Parental involvement in young footballers’ development: A comparison of the opinions of children and their parents

Abstract

Hitherto, much of the work on parental involvement in youth sport has focused on the role and behaviour of the parent. The present study took a more dynamic, interactive approach, examining the views of both parents and their children and comparing child and parent ratings of parental involvement in youth football. Parallel forms of a questionnaire recording parental behaviours, including praise and criticism of performances, were employed.Thirty-four parent-child dyads (N= 68 participants) were recruited from a football league in the North East of England. The children’s ages ranged from 8–15 years. A version of the Parental Involvement Sport Questionnaire was administered to the participants, and comparisons made between the parents and children. The degree to which parental involvement was perceived to be ‘helpful’ was also assessed by the children.A number of significant findings were obtained, such as the children rated their parents to be more directive than the parents believed themselves to be. In particular, the children rated their parents as being more likely to tell them: (i) what they did badly in a match; (ii) what they needed to work on; and (iii) how to improve their techniques. In general the children rated their parents’ involvement as being helpful. Nonetheless, negative emotional responses by the parents following matches were identified as being particularly unhelpful. The study provides insight into the dynamics of parental involvement, highlighting specific areas requiring further investigation. It also demonstrates the importance of examining the impact, alongside the frequency ratings, of parental involvement behaviours.