Another school year, another activity term and the usual negotiations are under way as we try to work out what we can manage across the troops, both financially and logistically. There’s a lot of different personalities and interests in the mix, but one thing I know, for sure, is that I’d like all of my children to be involved in sports in some form or other.
Which is absolutely grand, as most of them are on the same page.
But, unfortunately for one, who has been involved with the same team since he was four years old, an end to his footballing days with that club came recently, as the team folded due to dwindling numbers. Such is the risk with teenagers of the transition year age. Opportunity awaits in the most exciting time of secondary school years, but all that opportunity is not conducive to regular attendance at training or matches.
And so, he’s a free agent.
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The problem with things going by the wayside in the mid-teen years is that, when a habit is broken, it can stay broken particularly as the demands of the Leaving Cert years take hold. Finding time to fit in the things they enjoy alongside the ridiculous amount of homework and study that’s expected ahead of the exam that nightmares are made of, can feel impossible. Unless, of course, it’s already a life staple. So, the hunt is on to find him a new team and keep him involved. Something, thankfully, he’s keen to ensure happens too.
Of course, sport isn’t the be all and end all of activities. Plenty of children find their tribe and passion elsewhere, some of my own included. But sport is an activity that offers the potential for several lifelong benefits – physical, social and mental.
Having as many children as possible, involved for as long a period as possible, should surely be the goal of all sports, not least to offer all children the opportunity to enjoy those lifelong benefits. Yet, here we are in 2024 knowing that just 15 per cent of children meet the recommended physical activity guidelines of one hour’s moderate to vigorous activity per day.
And we continue to see teenagers drop out of sports.
There’s a multitude of reasons for this – yes, homework, you’re one of them. But one other consistent response crops up as the obstacle when you ask parents – which I did – about their children’s team sports in particular.
And that’s adults.
Adults who generously give up their time so that clubs can function, training can happen and matches can take place.
And among them are adults who make a huge difference in children’s lives. Those who encourage, and support. Those who help children improve their skills while recognising fun is what brings and keeps children involved in sport. And who know while a win is wonderful and what everyone is hoping for, it is not the be all and end all, or its pursuit an excuse to leave some children sitting an unacceptable amount of time on the sidelines.
And let’s not forget about the constant bootlace tying involved for those coaching the younger years. That’s the bit they don’t tell you about when you sign up.
But then there are the adults who ruin it. The ones who think it’s acceptable to shout aggressively at children on a sports pitch, because, well, is there a justifiable reason? “The abuse girls get from other teams’ adult mentors and parents [is] unreal,” one horrified parent said of her teenage daughter’s involvement in sport.
Other parents expressed concern about neurodiverse children, or those whose sporting prowess was not considered sufficient, constantly being overlooked or separated from their friends and peers – the very opposite to what parents had hoped team sports would offer their children. Othering rather than inclusion. Streaming rather than recognising that young children like to play with their friends.
“My boys live on the subs bench”; “Lack of inclusion”; “Because of the competitive focus, [seven and eight year old] boys being streamed into teams”; “They just want to kick a ball with their friends”; “They really only encourage the gifted ones”; “cliques”; “No game time. It’s harder when older as teams want wins, and they have to pick the best players”; “turned competitive and completely turned him off it”; “they didn’t feel good enough”; “team sports are mainly for the elite children”, were all offered as reasons parents were unhappy with or even decided to remove their children from their team sports.
Which seems such a pity.
We’d all love to think that our child could be the next Irish sporting superstar in whatever their chosen field. And for a tiny minority of us that will prove to be the case. But for the vast majority of us, it won’t. So we, the adults in the room, and on the pitch, while keeping an eye out for superstardom, would do well to remember that as many as possible for as long as possible will serve most children best.
To grow up with a love for and continued participation in sport, well, that’s the real win.