Teach Parents a Lesson

Parents are critical to your success as a coach.

If you have their support, that's half the job done. If they don't support you your season is going to be a struggle, both on and off the pitch.

An important way parents can support you and your players (their children) is to offer encouragement from the touchlines during matches. But you don't want them to coach or shout too loudly during matches as it confuses players and tends to generate the sort of poor behaviour that the FA's Respect campaign is trying to eradicate.

So how to stop your parents coaching the players?

One really effective way to do this is to get your players and their parents to swap roles for a 'match'.

First, tell your parents to bring their trainers to the next training session.

This should get them worried :)

When they arrive, explain that you value their support but that you want them to encourage the players (from both teams please) during matches and that they must not try to coach.

End the meeting by inviting the parents to play a short match between themselves with the children taking the role of parents shouting from the sidelines.

The children will love doing this!

Add some confusion yourself by shouting "TACKLE!!", "PASS!!", "CLEAR IT!!" or "SHOOT!!" Or all at the same time!

After the game ask them what they could hear from the sidelines. Hopefully, they will say it was difficult to listen when they were trying to concentrate on the game.

For the parents who did hear what was said - often what you shouted - ask them if this instruction or direction helped them.

By showing your parents how it feels to be a player being yelled at from the touchline it will help them realise that shouting - especially shouting instructions - is not helpful.

Some parents will still shout and bawl. But you have taught them all a lesson in using positive language and the majority will moderate their behaviour at matches from now on.

And most importantly, you will have demonstrated your commitment to their children's development as players and you'll enjoy a higher level of parental support.

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