A huge amount of work has gone in behind the scenes to create a range of resources that will help support parents on their journey supporting their daughters.

All parents involved in the pathway will be given access to a customised website platform including all the exclusive content created here at WWPIS alongside specific content from the Lioness Player Pathway.

They will also be given a customised copy of ‘Sports Performance Parenting’ which will help to enhance the delivery of both live and virtual sessions that will be running across the age groups.

Live sessions get underway this month in Gloucester and York and we are very much looking forward to meeting over 100 parents across both the North and the South of the country.

CEO Gordon MacLelland said, ‘This is such an exciting project and I am delighted that we are working with the FA to offer support across the Lioness Player Pathway. We all need support in creating the best environments for our young people to thrive and this will add another strand to the outstanding work already taking place. We are committed to working alongside parents and harnessing feedback along the way to help make this the best and most impactful parent programme in women’s football in the world. This can only happen through collaboration, the sharing of ideas from multiple departments and an expertise in understanding the realities of being a sports parent in such a unique environment.’

Vicky Cheshire, Player Education & Lifestyle Lead (England Women’s Teams) at The Football Association, added ‘We’re excited to partner with WWPIS to build on the fantastic work across the Lioness Player Pathway. By collaborating, sharing ideas, and understanding the realities of being a sports parent, we’re providing an extra layer of support to help parents navigate and actively support their daughters’ football journey.’

Work has been going on behind the scenes for several months to help launch a partnership that it is hoped can be the most impactful across the entire organisation.

Workshops and webinars will be delivered on an annual basis to management, coaches, parents and young players across all levels of the club.

Every parent and coach within the club will be given access to a customised WWPIS/Cincinnati United Platform whilst the new intake of Under 8’s will be given their copy of ‘Our Sporting Journey’, an exciting resource for them to work through as they immerse themselves in the world of soccer.

Sports Performance Parenting is a global bestseller supporting those parents of competitive young athletes looking to help their young people fulfil their potential both in and out of their sport.

Cincinnati United have also created their own version of this book and see it as an integral part of supporting their families alongside the live workshops and webinars that they will be given access to.

CEO WWPIS Gordon MacLelland said, ‘This is such an exciting partnership for us. High quality relationships in sporting environments between management, coaches, parents and young players can be difficult to achieve particularly with the wide range of motivations from different parties.

They do not happen by chance by just providing some resources for them either. This whole package of support helping to align messaging and drive some dynamic change within the context of the club is such an inspiring thing to be a part of.’

Hugh Seyfarth, Director of Coaching, Cincinnati United said, ‘Working with Gordon and WWPIS is an absolute game-changer for our club. Gordon truly understands the complexities of the youth sports environment and offers real-world tools that bring coaches and parents onto the same team. When we all work better together—coaches, parents, and the club—the biggest winner is always the player. That’s what this partnership is all about.’

Steel Sports is a social impact organisation committed to creating a new standard in youth sports and coaching while forging the next generation of leaders.

Their programmes look to develop individuals both on and off the field through building character, strengthening leadership skills and teaching life lessons, something that aligns with a huge part of the mission here at ‘WWPIS.’

The first phase of the project will see exclusive WWPIS content being shared across the whole Steel Sports Community along with live workshops and webinars for coaches, parents and young athletes. Work is already underway on the customisation of a number of resources to also help support the whole organisation.

CEO Gordon MacLelland will also join an illustrious line up by becoming an advisory board member which already includes sports legends, champions and trailblazers like Dusty Baker, Nancy Lieberman, Robbie Earle and Morgan Stickney.

Gordon added, ‘My excitement for this project is twofold. Firstly, that our missions are so aligned in what both parties are trying to achieve and secondly to be able to bring our experiences from working with sports organisations all over the world from grassroots to high performance to all Steel Sports stakeholders by becoming a member of the advisory board is such a privilege. 

We know that collaboration is key in super charging programmes and this partnership is one we are very much looking forward to.’

‘This partnership with WWPIS and Gordon is an exciting leap forward for Steel Sports and the Lasorda Way app,’ said Martin Brown, President & CEO of Steel Sports. ‘Gordon’s insight into parent engagement is second to none. His content and counsel will help us empower families to play an active, positive role in youth sports, and his contributions will take our app and our impact to the next level.’

Following a highly successful session with club staff, coaches and parents in 2024, the coming months will see the first phase of the project initially rolled out in the performance pathway.

A range of sessions will be delivered to both parents and coaches across the country as both organisations look to help support everyone in working effectively together to help young people fulfil their potential both in and out of the sport.

All parents and coaches involved in the programmes will also be given access to a customised WWPIS platform.

This includes all the unique content in the Parent Zone, Coaches Corner and Holistic Development Area.

CEO Gordon MacLelland said, ‘This is another hugely exciting partnership for us. Our work in gymnastics continue to spread across the globe, it is a sport we know well and this represents a huge opportunity for us to once again influence and support all of those involved in making environments and relationships within programmes the best that they possibly can be to benefit young performers.’

This initiative is a fantastic addition to Gymnastics Canada, said Dr. Kacey Neely, Director of Safe Sport at Gymnastics Canada. “We recognize the vital role parents play in the gymnastics journey and providing them with education and resources from WWPIS is a positive step toward a safer and stronger gymnastics culture. We are confident this will mark the beginning of a long and impactful partnership.”

During the first year of the project sessions will be run for club management, coaches and parents at all different levels of the sport. Some of these will be virtual whilst CEO Gordon MacLelland will be speaking live at a couple of the North East Super Camps.

Part of the project also sees a club pilot where sessions will be delivered on the ground within a club utilising the WWPIS expertise alongside providing a range of customised resources for the whole club community.

Ambitious plans are already in place for 2026 after we evaluate the first year of the project and where it can be taken to maximise the impact that it has on all stakeholders involved in aquatics in the region to help all of us work together to help young people fulfil their potential both in and out of the sport.

CEO Gordon MacLelland said, ‘This is such a positive project to be involved in. I have always believed that it is the people that you work with that help bring visions into reality and make meaningful change. The leadership of Louise Graham has been instrumental in that and we are really looking forward to seeing where this project takes us……’

Head of Aquatics at Swim England North East, Louise Graham, added, ‘It’s great to be working with Gordon and his team, they are the industry leaders in this field and our aquatics community can access all of this year’s activities for free. We are really passionate about supporting our members and their families by investing in this project as part of our new strategy.”

Back in the UK we have been reflecting on how we have been enriched by the experiences and the people we had the pleasure of meeting.

It was a privilege to speak at the inaugural  Institute for Youth Sports Leaders (IYSL) conference in Winston-Salem, where over 100 youth sports leaders gathered to share best practices, tackle real-world challenges, and build a stronger community.

We then visited North Carolina Fusion in person for the first time, one of our long term partners who we have been working with virtually over the last few years to deliver a session for parents.

It was also great to visit the Charlotte FC Academy, meet some staff and and watch some training.  With our experience of working across Premier League academies in the UK, it was a great opportunity to compare and contrast similar environments and discuss both common and individual challenges faced, as well as celebrate some of the incredible work that goes on in these environments.

We have been blown away by the response to our work in the US with a number of projects already in the pipeline and are looking forward to our next visit in early August.

Working with Parents in Sport were featured on  Sky Sports for their in-depth mini-documentary series “Chasing the Dream” gaining a closer look into the football academy system. Grateful that we were featured in episode 6.

There is such a huge amount of positive work going on within the academy system by a whole myriad of people with a far greater focus on education, holistic development and player care.

Undoubtedly, progress is being made and we are delighted to play a small part in our work supporting academy management, coaches, parents and young players across both the Premier League and Football League.

To watch the whole series you can catch up on demand on Sky TV or on You Tube.

We have continued to meet demand and be inclusive to all who want to work with us from individual grassroots clubs and schools all the way up to Premier League and Football League Academy Programmes, International Sporting Pathways and Olympic Performance Pathways.

It has been such an incredible experience for us being able to visit such a large number of different sporting organisations all over the world and have powerful conversations about the realities of life on the ground for all stakeholders involved.

So much research, learning and sharing has taken place and this can only be a good thing for all of us working in these spaces to create the best possible environments for everyone to thrive in their roles.

2025 promises to be even bigger still with many organisations now booking dates and programmes 12 months in advance to ensure that dates are confirmed as demand continues to grow.

A huge thank you to all of our clients, those who continue to support our work from afar, and a particular thanks to Sarah Murray who continues to add such value to the organisation with her professionalism and delivery.

If you would like to find out more about our work you can check out our brochures here, or if you would like to have a discussion then please email us at workingwithparentsinsport@gmail.com

This season continues to see the delivery of several specific and targeted sessions for families across the whole programme alongside sessions for coaches.

Parents and coaches will also be given access to a customised WWPIS/North Carolina Fusion platform, giving unlimited access to all the exclusive content from WWPIS.

 It is great to be bringing to the USA what we have learnt from working across Premier League and EFL football academies in the UK as well as a wide range of sports all over the world.

 Previous seasons saw the creation of our bestselling book ‘Sports Performance Parenting’ which is now available to parents within the club and has been given to parents who recently attended the webinar sessions.

CEO Gordon MacLelland said, ‘This is a groundbreaking partnership for us here at WWPIS and we believe there is so much potential in what we can create and provide together to the North Carolina community. The management at NC Fusion have shown incredible leadership and vision in bringing this partnership to fruition

We are particularly excited to be visiting the region in February 2025 to further advance the work we are already doing in this space.’

Chief Experience Officer at North Carolina Fusion Sarah Bridges said, ‘Our partnership with Working with Parents in Sport continues to further our goal of impacting all stakeholders (parents, players, and coaches) within our organisation. The content provided continues to challenge our staff and parents to be better support systems for our athletes which in turn creates invaluable, lifelong experiences. We’re so grateful for the continued wisdom and humility that is shared from Gordon and the WWPIS staff. NC Fusion is a better organisation because of it!’

]]> https://www.staging.parentsinsport.co.uk/2024/11/01/north-carolina-fusion-partnership/feed/ 0 https://www.staging.parentsinsport.co.uk/2024/10/11/new-partnership-with-ulster-rugby/ https://www.staging.parentsinsport.co.uk/2024/10/11/new-partnership-with-ulster-rugby/#respond Fri, 11 Oct 2024 11:37:05 +0000 https://www.parentsinsport.co.uk/?p=14612 WWPIS are delighted to announce the launch of a new collaboration with Ulster Rugby.

The aim is to support the organisation, coaches, parents and players to work effectively together so that young players fulfil their potential both in and out of their sport.

In phase one of the project, WWPIS and Ulster Rugby will work together to deliver several specifically targeted and designed workshops over the next year in the performance environment for both parents and coaches.

Gordon MacLelland, CEO of Working with Parents in Sport, said: “I am extremely excited to be working alongside Ulster Rugby to help support them in creating the best possible environment for young players. Everyone has a role to play in this and we are looking forward to working with and learning from key stakeholders to ensure we create the most supportive programmes possible.”

Budge Pountney, Rugby Development Officer at Ulster Rugby said, “Working with Parents in Sport already have established partnerships in the world of rugby with Leinster Rugby, Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby. We are very pleased to add Working with Parents in Sport as part of our holistic approach to creating a rounded athlete within our sport.”