents in Sport Week, which focuses on the role of the sporting parent in helping young people reach their full potential.
- My Magic Sports Kit, (9 October 2013). This video shows several children involved in different sports describing how the behaviour of parents and spectators deteriorates when they wear their ‘magic sports kit’ – that is, when they compete.
- Changing the Game in Youth Sports Project, (accessed 20 April 2021). The mission of the Changing the Game Project is to ensure that youth sports in the United States becomes more child centred. Because parents and other adults are so influential, this project provides the information and resources they need to make sports a healthy, positive, and rewarding experience for their children, and their whole family. Parenting and coaching young athletes is an art, not a science, and the information provided can help adults make better decisions.
Evaluated by:
Christine May, Senior Research Consultant, Clearinghouse for Sport
Reviewed by: Australasian Sport Information Network
Last updated: 25 May 2021
Content disclaimer: See Clearinghouse for Sport disclaimer
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