The NSPCC and Horse Sport Ireland have joined forces with more than 100 sports organisations in Ireland and the UK to promote Parents in Sport Week. We want our sports bodies to rally behind our efforts from 1st – 7th October 2018 to underscore the positive, supporting role that parents play. Coaches and officials can also examine their communication with parents to benefit children’s involvement in sport.
Why sports parents are important
Parents are important to sport because they can:
- encourage their children to take up, enjoy and achieve in their sport
- support their children in practical ways – such as by providing transport or buying kit
- help out with activities
- become coaches, helpers and volunteers within the club
- help out with things such as club websites and fundraising
- support and motivate their child and/or the team
- reinforce positive aspects of sports participation
Aims of PISW 2018
1. Ensure parents recognise their role in keeping children safe in sport
It’s a big decision for parents to leave their child in the care of someone else. We’re asking sports organisations to provide the information that parents need to make an informed choice about the club or activity their child attends and what to do if they have a concern.
2. Help parents understand how to positively influence their child’s enjoyment and wellbeing in sport
We’re encouraging parents to look at how their behaviour and involvement influences their child’s enjoyment of sport, through the resources on our website.
Sports will be asked to help create a positive environment for children and parents in sport by having a no tolerance policy on poor parental behaviour.
3. Encourage clubs to engage and involve parents in their child’s sport
This is a chance for clubs and coaches to showcase their creativity, and show us how they will engage directly with parents. Why not try something new. It could be an event for parents, or a change in policy that ensures parents are more involved in the sporting lives of their children.
Five Ways to Get Involved
With PISW 2018 just around the corner, here are some suggestions of how you can get involved:
Be sure first of all to sign up here, if you haven’t already done so!
- hold a special parents event – this could be anything from a social event to a parents training session. NSPCC have created a draft downloadable invitation for you to use.
- download and share our flyers which include top tips on how to involve parents at your club (Attached to email)
- take a look at the wealth of information on the NSPCC parents in sport resource page, including an email signature you can use and a template presentation on promoting positive parental involvement in your club
- tell us what you’re up to on Twitter – share your PISW stories. Make sure you include the hashtags #involvingparents and #ParentsinSportWeek2018
- watch and share our positive sports parents videos for important messages about the benefits of parental involvement in sport
To show your support and share the campaign with others, visit our Twitter feed @TeamIRLEq and @thecpsu or, during the week itself, visit the Team Ireland Equestrian and NSPCC Facebook page and like/share the infographics and other resources about the week.
When using social media, please use the following hashtags:
#ParentsInSportWeek
#PISW2018
#InvolvingParents
We look forward to you joining us and supporting the Parents In Sport Week campaign 2018.
Ciara Gorman
National Safeguarding and Anti-Doping Officer
Horse Sport Ireland
1st Floor, Beech House
Millennium Park, Osberstown
Naas, Co Kildare
W91 TK7N
Tel: 045 854 524
