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.”

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.

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.’

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.”

Sessions have been delivered to staff and coaches around ‘Creating Positive Parent Cultures’ and the building of positive relationships with players’ parents to enhance the experience for all involved.

For the parents we have delivered a series of workshops that have taken the parents on the sporting journey alongside their children throughout their time in the pathway.

• Performance sports parenting; an introduction 
• Managing disappointment; avoiding devastation 
• Competition and Game Day – positively supporting and enhancing the experience for our sporting children

The buy in from parents has been phenomenal with over 500 parents attending the three sessions.

As the programme is developing we have refined and tweaked elements to meet the specific needs of those involved in the environment and the virtual sessions have proved incredibly popular.

With so many parents scattered around the country, there are logistical challenges to having everyone in the same place at the same time so the virtual world has provided a positive solution.

This year will see a combination of live and virtual sessions and we are incredibly excited about the discussions that we have been having to try and have the biggest impact possible.

To try and achieve this, WWPIS and Scottish Hockey will work together to deliver a number of specifically targeted and designed workshops and webinars across a number of key stakeholders.

All parents and coaches involved in the programme also be have access to a customised WWPIS/Scottish Hockey platform which includes all of the exclusive WWPIS content featuring over 250 blogs, videos, podcasts and infographics.

Gordon MacLelland, CEO of Working with Parents in Sport, said: “I am extremely excited to be working alongside Scottish Hockey 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.”

Scottish Hockey Brave Academy Lead, Kelly Fillingham said “The team and I are thrilled to be working with Gordon and the WWPIS team, we are excited about the programme of workshops and support planned over the course of the year and look forward to working closely together to further develop our strategic direction.

Scottish Hockey have been working hard to develop our parent/guardian engagement for pathway athletes and we look forward to taking the next steps in this journey with Gordon. We are excited to see the engagement and conversation this partnership will generate and the support this will offer for our pathway players, parents, and guardians.

Gordon will be leading on a series of workshops for parents/ guardians while also working closely with our coaches and Scottish hockey staff to drive our strategic vision around parent/guardian & player engagement.” 

WWPIS have extensive experience of working across the world with sporting programmes from grassroots level all the way through to professional sports teams and Olympic programmes.

Sports Parenting can be one of the most challenging parental journeys, there is no such thing as a perfect sports parent.

There is very rarely a one size fits all approach and yet there are so many things for us to navigate as parents in order to give our young sports people the very best support that we can.

This series of sessions explores the sports parenting journey and the different stages our children will go through.

It provides opportunities for reflection, explores different scenarios you may encounter and offers a range of tools and strategies that parents can experiment with.

We want young people to reach their potential both in and out of their sport and want parents to be able to enjoy it, guiding and encouraging them whilst setting them up for success in whatever walk of life they may end up in.

Our best-selling book can accompany the workshop and webinar series with a number of organisations creating customised versions to share with their parents and coaches.

Further details about the six sessions can be found below:

Performance Sports Parenting – Introduction

The importance of positive role modelling
Positives and challenges of sports parenting
Managing dreams and expectations
Using sport as a vehicle for positive character/life skill development

Normalising the ups and downs of the journey

Understanding potential and avoiding comparisons

Controllables v Uncontrollables
Managing the ‘Car Journey Home’

‘Parent Parent’ or ‘Sporting Parent’ – Striking the balance

Managing the multiple hats
What does a helpful sports parent look like?

What is going on for you?
Spinning Plates
Establishing some consistent values

Passing the baton to our children

Managing Disappointment and avoiding devastation

Managing disappointment

Normalising the reality of the sporting journey
Recognising and managing ‘The Chimp’
No more excuses
Becoming comfortable with failure and disappointment

Reframing the success criteria
Bouncing back together
Avoiding devastation
Home Sweet Home

What’s your lens?

Whose lens is it anyway?
Why does your child play and why may they quit?

How do you effectively motivate your child?
Having high expectations of the right things
Managing your child’s and your own expectations
Can we ever win as parents?

‘Fast Cars, Poor Brakes’ – Sports parenting the teenage brain

The adolescent brain – we have all been there

Understanding the power of the group
Brain development in young people
What behaviours do you find challenging with your child?

Remodelling the brain

Red Brain/Blue Brain
The emotional brain never leaves us

Fast Cars, Poor Brakes

Beyond the Badge – Identity and sport

Start with the end in mind

Difficult conversations

Understanding transitions
Who am I?

What is athletic?
Why does this matter?
Supporting healthy identity – how?

If you would like to find out more about the series or would like to book these for your organisation then please email workingwithparentsinsport@gmail.com.

© WWPIS/Performance Edge 2023

Following the success of last year’s programme where webinars and workshops were delivered to over 30 clubs in the EFL and along with some incredible feedback, the programme will be extending this coming year to include more live days and sessions.

WWPIS also work with a number of Premier League clubs across both the boys and girls’ programmes.

Alongside the workshop and webinar offering to clubs, every academy, parent and coach will have access to a customised WWPIS & League Football Education website platform.

By being a member of the platform, parents, coaches and athletes can access all of the exclusive WWPIS content including blogs, videos, podcasts, expert interviews, webinars and downloadable resources as well as support and information from League Football Education.

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

The Parent Zone

The ‘Parent Zone’ is the ultimate resource for all sporting parents whether your child is involved at grassroots level or in an academy/pathway programme.

The articles section is written exclusively by the team here at WWPIS and covers a wide range of topics from ‘The car journey home’ to ‘Understanding how our children learn.’

There are regular guest blogs from leading practitioners from around the world as well as a video series, helping support parents further on their sports parenting journey.

The ‘Expert View’ series has been a real hit with parents joining us to ask experts for answers to all of their questions around a range of different topics.

‘Meet the Parents’ brings into the home some real life stories around sports parenting from parents going through the experience with their children. Stories include those in grassroots sport all the way up to those who are playing professionally.

‘Dad – it doesn’t help!’ brings an authentic look at life as a sporting parent with plenty of humour written for us by Australian author Mark Macguire, whose son currently plays in a Major League Baseball franchise.

Website Members’ Area – Holistic Development

The ‘Holistic Development’ area provides specialised information on a variety of topics from leading practitioners in their field, completing a 360 degree guide for parents to help provide the best levels of support for their sporting children.

This area is headed by Maimee Titmuss Morris (UK Sports Institute Performance Lifestyle Coach and well-being lead for the World Class Programme with British Gymnastics) and Jane Holden (UK Sports Institute Lifestyle coach and pathway well-being consultant / mental health instructor for TASS).

Website Members’ Area – Coaches Corner

In ‘Coaches Corner’ there are lots of supplementary resources for the book ‘Engage’ to support coaches with their parental engagement strategy. 

Here are a few examples of topics that have been covered:

• What does an ideal parents’ meeting look like?
• Preparing the ground for crucial conversations
• Setting the tone and allowing parental engagement to thrive
• Creating a strategy for effective communication with your parents
• Is your organisation aligned to allow parental engagement to thrive?
• Are parents part of your team or do you leave them on the bench?
• Do you know your players’ parents?
• The playing time conundrum

CEO Gordon MacLelland said, ‘Our work across football has been really well received, not just from our work with parents but also the work we have done with coaches and academy management. Ultimately, we all need to work together to help provide the best possible experiences and environments for young people so they can thrive both on and off the field. The continued growth of our programme with League Football Education will continue to help us to achieve this.

Simon Williams Life Skills Manager LFE said, “We are delighted to build on the partnership with WWPIS and be able to provide more support to the network of parents and carers across EFL academies. It becomes ever clearer that education and support should not start and end with children alone. Parents and carers are an equal part of the experience and guidance on how to manage opportunities and experiences of the academy system needs more exposure. The workshop delivery from WWPIS has received powerful feedback, is having a clear impact and we are now able to accompany this by funding access to the static resource support through the membership area.”

The first stage of the partnership will see a customised WWPIS and British Sailing Platform being made available to all coaches and parents involved in the performance pathway to help support the journey of young sailors both on and off the water.

Throughout the next year there will be a series of workshops and webinars delivered across the whole sailing 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 British Sailing, 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 sailors.’

Youth Racing Manager Oli Woodcock announces “We are thrilled to introduce a new means of supporting parents of young sailors. We recognise the enormous commitment, passion, and effort that parents of performance sailors put into funding their children’s sports expenses and transporting them to various events to help them progress along the performance pathway. Therefore, we are thrilled to provide parents with a supportive resource that will aid them in the future”.

We ran introductory sessions for all of the age groups of parents from U8 – U16 covering a multitude of different topics from managing dreams and expectations, supporting the development of life and character skills, avoiding comparisons, normalising the ups and downs of the sporting journey and controlling the controllables to name but a few.

All of the sessions were really well attended and parents helped to bring the sessions to life by being so open and honest in sharing their thoughts and views on the complexities of being a sporting parent, often with plenty of humour.

Player Care Manager at Aston Villa Helen Roberts said, ‘The Academy invited Gordon and WWPIS to deliver to our 9’s to 16’s parents, as part of our parent programme. The session was very relatable with great insight into how to try and navigate the demands, challenges and positives of being a sporting parent. Gordon delivered a very engaging session with real life stories and humour!’

CEO Gordon MacLelland said, ‘We loved our first visit to Aston Villa.  It is something we have been working towards for some time with the club and are excited about the plans for next season in implementing a cohesive and sustainable programme across the academy. A number of football clubs who are working alongside us are beginning to see the real value in engaging positively and working with parents to help support their child’s development both on and off the field. We have been running sessions throughout the season for academy management, coaches and parents with the success of this work being dependant on everyone playing their part and not working in silos.’

The experiences of working across so many different academy environments is helping us as an organisation to deliver high quality context specific workshops for parents, coaches and management staff.

We are looking forward to continuing our work next season with a number of Premier League clubs including  Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United with some new partnership announcements coming very soon.

Outside of the Premier League, this season has seen us deliver face to face and virtual sessions for over 25 clubs across the EFL thanks to a successful first season working alongside League Football Education with early indications suggesting that this number will rise in 2023/2024.