Quality Sport Keeps Kids on the Playing Field
Quality sport is made up of good programs, good people, and good places
As parents, we want value for our money and many of us have been in the position where the programs we sign our kids up for just don’t meet our expectations. And guess what? They’re most likely letting our children down too.
There are challenges to delivering a quality sport program, and unfortunately it's largely up to parents to seek out and find quality programs through trial and error or word of mouth. Thankfully there's a growing movement in Canada to examine the quality of sport and activity programs and hold organizations accountable.
Canadian Sport for Life indicates that quality sport should consist of good programs, led by good people, in good places.
Quality programs are participant centric, developmentally appropriate, and inclusive. It takes awareness, commitment, and defined goals from organizations, coaches, parents, and leadership teams to deliver quality sport.
“It’s common for programs to have a wide age range, say 6-12 years, plus many participants in a single class. Unfortunately the quality of delivery is going to suffer," says Natalie Swanson, Run.Jump.LEAD!'s Founder and Head Coach. "The ability, size, and maturity of the kids will vary greatly and it’s impossible to have that participant centered approach.”
Delivering quality sport is even more important when the participants are girls. With the significant drop out rate of girls in sport starting in adolescence, you can see why it's imperative for organizations and parents to prioritize quality.
Young girls have different training needs than adults and their male peers. Choosing organizations that have specifically designed quality training programs for females is key to creating a positive experience.
Source: Canadian Women & Sport
“At Run.Jump.LEAD!, we take a holistic approach to our programs and coaching. The intellectual, emotional, physical, and cultural aspects of our participants are prioritized so that we can deliver a positive experience to each girl. To ensure we deliver on parents’ and participants’ expectations, we’ve made quality one of our core values,” says Coach Natalie.
The goal of quality sport is to deliver a positive experience, laying the physical, mental, and social foundations to be inspired to stay active for life.
Here's a list of indicators of quality sport, defined by Canadian Sport for Life:
GOOD PROGRAMS DO THE RIGHT THING FOR ATHLETES.
They are:
- Participant centered
- Progressive & challenging
- Designed with planned and meaningful competition
- Engaging and fun
GOOD PEOPLE PROVIDE A GREAT EXPERIENCE.
They include:
- Trained coaches, officials, instructors, and teachers
- Knowledgeable parents
- Supporting partners
- Responsible leaders
GOOD PLACES CREATE A WELCOMING FEELING.
They are:
- Fun
- Fair
- Holistic
- Safe
FOR PARENTS
EDUCATE YOURSELF.
Understand what makes up quality sport and advocate for your child. Ensure sports and programs you register your child in meet quality standards and understand the goals of the program. Reach out to organizations and ask questions if answers aren't readily available.
MONITOR YOUR CHILD.
It's tempting to drop your child off and go, but check-in periodically, ensuring your child is having a good experience, and if not, why? When programs allow spectators, put down the phone and watch how your child interacts with coaches and other children.
MANAGE EXPECTATIONS.
Understand what your child is capable of doing at their age and stage of development (including physical, emotional, and social). Ensure that the program and sport delivery matches your child's individual needs. Be a positive champion, win or lose.
Here's a tool to help assess the quality of sport programs and organizations.
Download the Quality Sport for Girls infographic and share with friends!
Sources:
Quality Sport. Sport for Life. (2022). Retrieved August 2022, from https://sportforlife.ca/quality-sport/
The Rally Report: Encouraging Action to Improve Sport for Women and Girls. Canadian Women & Sport. (2020, July 9). Retrieved August 2022, from https://womenandsport.ca/resources/research-insights/rally-report/