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.’
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This is the first of several partnerships that we will be announcing in the world of aquatics, and we are excited to build on some of the work that we have already done within the sport supporting clubs, coaches and parents.
The first phase of the project will see sessions delivered to both junior and senior sets of parents looking at how we can best support young swimmers to fulfil their potential both in and out of the pool and the whole club being given access to a customised WWPIS platform.
Gordon MacLelland (CEO WWPIS) said, ‘This is an exciting time for us in the world of aquatics as we see an ever-increasing number of organisations reaching out to us to work together. The commitment that parents and young people bring to the sport means that any support that we can give them to enhance that journey is always very well received. This partnership with Camden Swimming will allow us to work cohesively with the club to have maximum impact in the years ahead.’
Head Coach at Camden Swimming Adam Taylor said, ‘Collaborating with WWPIS, enables CSCSC to expand our provision for parental engagement through a series of workshops that will add huge value to all involved. The information shared and knowledge gained will have a positive impact on our members as they navigate their way through their own swimming journey’s . We look forward to developing this partnership for many years to come.’
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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.”
]]>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!’
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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.”
]]>Currently, entering its third year the partnership has seen a number of workshops delivered to management, coaches and parents through both live and virtual events.
This year will see all parents and coaches within the pathway programme be given access to a customised WWPIS and Badminton England portal.
The portal is world leading in this space with contributions from expert practitioners, guest
bloggers, sports psychologists, well-being practitioners, coaches, sports parents, as well as
the team at WWPIS helping to provide authentic content to support the knowledge and
relationships between the organisation, coaches, parents, and young athletes.
CEO WWPIS Gordon MacLelland said, ‘We are proud of the impact this partnership has had
to date and are looking forward to moving this on further over the next 12 months. During
the workshop sessions to date there have been some fantastic and honest conversations
with the parents throughout the age groups and this has helped tailor the support that we
are able to give them. The portal will continue to strengthen the relationships between all
involved in the pathway programme.’
Programme Manager Nikki Tarrant added, ‘We are excited to continue our partnership with
WWPIS for another year and expanding on the provision of support available in this space.
Workshops have been well received across the Programme and have given the opportunity
for all groups engaged in these, to discuss, challenge and reflect on some of the key topics
that crop up when having a talented young individual competing within Performance
Pathway. We are committed to continuing to support individuals as best we can on their
journey and this is an example of that, which includes the key support network that
surrounds these young players.’
A large number of parents become their child’s sports coach at some point along the sporting journey, often through choice, whilst others simply fall into the role.
Many thousands of parents take on this role and after some basic training can often be left to work things out for themselves. This course aims to give them a greater confidence in fulfilling the role effectively.
We champion the parent sport coach, as without the work of these individuals many sports programmes would not exist.
The ‘Two Hats’ learning course has been designed to support parents coaching or transitioning into coaching their own children and emphasises the importance of maintaining a balance between coaching duties and family life.
It covers essential topics such as mindset, communication strategies, and managing stress, providing practical advice for effectively engaging with athletes and their families.
With input from top sports figures and a focus on practical skills, the course aims to equip parent coaches with tools to seamlessly juggle their dual roles.
This is the second course released this year following the hugely successful launch of ‘Engage – building positive relationships with your young athletes’ parents.’
Courses are available for both individual purchase and group purchase for sporting organisations.
Customised options are also available along with access to SCORM files which will allow sports to embed the course in their own LMS systems.
We are also excited to also share that more courses are currently in development.
These courses include:
1. Great Sports Parenting – Positively supporting your child during their early sporting experience (5-11 years old)
2. Sports Performance Parenting (11-18) – Positively supporting your young athlete through their sporting experience
To purchase a group subscription or to discuss options for your organisation click here.
To buy an individual course click here.
If you would like to discuss other options or you have any further questions, please email workingwithparentsinsport@gmail.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
]]>Sessions will be delivered to both the girls and boys programmes to help support parents with their journey of being a sporting parent to a young person showing lots of potential.
All parents and coaches in the performance programmes have been given access to a customised Leinster rugby platform which includes all of the exclusive WWPIS content featuring over 250 blogs, videos, podcasts and infographics.
CEO WWPIS Gordon MacLelland said, ‘This is such a wonderful partnership for us with one of the leading brands in world rugby. We are really excited to have turned our focus to how we can support the performance programmes this season and already the turn out to live sessions, the quality of engagement and the number of parents using the website platform suggests that this has been a really positive move, welcomed by all.
This is just the beginning however, with plenty of scope for development in the future.’
Support is not just limited to the performance pathway. Over the last few seasons we have been working extensively with Leinster Rugby supporting their work with parents and coaches at both club and community level and this season now working within the performance pathway.
A number of Leinster Rugby staff have been trained to deliver sessions in clubs and communities across the province whilst we have run a number of sessions for coaches.
Also available for purchase for clubs and parents is the ‘Our Sporting Journey’ series for Under 7 and Under 9 players incorporating two playing seasons of rugby.
The ‘Our Sporting Journey’ is a series of interactive books for children, putting them at the heart of the sporting experience, allowing them to have plenty of fun, grow as people both on and off the field and immerse themselves in their sporting experience as they progress through their sporting journey.
The books all have plenty of activities for children, encourage positive interaction between children and their parents, require plenty of parental involvement whether that be in having positive conversations, playing in the garden or helping to stick in the pictures that will allow everyone to build up a memory book that will last a lifetime.
Leinster Rugby’s Coach and Player Development Manager, Declan O’Brien commented, ‘Building relationships, respect and trust with our players, parents and coaches across the province is the foundation to building quality sustainable environments within Leinster.
We believe our partnership with WWPIS will encourage and develop a sense of purpose and unity within the rugby community. Everyone’s contribution and support in local schools and clubs is vital to meet the challenges of the future and the specialist skills of an organisation such as WWPIS can only add value to the development of players, parents, and coaches.’
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The first stage of the partnership will see a customised WWPIS and a BMC Platform being made available to all coaches and parents involved in the performance pathway to help support the journey of young climbers.
Throughout the next year there will be a series of workshops and webinars delivered across the whole climbing community as well as the development of further support as both parties work together to maximise the benefits of the partnership.
CEO Gordon MacLelland said, ‘This is such an exciting partnership. We are looking forward to working with the British Mountaineering Council, providing not just support for parents but also working with coaches on how they can engage and support the parents in their role in to benefit young climbers.’
Helen Murphy, the BMC Safeguarding Manager, stated, “This platform is crucial for our athletes and parents as we strive to champion a safer sport for all, improve relationships, and foster collaborative work between parents, athletes, and coaches. Our aim is to enhance the overall experience for all athletes in the GB Climbing pathway, teams, and beyond.”
]]>The new programme will start this month, and it is hoped that this will be an annual programme for parents as they go through the pathway helping equip them to support their young people through the experience.
During the different stages of the pathway parents will be given access to six virtual sessions covering a myriad of different topics.
- Performance Sports Parenting – Introduction
- ‘Parent Parent’ or ‘Sporting Parent’ – Striking the balance
- Managing Disappointment and avoiding devastation
- What’s your lens?
- ‘Fast Cars, Poor Brakes’ – Sports parenting the teenage brain
- Beyond the Badge – Identity and sport
Parents and coaches within the programme will also be given access to a customised WWPIS and Ulster Hockey Platform which provides a whole host of content to help keep key conversations going throughout the entire year.
CEO WWPIS Gordon MacLelland said, ‘We are really excited about this new programme we are running with Ulster Hockey. The last few years have seen us deliver sessions across both grassroots and recreational programmes for coaches and parents, but the hope is that this new programme will bring a greater consistency and value to the partnership.’
CEO Ulster Hockey Marc Scott said, ‘Ulster Hockey are delighted to be continuing our long-term partnership with ‘Working with Parents in Sport’ to help support the parents and coaches that are currently involved in our talent development pathway over the coming year.
Parents play one of the most prominent roles in supporting the sporting journey of our young players, and ‘Working with Parents in Sport’ supports parents and coaches in working together to provide children with the best possible sporting experiences.
WWPIS provide a huge amount of authentic content, designed to help parents make more informed decisions about their children’s sporting careers and aim to support coaches as they navigate the complexities of working alongside today’s sporting parents.”
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