Get parents onside
Gordon Maclelland is the CEO of Working with Parents in Sport which supports organisations, parents and coaches in working together to provide children with the best possible sporting experiences. MORE
Parents and players… a heady mix
When parents and players cause problems it can sometimes be a daunting task dealing with them. Parents especially can be a demotivating experience for many coaches and often cause a lot of anxiety when they are faced with a parent that does not agree with your outlook on the game, where you played their child or the tactics that you use. The “win” parent is a nightmare!
I spoke to Gordon MacLelland the CEO of Working with Parents in Sport which supports organisations, parents and coaches in working together to provide children with the best possible sporting experiences. Gordon spoke about how to deal with the difficulties that parents and coaches face including the “did you win” question, the car ride, and how to get parents involved. Have a listen to Get Parents Onside.
Players can also cause you much grief… and discipline is a must if you want to keep control. The heady mix of parents and players causes all sorts of problems so have a look at the advice below – I hope it helps you resolve parent and player problems.
I will start with an article from my blog Dealing with critical parents. As we all know, parents cause problems because they only watch one thing – their own child. So the criticism you will get from parents should be listened to but not taken at face value. They can also be a nuisance on the touchline, shouting at the referee and their own child. Read Red card the problem parents for some tips on dealing with them at your matches and coaching sessions.
One of the other problems I am always asked about is how to tame a team of players that just complain and moan all the time. They would rather joke around than listen to the coach. My 8 tips to tame an undisciplined team will help you deal with them.
Also during an AskDave surgery I was asked How do I prevent disruptive players ruining my sessions? Read my answer to this coach’s problem.
Finally, to end on a positive note, look out for the 5 telltale signs your players are enjoying training. You want to get them coming back every week enthusiastic and raring to go.
There are lots more areas of advice in the Team Management section so go check it out and find an answer to your particular problem.
