In this episode Mark Maguire and Gordon MacLelland discuss sports parenting, blogging, writing books and Mark shares his experience of being a sports parent to a son who has just recently signed for the Pittsburgh Pirates MLB franchise.

In a fascinating and unique episode Mark charts his journey as a parent from his early days as a sports parent, his time being a parent coach, acknowledging his mistakes and how he had to change leading to the amazing relationship that he has with his son today.

During the conversation they discuss amongst other things:

• Becoming an author and a blogger
• The excitement of having a son being chased by a number of MLB franchises
• Getting his son into baseball and his early coaching experiences in Tee-Ball
• The importance of your children finding a sport that they are truly passionate about
• The challenges of being a parent coach and reflecting honestly about learning on the job and the mistakes made
• Recognising when to get away from being a parent coach and passing the baton over to someone else
• The importance of intrinsic motivation
• Being able to say sorry and losing the ego
• The art of observation and the skill of asking non-judgemental questions, listening to your child and planning the next stage of the journey together

If you have enjoyed the conversation  and are fascinated by Mark and Solo’s journey then don’t forget to check out the ‘Dad – it doesn’t help’  series in the WWPIS Members platform.

Mark’s book is also available for purchase here.

‘Fairly much I can say is this is true: there are no bad kids. You might be expecting me to next write, just bad parents. But this is also not true.
We are just misguided.
We are passionate. We want the best for our young athletes. But most of the time we just don’t know how to keep our loose lips still.
What you’re about to read is not a secret formula. It will make you think; it will challenge you. It will teach you that your child is looking for you to be their biggest support and role model.’
And one day they’ll say to you, “Mum, Dad, you were a great help.”

Yellow for Yelling is the brainchild of founder Ken Willner and is a social Enterprise passionate about keeping children in sport, and through collaboration with international and local professionals, will provide a fresh approach to allow all young people to be inclusive and flourish in sport.

The program aims to increase the level of enjoyment, achievement and personal development. People who take part in the program will enrich their experience in junior sport.

The short term aim is to increase the retention rate in football in South Australia of children from ages 13-17 by 50% by 2025. This means 3000 more participants remain playing compared to 2019.

Together, the three pillars of the program form a framework of disciplinary knowledge. It develops young people’s intrinsic motivation, resilience, mental health, humility, courage & commitment. It fosters greater engagement between parents, coaches and players.

The program will later be expanded into school environments and other sports.