'THE COMPLETE PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME' (Supporting organisations, coaches, parents and children to work effectively together to help young people fulfil their potential both in and out of sport.) Check out our latest video and brochures for NGB's, Sporting Organisations, Clubs and Schools. parentsinsport.co.uk/bespoke…

BLOG - 'Growth Spurts and Changing Nutrition Needs' Growth is a full time job and there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for energy needs so, as parents, we have to be good at recognising the signs that they’re growing, or are about to. Some are more obvious than others which can leave parents unsure of how much food is either ‘too much’ or ‘not enough.' parentsinsport.co.uk/2026/03…

NEW PARENTS IN SPORT PODCAST - 'A conversation with Betsy Butterick' 'Supporting Gen Z and Gen Alpha to thrive both in and out of their sport’ and what that potentially means for coaches, teachers and parents We were delighted to be joined by 'The Coaches' coach', communication specialist and author Betsy Butterick on the latest episode of the podcast. During the conversation we discussed amongst other things: The Coaching Crisis of coaches leaving the profession and struggling to connect with Gen Z The importance of understanding Gen Z rather than judging them Connection as the foundation to all great coaching The shift from telling to asking Making sense of expectations both spoken and unspoken Accountability vs. Responsibility Generational Traits - are they myths or reality? Honesty with Empathy - being kind rather than just nice, allows for honest caring conversations Managing Dreams, Expectations and Realities The Coach–Parent–Athlete Triangle and communication skills applying across all three relationships Connection, co-creation and choices parentsinsport.co.uk/2026/06…

'What motivates your children to play sport?' Have you ever asked them this question? Do you regularly check in as their responses may change over time? parentsinsport.co.uk/2019/02…

'Sports Performance Parenting' - used by some of the highest performing youth teams in the world Have you got your copy of our bestselling book for sporting parents used by high performing teams as part of their programmes for parents? Sports Parenting can be one of the most challenging parental journeys, there is no such thing as a perfect sports parent. There is very rarely a one size fits all approach and yet there are so many things for us to navigate as parents in order to give our young sports people the very best support that we can. parentsinsport.co.uk/product…

'VIDEO – Psychology of Performance' CEO Gordon MacLelland joined James Barraclough and Tom Mitchell to chat about the work of WWPIS, sports parents and how the work links together featuring elements across sport psychology, coaching and performance. Key themes of the discussion included: Developing the young person comes first—character traits and life skills matter beyond sport Parent–coach–athlete relationships must be aligned to avoid mixed messages Parental pressure can unintentionally hinder development; education and perspective are essential Enjoyment of the journey is crucial for both athletes and families Release processes must be handled with care to support wellbeing Early specialisation differs across sports; balance, rest, and variety are beneficial Effective environments depend on context—there is no universal approach parentsinsport.co.uk/2026/03…

'What motivates your children to play sport?' Have you ever asked them this question? Do you regularly check in as their responses may change over time? parentsinsport.co.uk/2019/02…

NEW PARENTS IN SPORT PODCAST - 'A conversation with Betsy Butterick' 'Supporting Gen Z and Gen Alpha to thrive both in and out of their sport’ and what that potentially means for coaches, teachers and parents We were delighted to be joined by 'The Coaches' coach', communication specialist and author Betsy Butterick on the latest episode of the podcast. During the conversation we discussed amongst other things: The Coaching Crisis of coaches leaving the profession and struggling to connect with Gen Z The importance of understanding Gen Z rather than judging them Connection as the foundation to all great coaching The shift from telling to asking Making sense of expectations both spoken and unspoken Accountability vs. Responsibility Generational Traits - are they myths or reality? Honesty with Empathy - being kind rather than just nice, allows for honest caring conversations Managing Dreams, Expectations and Realities The Coach–Parent–Athlete Triangle and communication skills applying across all three relationships Connection, co-creation and choices parentsinsport.co.uk/2026/06…

This week, we visited the Netball centre at Loughborough University to work with Loughborough Lightning Netball. We had a productive meeting with staff to help shape our future work in this space before delivering a session to the parents of the new U15 academy cohort. It is great to work across different organisations designing programmes that meet the specific needs of that sport, program and age group. This is crucial for maximising impact, buy-in, and the connection people feel to their culture. Our introduction to 'Sports Performance Parenting,' which we delivered to parents covered several key themes, including great role modelling, supporting the healthy use of comparison and navigating the car journey to and from training and competition. A really enjoyable evening was spent with both staff and parents with a whole lot more to come.

BLOG - 'Growth Spurts and Changing Nutrition Needs' Growth is a full time job and there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for energy needs so, as parents, we have to be good at recognising the signs that they’re growing, or are about to. Some are more obvious than others which can leave parents unsure of how much food is either ‘too much’ or ‘not enough.' parentsinsport.co.uk/2026/03…

'Sports Performance Parenting' - used by some of the highest performing youth teams in the world Have you got your copy of our bestselling book for sporting parents used by high performing teams as part of their programmes for parents? Sports Parenting can be one of the most challenging parental journeys, there is no such thing as a perfect sports parent. There is very rarely a one size fits all approach and yet there are so many things for us to navigate as parents in order to give our young sports people the very best support that we can. parentsinsport.co.uk/product…

'What motivates your children to play sport?' Have you ever asked them this question? Do you regularly check in as their responses may change over time? parentsinsport.co.uk/2019/02…

BLOG - 'Growth Spurts and Changing Nutrition Needs' Growth is a full time job and there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for energy needs so, as parents, we have to be good at recognising the signs that they’re growing, or are about to. Some are more obvious than others which can leave parents unsure of how much food is either ‘too much’ or ‘not enough.' parentsinsport.co.uk/2026/03…

NEW PARENTS IN SPORT PODCAST - 'A conversation with Betsy Butterick' 'Supporting Gen Z and Gen Alpha to thrive both in and out of their sport’ and what that potentially means for coaches, teachers and parents We were delighted to be joined by 'The Coaches' coach', communication specialist and author Betsy Butterick on the latest episode of the podcast. During the conversation we discussed amongst other things: The Coaching Crisis of coaches leaving the profession and struggling to connect with Gen Z The importance of understanding Gen Z rather than judging them Connection as the foundation to all great coaching The shift from telling to asking Making sense of expectations both spoken and unspoken Accountability vs. Responsibility Generational Traits - are they myths or reality? Honesty with Empathy - being kind rather than just nice, allows for honest caring conversations Managing Dreams, Expectations and Realities The Coach–Parent–Athlete Triangle and communication skills applying across all three relationships Connection, co-creation and choices parentsinsport.co.uk/2026/06…

'What motivates your children to play sport?' Have you ever asked them this question? Do you regularly check in as their responses may change over time? parentsinsport.co.uk/2019/02…

The Parents in Sport Podcast is a monthly series of long-form conversations hosted by Gordon MacLelland, CEO and founder of Working with Parents in Sport. Over seven seasons and 60 episodes, Gordon has spoken with Olympians, World Cup winners, bestselling authors, national coaches, sport psychologists and parents from across the sporting world. Every episode addresses a topic that matters to sports parents and coaches right now, from managing sideline behaviour and talent development to resilience, nutrition, sleep, mental health and the parent-coach relationship. If you are new to the podcast, this guide will help you find the episodes most relevant to where you are right now. docs.google.com/document/d/1…

'Sports Performance Parenting' - used by some of the highest performing youth teams in the world Have you got your copy of our bestselling book for sporting parents used by high performing teams as part of their programmes for parents? Sports Parenting can be one of the most challenging parental journeys, there is no such thing as a perfect sports parent. There is very rarely a one size fits all approach and yet there are so many things for us to navigate as parents in order to give our young sports people the very best support that we can. parentsinsport.co.uk/product…

'VIDEO – Psychology of Performance' CEO Gordon MacLelland joined James Barraclough and Tom Mitchell to chat about the work of WWPIS, sports parents and how the work links together featuring elements across sport psychology, coaching and performance. Key themes of the discussion included: Developing the young person comes first—character traits and life skills matter beyond sport Parent–coach–athlete relationships must be aligned to avoid mixed messages Parental pressure can unintentionally hinder development; education and perspective are essential Enjoyment of the journey is crucial for both athletes and families Release processes must be handled with care to support wellbeing Early specialisation differs across sports; balance, rest, and variety are beneficial Effective environments depend on context—there is no universal approach parentsinsport.co.uk/2026/03…

BLOG - 'Growth Spurts and Changing Nutrition Needs' Growth is a full time job and there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for energy needs so, as parents, we have to be good at recognising the signs that they’re growing, or are about to. Some are more obvious than others which can leave parents unsure of how much food is either ‘too much’ or ‘not enough.' parentsinsport.co.uk/2026/03…

NEW PARENTS IN SPORT PODCAST - 'A conversation with Betsy Butterick' 'Supporting Gen Z and Gen Alpha to thrive both in and out of their sport’ and what that potentially means for coaches, teachers and parents We were delighted to be joined by 'The Coaches' coach', communication specialist and author Betsy Butterick on the latest episode of the podcast. During the conversation we discussed amongst other things: The Coaching Crisis of coaches leaving the profession and struggling to connect with Gen Z The importance of understanding Gen Z rather than judging them Connection as the foundation to all great coaching The shift from telling to asking Making sense of expectations both spoken and unspoken Accountability vs. Responsibility Generational Traits - are they myths or reality? Honesty with Empathy - being kind rather than just nice, allows for honest caring conversations Managing Dreams, Expectations and Realities The Coach–Parent–Athlete Triangle and communication skills applying across all three relationships Connection, co-creation and choices parentsinsport.co.uk/2026/06…

'What motivates your children to play sport?' Have you ever asked them this question? Do you regularly check in as their responses may change over time? parentsinsport.co.uk/2019/02…