After the recent success of three parent-focused workshops, LFE is pleased to announce a partnership with Working With Parents In Sport (WWPIS) to provide a range of webinar deliveries to EFL Academies during the 2022/23 campaign.
The new addition to LFE’s Life Skills Programme will be available from 1st July and will look to further extend the support available to parents and carers of academy players.
The collaboration, spearheaded by Life Skills Manager Simon Williams, will enable the WWPIS Chief Executive Officer Gordon MacLelland to offer each EFL club access to one online webinar from the three following options:
Great Sports Parenting (U9-U10 Parents)
This webinar explores parenting methods and techniques that help children thrive during their first steps into academy football. It covers:
- the importance of positive role modelling
- the positives and challenges of being an academy parent
- promoting positive character development along the journey
- managing the ups and downs
- understanding potential and avoiding comparisons
- positive side-line support
- the car journey home
Performance Sports Parenting (U11-U14 Parents)
This webinar delves into an array of topics and encourages conversations around how parents/carers can best support a child at Youth Development Phase level. It covers:
- the importance of positive role modelling
- the positives and challenges of sports parenting
- managing dreams and expectations
- parenting for holistic development
- managing the ups and downs
- understanding potential and avoiding comparisons
- snakes and ladders (Controllables vs. Uncontrollables)
- the car journey home
Managing Disappointment & Avoiding Devastation (U9-U16 Parents)
Suitable for all ages, this webinar focuses on setbacks during the footballing journey and ways in which parents/carers can help their child deal with them. It includes:
- disappointment or devastation?
- managing disappointment
- no more excuses
- challenging the narrative of failure
- the use of role models
- bouncing back together
- avoiding devastation
- home sweet home
Speaking to lfe.org.uk about the partnership, Simon Williams commented: “There is a strong desire from football to do more for everyone involved in the academy journey, and that includes the parents and carers of players. Without these people, there would be no programme. With such buy-in from clubs, parents and carers, there is an even bigger opportunity for governing bodies to further support parents and carers, and this partnership with Working with Parents in Sport will do exactly that.
“The academy system is unique, and so families being able to navigate it as best as possible is important for everyone making the most of the experience. The recent workshops provided by from WWPIS have been well-received and so this is a welcome addition to the programme for next season.”
Gordon MacLelland added: “It is really exciting to be announcing this partnership with the LFE following some extremely popular events that we ran last season.
“This new programme gives every club in the football league the opportunity to support parents as part of their parental engagement programme and we are looking forward to further extending our work in football having already worked with a number of Premier League and EFL academies over the last few seasons.”
