As a Parent do make the Game of Football more Enjoyable for your Child... and other People's Children too

As a parent you have a great role to play in supporting a child's involvement in football. It is supporting a child's involvement in football. It is the purpose of this article to make you aware of some of the issues surrounding a child's participation in football, what you can expect from FAM "youth development program" or any other Football Coaching enviorment.
As a parent/carer involved in football, you need to understand the issue, opportunities and problems, associated with a child's participation in sport.

The first question we all should ask our self is why do kids play football? Easy, because its FUN! Well fun is really important, but there are lots of other factors as well. Some kids play to be with their mates, some play football to copy the role models, e.g.; David Beckham. Some play just because their parents want them to play, so as a parent it is important that you understand what motivates kids to play football. If we know why kids play football, we also need to know why kids drop out.

· It stopped being fun; there are other things to do.
· Coaches bully kids and make them feel stupid.
· Parents keep forcing them to play and shout at them when they didn't win. (Pressure)

Football is a fun sport that children enjoy playing. There are, however, a number of other benefits that football brings to children. The benefits that the children receive then have a positive effect on society as a whole.
Children today are playing less and less sports in our society; the lure of television and computer games and video games is great. The consequence on the long-term health of inactive children is immense.
Some of health benefits include; strengthening of muscles, building and maintaining healthy bones, reducing the chance of osteoporosis, consuming excess body fat and keep body weight under control.

As you all know life is full of pressure and children are increasingly the ones to face them. Football cannot only be an escape from these pressures, but also a provider of skills that enable them to be better dealt with. Football shows them discipline and cooperation, communication, dealing with failure, confidence, social skills and dealing with success. Studies show that the pressure from coach's and parents is the main cause of children dropping out of football. Remember to encourage appropriately and not to apply too much pressure. The aim is to get children to play football for life. What we all need to understand is what we need to do in order to achieve this. It is not just about goals and winning, it is about having fun. Be supporting and encouraging if they had a poor game. Take children to watch national level competitive games. Help children set realistic targets for them selves, help children to make their own decisions, know when your child is ready to play.

In a recent English FA survey of 9-13 year olds:
54% felt there was too much pressure to win.
42% said coaches placed too much pressure on them.
36% said that a parent's absorption in the game lessens the fun.

It's amazing how many parents believe they have the next Ali Ashafag or Ali Umar. Having dreams and aspirations is to be encouraged, but make sure that these are the dreams of the kids, not your or the coach's. Try to manage the expectation, don't build child's expectations up too high, maintain a balance in the child's life, support the child whatever direction they choose and research the support available.

Source: Soccer Parents Hand Book By Ahmed Marzooq