ECB Coaches Association links Coaching Insight 2019 | Page 19

Engaging parents
T
he first key to
developing a
good relationship
with parents, in my
experience, is language.
Little adjustments and
changes in what you say
and the way you say it
can have a real impact
on what you can get out
of parents – and if you
have positively engaged
parents, it can only be of
benefit to your session.
The United States is
streets ahead on this,
and has done plenty of
research into parents’
relationship with sport,
with a recent study
finding that two out
of three parents are a
positive influence on
their child’s sport. That’s
not perfect, but it’s a
solid base to work on –
to know that in a session
with 15 children, 10 of the
parents are likely to be
prepared to get involved
constructively.
To get to that point, I
think all coaches should
ask: what do those
parents want from me?
They’ll firstly want a
safe, fun session for their
children, and for them
to be able to learn the
sport in question. But
what the research also
found was that parents
wanted to feel included.
They, mostly, didn’t want
the field to be a sacred
place where only the
coach and the players
could venture.
As you’ll probably
have witnessed, many
parents will drop
their children off and
disappear without you
even having the chance
to talk to them about
getting involved. That
will include some of
those 10 that are, in
fact, prepared to be
involved. What it often
takes to get that initial
engagement is a bit of
planning and the right
environment.
That makes the first
session vitally important.
If you can find a way to
get that involvement
straight away, they’ll
probably stick around
for the rest of the
season.
When you think about
that first session, ensure
that you plan for all
the parents to be part
of your ‘team’. Part of
that can be achieved
before the first session,
by planning a club event
before the season starts
– a picnic, an informal
meeting, something
which will put them at
ease and make them
feel part of the set-up.
Tell them your coaching
philosophy, what you’re
hoping for this season,
and what you’d like to
work on with the players.
That’ll be different
depending on the level
of cricket, but there’s
always some things you
can raise.
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