Children in the sporting world: the influences of peers and parents

“If my parents were still alive, they would be very proud. They gave me a good start in life, the values that have driven me and the confidence to believe in myself” (Alex Ferguson). A famous quote from arguably the best football manager there ever was, relaying the important role his parents injected in his sporting career. In this essay I will be outlining my experience in partaking in my service learning within Ballinasloe Football club. I will be drawing on past experience of involvement with the club and I will be observing the advantages and disadvantages of children’s participation in this soccer academy and the club. I will be addressing the positives of physical fitness and relationships among others in the club along with the role parents have to play in their participation of the soccer club.
For my service learning I participated in the running of the soccer academy in Ballinasloe Football Club. This academy is running for over twenty years and its main aim is to provide extra coaching for children of the town that are already participating at many age levels in the Athlone and Midlands District league, as well as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) junior league. Furthermore, children of both genders, who are not involved competitively, are encouraged to come along and train with those that are, thus providing as a feeder of talent to the competing teams. Teams compete annually at under tens, twelve’s, fourteen, sixteen, and eighteens. As of FAI rules girls and boys are not involved in teams together beyond thirteen. Academy coaching takes place on Saturdays and because most league matches take place on Sunday, these sessions is of a light nature, in the main based around working with a ball and team positional ...

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...eness and achievement can be good however overall enjoyment and positive experiences are the most important here.
On the whole sport can be a positive aspect of any child’s learning period. The positives they can get from participation in the sporting world will benefit them throughout their lives. As we have seen, the actively involved children will reap the awards with a healthier lifestyle in their adult years. Children’s social circles will be widened and networks opened up that would not have been available in normal school circumstances. Positive relationships can be strengthened with parents, opening up new communication channels between parent and child. I am happy I relight my passion of seeing children enjoying a game of football, through this service learning and grounded my concerns of parental control and peer rejection of coaching from years before.