Building Better Relationships in Youth Sport
In this webinar, our host, Dave Wright is joined by two world class youth sport experts – Dr. Craig Harrison and Reed Maltbie.
Dave, Craig and Reed dive into a wide ranging discussion on the challenges of relationships in youth sport, with a focus on athlete, parent and coach. The conversation is underpinned by three key themes:
- The coach as the leader: How the coach can impact positive relationships
- Unification and collaboration: Everyone coming together benefits athletes
- Communication and common language: Practical tips for building alignment
Within these three themes, Dave, Craig and Reed discuss culture setting and player ownership, including parents in the process, parent engagement, reducing parental anxiety, ensuring alignment and tackle several audience questions.
This discussion is a must watch if you’re a coach or leader in youth sport and have a desire to build more positive relationships with players and parents.
Time stamps:
0.00 – 2.20 – Introduction/Karakia
2.20 – 3.44 – Housekeeping
3.45 – 8.42 – Guest Introductions
8.45 – 9.34 – 3 key topics we will cover
9.35 – 12.00 – The Coach as the Leader
12.01- 17.00 – Culture setting and player ownership
17.04 – 20.14 – Bringing parents into the learning process
20.14 – 27.22 – Parent education and engagement
27.24 – 29.59 – Working with parents who might be less engaged
30.00 – 33.40 – Implementation of the BIB Philosophy on the ground
33.41 – 42.16 – Collaboration: Reducing parental anxiety – real life examples
42.18 – 48.12 – Non linear nature of development
48.15 – 50.40 – Communication: Managing training load across sports or squads
50.42 – 55.55 – Common language, alignment and intention
56.05 – 57.40 – Dealing with challenges to culture and alignment
57.45 – 58.50 – Proximal development – peer to peer learning
58.50 – 1.01.33 – Conclusions
About the guests:
Dave Wright
Dave Wright has over 20 years football coaching experience across three countries at all levels. He holds several qualifications including The FA UEFA A License and The FA Youth Award. Dave spent five years coaching in the Premier League academy system at Fulham FC and Brentford FC in London supporting world-class youth players in their transition towards professional football. Following his time in England, Dave moved to Melbourne where he worked for Melbourne Victory, coaching the U20 team in the Victorian NPL.
Dave is Co-Founder of online coach development platform, Player Development Project (PDP). PDP supports organisations and coaches to create better environments for young people through content creation, community and online courses. PDP is a partner of both Sport New Zealand and Oceania Football Confederation.
Dave returned home to New Zealand in early 2020 to work as a High Performance Athlete Development Consultant at HPSNZ, supporting sports across the Olympic system with their HP athlete development programmes. Since returning to Auckland with his young family, Dave has stayed connected with football as a coach through the NZF U17 Men’s RTC Programme and in mid-2022 joined Birkenhead United AFC as the Head of Coaching to oversee coach development and programme design.
Dr. Craig Harrison
Dr Craig Harrison is the founder of Athlete Development Project. He is a coach, researcher, teacher, podcaster, creative thinker, and leader.
With a PhD in applied sports science and over 20 years working with young people to enhance their all-round game, Craig is recognised globally as one of the leading names in athlete development. He coaches a group of young athletes, delivers classes and workshops to sport parents and coaches, and supervises several postgraduate students at AUT University.
Craig’s mission is to demonstrate and educate on the exceptional power of a unified approach to development, where we all work collaboratively to raise creative, confident, and competent young athletes who go on to reach their best.
He hosts the popular podcast, The Athlete Development Show. With over 120 episodes and counting, Craig uncovers the latest knowledge and ideas from across the globe in search of developmentally appropriate environments to unlock and develop sporting talent and to keep more young people in the game.
With a broad range of experiences and an in-depth understanding of the science, Craig draws upon real-life stories and research to inspire and challenge people to think. He speaks on a diverse range of subject matter from using biological growth to optimise performance without sacrificing health and happiness, to what parents and coaches should focus on to offer the best support.
Dr Craig Harrison is no ordinary speaker. His special gift is his ability to quickly connect with an audience, build their trust, and make complex topics meaningful and easy to understand. People leave his sessions entertained, informed, and inspired to make real change.
Reed Maltbie
Leveraging two master’s degrees—sports psychology and early childhood development—and 30 years of professional coaching experience, “Coach Reed” Maltbie has dedicated his life to creating the very best environments for achieving peak performance.
He’s provided training programs to various sporting organizations, including the Gaelic Games Association, US Sailing, Soccer Canada, the USOC, and the PGA of Canada.
A former Division I athlete, he shared his experiences in his 2015 TEDx Talk: Echoes Beyond the Game. Additionally, he’s contributed educational content to dozens of media outlets, such as The Huffington Post, NBC Sports Engine, ESPN Radio, and Sirius XM FC.
His book, The Spartan Mindset, due out in April 2023, focuses significantly on the impact of language on performance. It is a must-read for anyone who strives to be a more effective and supportive communicator in the sporting world and beyond.