Support
- Parents and significant others
This section explores the role of parents and significant others in supporting young female athletes through their sporting development. It aims to summarise current research evidence and give practical advice for individuals involved within and around girls and women's football.
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Support—expressed via emotional encouragement, practical help, and emphasis on effort—consistently boosts young athletes’ motivation, enjoyment, and performance. In contrast, parental pressure—manifested as criticism, excessive involvement, and approval tied to outcomes—reduces enjoyment, raises anxiety, and fosters maladaptive achievement striving.
Key findings
Parent (or guardian) support for youth athletes is particularly important in childhood with increased influence from peers during adolescence.
A parent initiated 'task mastery-climate' with an emphasis on learning and not comparison with others develops enjoyment, persistence and intrinsic motivation.
Key parent roles in sport include fostering independence via autonomy-supportive behaviours, helping young athletes build healthy relationships, and playing a role in monitoring and managing emotional demands of sport.
Some evidence suggests that child preferred behaviours should vary before competition, during competition and post competition.
Parental criticism, over-involvement, and conditional support lead to demotivation and increased anxiety in the sporting environment.
Parental (guardian) support
- Evidence from research on children and adolescents involved in sport.
Key approaches
Young athletes wish support to be focused on effort, avoiding being forced in any particular direction and would like open communication with their parents and / or guardians. Research shows that parents transmit their values and that this can help children and adolescents regulate their own behaviour.
Consequences
Children who perceive excessive expectation have been shown to have higher competition anxiety, lower self-esteem, and are less motivated. In these circumstances, parents or guardians are seen as a source of pressure. Evidence shows that children and adolescents do not want parents to become over involved in sporting environments and particularly in competition settings. This included, in most circumstances, not wanting technical or tactical feedback from parents and guardians.
Support
For positive outcomes, parents should aim for autonomy-supportive behaviours, providing emotional guidance and help in building healthy relationships with coaches and peers. Parents who are positive role models and provide unconditional supportive feedback have been shown to foster intrinsic motivation and higher athlete enjoyment.
Support and feedback should be task mastery-orientated and based on their progress and not a comparison with others. This approach alongside other supportive behaviours is related to self-efficacy, self-regulation and intrinsic motivation in elite and recreational athletes.
Guidance
While an individual approach may be required, research based on youth athlete and child interviews does provide some guidance on the preferred approach of young athletes and children in sport:
Before the event (training / competition) - simple practical and organisational support and the quiet monitoring of emotional state while understanding the individual's needs. In general, avoidance of specific discussion of the game and with the aim of 'just making them feel good'.
During the game - Step back and switch the focus to the team. Encourage effort and interact positively with the team as a whole and not just your child; however, while monitoring your own child's emotions. Maintain positive emotions throughout, not questioning the officials, and avoiding technical or tactical advice. Provide unconditional support.
After the game - Positively phrased feedback focussing on effort. Comments including any constructive criticisms should be given based on the individuals' own wants and needs and in a calm and positive manner. If deemed necessary, this should be completed privately and controlled by the athlete.
Adolescents
Research suggests that adolescents may be more sensitive to feedback and criticism than younger children. It is suggested that this is due to them being actively more self-conscious and self-aware. Younger adolescents appear to have fewer coping strategies and may require more practical and emotional support in competitive scenarios.
Gender differences
Parental influence appears to be different for females with a mothers' support showing significant associations with female participation in both team and individual sports. Peer relationships also appear to be more important and influential to females than males. This influence appears to increase through adolescence.
References
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