#139: Gordon MacLelland | Working with parents in sport

Welcome to episode number 139 with Gordon MacLelland. A generation ago children went out to play sport for the fun of the game and if they became successful and were able to make a living from it then that was great.  It was not the primary motivation for parents setting out their children on their sporting careers.Many parents from the moment they see their child in sports kit and they begin to look like mini-adults, have a much greater expectation, which can often outweigh their patience in helping their child develop at the appropriate speed.As obesity rates continue to rise globally, many young people are giving up sport in their teenage years due to some of the pressures, behaviours put on them by parents during their formative years and they simply fall out of love with sport.  It is no longer fun and that is the primary reason that children want to play sport in the first place.We all have a responsibility to address this.  Sport and physical activity should be seen as a lifetime investment for our children, not a short term gain.We need to go back to basics and see sport for what it is, a chance for our children to learn experiences for life.Teamwork, dealing with adversity, friendships, sportsmanship are all valuable traits in life and not just in sport.Gordon MacLelland set up ‘Working with Parents in Sport’ after 20 years as a teacher and as a coach to all age levels from 7-year-olds to Adults.He has a BA/Hons degree in Sports Science from University College Chester and a PGCE from Lancaster University.He is a qualified teacher and has been Director of Sport at an independent prep school in the UK for the last 10 years. He has worked in schools in both the UK and New Zealand for the last 16 years.He is the author of two books, ‘Great Sports Parenting’ – A pocket guide for parents of children in sport and ‘Engage’ – A coaches guide to building positive relationships with parents.In recent times he has become a parent to two children and the early sporting experiences of his own children prompted him to set up the company as well as write the two books above.I have extracted this BIO and breakdown of today's podcast from Gordon's website - https://www.parentsinsport.co.uk/