Youth sport and parental involvement

Parents can be the best, and the worst, when it comes to youth sport. They take children to early morning training and far distant games, they pay for club fees, coaching, equipment and uniforms, they keep children going when motivation wavers and keep clubs going with endless fundraising and volunteer support. They are our most loyal, diehard, one-eyed fans. And yet, parents can also be the harshest critics, the worst of losers and the poorest of sports. Misdirected parental support can, ironically, significantly contribute to children dropping out of active sport participation. This lecture will reposition the way in which parents in youth sport are understood and offer evidence-based recommendations for enhancing their involvement.  

Bio

Sam is an early career researcher and lecturer in Sport, Health and Physical Activity in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. He has published 24 peer-reviewed research outputs and received over $120K in combined external grants, tenders and consultancies. Sam is an active member of the Sport, Health, Activity, Performance and Exercise (SHAPE) Research Centre and an invited reviewer for 13 international journals. He has published widely on parental involvement in youth sport and presented his work internationally in China, Canada and the US. In 2018, Sam received the prestigious Flinders University Award for Early Career Research. In addition to Sam's teaching responsibilities he also coordinates the High Performance Program for the South Adelaide Football Club, providing outstanding industry experience for sport and exercise science students.

8:30pm @Bath Hotel, 232 The Parade, NORWOOD 5067

Also speaking at this location at 6:30pm is Robert Chalmers.