My boys love nothing more than grabbing a ball and going off to play football in the local park. No matter what age give any child a ball and you will soon see them happily kicking it around.
I have to admit I am not a great football fan but when my son Cameron plays for his school football team you will see me stood at the side line shouting on encouragement.
I have heard mums shout “Kick him” and I think its so wrong.
I fully support the the FA’s respect programme and I wanted ti share with you the great things they are doing.
Why not use such a popular sport to not only train children in the sport itself but to teach them rules and more importantly respect.
The FA launched the Respect programme in 2008 in response to behavioural problems at all levels of the game. Since then they’ve campaigned on behalf of the beautiful game and have seen an improvement in all areas. There’s still work to do though.
We have changed youth football for the better – The FA’s campaigns, coach and referee education programmes, use of touchline barriers, touchline marshals, Respect signage and briefings for parents have led to a more positive environment in which children can enjoy and learn the game. After five seasons, we are beginning to develop a Respect generation of youth footballers. Says the FA
We as parents want to encourage our children but is our encouragement the right encouragement?
Are we putting to much pressure on our children to win a game that we forget the enjoyment factor.
Teaching your child to get int he face of other players or intimidate them is not good parenting, its not good sportsmanship.
As for the mother I overheard screaming to kick one of our players, her comment was vile and I would be ashamed of myself.
Children don’t always play football to win, yes its nice to win a game or two but if you ask a child why they play football most of them will tell you its because its great fun.
In life we cant win everything and if you put this pressure on your child and they don’t win, your setting them for failure.
You should be praising your child and as long as they try their best, that’s always got to be good enough.
So what if they don’t score a goal, I would be more proud to see my son helping up a player who had fallen.
Sports such as football are great confidence boosters for kids, remind them how great they are, they don’t have to be the best player on the field, be proud of your child’s efforts.
The FA tells us that the main reason children drop out from playing their favorite sport is because they dont feel good enough for the team, too much pressure from the coach or their parents dont make them feel good enough to continue playing. This is sad and very wrong.
I am supporting The Football Association with teaching respect in youth football and I hope you will too.
