The family factor in coaching

Citation

Kay T & Bass D (2011) The family factor in coaching. In: Stafford I (ed.) Coaching Children in Sport. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 169-180. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203850688

Abstract
This chapter looks at an absolutely crucial part of the coaching system: the role played by families. Every coach knows how central families are to youth sport; without their input, coaching systems would simply fall apart. But although families play this crucial role, they can be surprisingly invisible within sport. The sheer familiarity of relying on parents and families is such a fundamental feature of youth sport that it tends to be taken for granted. Some sports do explicitly address the role of families and provide them with support, but on the whole families are not universally recognised, receive limited support and have little opportunity to influence how coaching systems develop (Kay, 2000). This is an important omission when young people’s participation relies so wholly on families being able to support such systems.

Journal
Coaching Children in Sport

People

Professor Tess Kay

Deputy Dean and Head of Sport, Sport