The youth football journey: parents’ experiences and recommendations for support

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to understand parents’ experiences and offer recommendations for supporting parents within youth academy football. The lead researcher was embedded within a football academy for 8 months and collected data through 29 formal interviews, three focus groups, observations, informal conversations, and field notes. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Overall, analysis of the data indicated that, while their son was in the academy, parents experience a journey that consists of four individual phases; 1) excited and amazed, 2) dawning of reality, 3) accepting and rationalising, and 4) focusing on the future. Two overarching themes were also present throughout the journey; 1) enjoyment, opportunity, and development, and, 2) sacrifices, commitment, and consequences on personal life. To support parents through these phases, informational and social support, along with cultural changes would be useful. Specifically, parents may benefit from a parent supportive culture in which they are welcomed, respected, and valued, combined with a programme of specific support sessions. Overall, the findings illustrate the complexity of the football academy parent journey and the importance of those providing support to understand parents’ journeys and tailor support to their specific needs.

KEYWORDS:

• Culture
• education
• parenting journey
• support
• youth sport

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. A category 1 academy is the highest status awarded to a British football academy by the Premier League for a high level of facilities and quality coaching.

2. Due to the small number of Category 1 academies in the UK, and the relatively small numbers of parents associated with the academy, there were concerns regarding protecting the anonymity of the participants. The collection of any further demographic information (e.g., family structure, parental employment, household income) relating to each parent was deemed to threaten their anonymity and thus was not collected.

3. There are two times during each season (usually mid-season and towards the end of the season) when players may be released from the academy.

4. The scholar contract is the first contract a player receives that involves being paid to play football. As a scholar, players will attend the academy daily, while also completing some educational qualifications.

Additional information

Funding

This work was sponsored by a Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS 2), which is part funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund.

Notes on contributors

Rachael A. Newport

Rachael A. Newport is a PhD researcher in Sport Psychology at Swansea University, UK. Her research interests are understanding the parent experience of youth sport and developing support programmes. In addition, Rachael has recently completed the British Psychological Society Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology achieving chartership as a Sport and Exercise Psychologist. Rachael has spent 10 years studying sport psychology, achieving her BSc in sport psychology from the University of Central Lancashire and a MSc from Brunel University. Over the last 5 years, Rachael has provided sport psychology and performance lifestyle support to parents, coaches, professional, and youth athletes across a variety of sports.

Camilla J. Knight

Camilla J. Knight, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Science (specialising in Sport Psychology) at Swansea University. She is also the Youth Sport lead for the Welsh Institute of Performance Science and a member of the Welsh Safeguarding in Sport Strategy group. Camilla’s research interests are concerned with understanding and enhancing the psychosocial experiences of children in sport, with a particular focus upon the influence of parents. Camilla is co-author of ‘Parenting in youth sport: From Research to Practice’ (Routledge, 2014), co-editor of ‘Sport Psychology for Young Athletes’ (Routledge, 2017) and has published and consulted widely on topics such as parental involvement in sport and youth sport participation.

Thomas D. Love

Thomas D. Love, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Nutrition at Swansea University. His research interests are concerned with understanding the role of nutrition in the health and wellbeing of athletes. Specifically, Thomas’ research is focused upon examining fluid and electrolyte balance, the relationship between nutrition and injury, and enhancing the knowledge and understanding of sports nutrition among elite and youth athletes. Thomas also works with parents to facilitate their understanding of sports nutrition and help them to optimise the nutritional support they can provide to their children.