GAA Parents in Sport Week – Save Our Smiles Campaign
It is widely acknowledged that parents play a pivotal role in encouraging and supporting their child’s participation, success and fun when playing sport. To raise awareness of the important role parents play in our clubs, Ulster GAA are encouraging all our constituent units to join us in supporting Parents in Sport Week, through our Save our Smiles Campaign which focuses on the role of the parents in helping young people reach their full potential.
Children and young people take greater enjoyment from participating in sports if their parents are positively involved. They are also more likely to continue playing the sport for longer and have more opportunities to reach their sporting potential. However, certain types of involvement and behaviours from parents and carers can be challenging, and take away from a child’s experience and enjoyment.
Some parents commit a lot of time, money and emotional support to their children’s participation in sport, sometimes in an emotionally charged environment they may get carried away, for example on the sidelines of a game. This can lead to parents displaying intimidating, aggressive, threatening or abusive behaviour towards their own or other children, coaches, officials or other parents or spectators. These behaviours can have a negative impact on their children, their teammates and opponents, other parents, coaches, and officials. It can lead to children and young people experiencing higher levels of pre-competitive anxiety and lowered self-esteem and confidence.
GAA parents are key stakeholders in all Clubs, the contribution they can make to our games and activities is invaluable, particularly at underage level and in the day to day running of the club from washing team kits through to transporting players, assisting with teams, fundraising and beyond. Therefore it is vital that all of our clubs embrace parental involvement in the club in a positive way and that channels of communication between the club, its volunteers and parents are working as effectively as possible from the very start. Through offering support to parents to encourage that they engage with their child’s GAA activities in a positive way and letting them know that as a club, you are responsive and open to their ideas, you can help to ensure that everyone involved has an enjoyable experience.
Parent in Sport Week takes place on 3rd – 9th October 2016 and there are a number of ways in which your club can participate.
1. Display promotional posters of the Save our Smiles Campaign in key locations throughout club rooms, and online through your social media channels.
2. Value parents contribution to your club, encouraging their participation in various appropriate roles within the club.
3. Ensure all parents and carers sign up to your code of behaviour and that all policies and procedures are clearly communicated at the beginning of each year.
4. Designated Spectators areas located away from the field of play are an effective way to discourage unacceptable behaviour.
5. Promote Positive behaviour and deal with unacceptable behaviour as soon as possible in order to prevent it from continuing.
For further information please contact Bernie Fox at Bernie.fox.ulster@gaa.ie or 02837521900.
