Recently I presented a webinar on coaching children, building community and parent education. Here’s a little snippet of the discussion:
Having lived through the good ✅ and bad ❌ from parents, my message is clear for building a strong community, everyone pulling together creating a cohesive team.
1 – A clear mission and vision for the programme. This will include values and beliefs. For example, person centred approach. Supporting people before players. Setting a strong philosophy means it is easier to:
2 – Set expectations and ground rules. Write these down for players; parents and coaches. All agree and sign.
3 – Parent Education. Based on your philosophy and stage of players, create REGULAR parent education sessions which will undoubtedly include how to support junior players in competition!
4 – Social events for both children and parents. Ensure cohesiveness at the event. Create a large network.
Get this right and the team will be tight. Everyone wants to stay and the word will spread. Get this wrong or ignore these elements and they will start talking to others and looking for pastures new.
Have you got any good examples to share on building a strong junior community?