As a parent, you might have noticed your child’s keen interest in football and are wondering how you can support their passion.
Well, being an academy football parent can be a fulfilling and meaningful job that plays a crucial role in the development of young footballers.
Who is an Academy Football Parent:
An academy football parent is someone who accompanies a young footballer to training and games, provides moral support, and ensures they are safe and well-cared for.
The FA supports this with clear safeguarding procedures and practices.
It’s usually undertaken by parents, relatives, or close family friends who have a vested interest in the child’s success.
This role tends to start at the age of 5 and can continue until the child reaches adulthood or quits playing football seriously.
But being an academy football parent is more than just driving your child to games and cheering from the side-lines. It requires certain qualities and skills that are essential to the role.
Academy football parent requirements:
You must have an unwavering belief in your child and be ready to encourage them through the ups and downs of their academy football journey.
A love for the game is also a great incentive for a parent, as it allows you to enjoy your time while supporting your child.
Being a mentor to a young footballer is another crucial aspect of the role.
It’s important for you to understand the psychological pressures that come with playing football and to provide guidance and support when needed.
Good communication skills are also important, as you must be able to tactfully fight for your ward’s interests and protect them from any potential issues.
As an academy football parent you must always portray positive affirmation to your child.
“For a player, and to any human being, there is nothing better than hearing, ‘well done’. Those are the two best words ever invented in sports. You don’t need to use superlatives”
Perhaps the most significant challenge of the role is the fact that it is a voluntary position.
There is no salary for being an academy football parent, and the possibility of your ward becoming a professional player is uncertain.
This means that you must be willing to sacrifice a considerable amount of your time and resources to support your child’s passion.
Ensure that your ward maintains the self-discipline that is needed to develop as a player within the home environment.
Academy football parents should pay attention to the following:
Rest and recovery.
The right food and fluid to assist their performance.
Seek advice from his coach to arrange extra practice.
Check that he is working on his targets for development.
Improvement of fitness levels.
Ensure your child develops as a person. They must have a social life and activities with friends.
It is important to have family time together away from football.
You should understand that players performance moves in upwards and downwards cycles.
Failure is a natural part of life, and it’s important to learn how to cope with it, learn from it, and grow.
The earlier this happens, the better. If you notice your child getting very upset or having a hard time handling a loss, see it as a sign that they need some perspective.
There will be times when they need to be patient and show that they can be mentally strong and deal with disappointment.
Required tools to support academy players:
As an academy football parent, you must also be equipped to deal with all weather conditions that come with playing football, from umbrellas and wellington boots in the winter to caps and sunscreen in the summer.
For tournaments a camping chair can be very handy.
Having a car is a necessity, as your job will involve driving to and from games and training sessions.
Forming close relationships with other parents from the same school or neighbourhood can be a great help in managing trips.
Academy impact on family life:
Understanding the impact on family life is crucial when you make the decision to allow your child to joins a football academy.
The commitment required can be significant, especially if your child starts young and progresses through the system.
Training sessions can be up to four times a week and both home and when you add away fixtures, this can start to take its toll on family life.
Fortunately travel distances are restricted based on the academy’s category.
However this can still be a long journey due to rush hour traffic.
Parents must consider who will handle school runs, meal times, homework support, and other children’s activities.
Balancing these demands becomes even more complex when both parents work or have more than one young child.
Financial implications also play a significant role due to travel costs and in some cases loss of earnings at work.
Academy football car park social hub:
Parents at the car park share a common ground – their child’s development in the academy.
Training sessions and matches often have parents waiting for pick-up, creating a natural opportunity to chat.
It sometimes turns out as a good place to arrange drop ups and pick ups between families that live close to each other.
Parents might share their observations about coaching styles, effectiveness, communication and of course the players.
It’s important to remember that these conversations can be positive or negative.
What an academy football parent is not:
However, there are things that a football parent should not be.
You are not the coach, and so should let the professionals handle that for you.
Nagging your child for every mistake they make will only cause them to hate the game and quit.
The fire has to come from your kids
Don’t play football through your child or think that you will get rich through being a football parent.
Only about 0.5% of young players make it to become a professional footballer.
Exploitation of your child will only lead to long term problems. An example is the unfortunate story of Sony Pike who was a talented football prodigy in the 90’s.
Your job is to support your child’s passion and help them enjoy their own football journey.
Does your child want to be a footballer?
When your child was young, they may have been playing football because that is what kids do.
Even though they may truly be talented, this does not mean that they actually want to make playing football a career.
Here are some tell-tale signs to look out for:
Decreased Effort: This may be a drop in effort during training practices or games.
Lack of Enthusiasm: You start to notice a lack of interest in anything to do with football. Like they are just going through the motions.
Decline in Performance: If a player who once showed skill and dedication starts to underperform consistently, may be a sign they are no longer interested.
Lack of Commitment: This may be an indicator that they are no longer interested in playing football or have the mindset to go through the tedious process required to become a footballer.
Parental or External Pressure: If the young footballer is playing due to external pressure, such as parental expectations, rather than personal enjoyment, they may lose interest over time.
Other Interests: There are cases when a young footballer suddenly realises that they would rather follow a different sport or activity.
It may be helpful to have an open and supportive conversation to understand their feelings and concerns.
Extra help from the Football Scholar
We frequently update the Academy Football Parents FAQ section of our website to address common questions from other parents, so be sure to take a look.
In a nutshell
In conclusion, being a football parent is a challenging yet rewarding role that requires a great deal of dedication, passion, and skill.
The unsung heroes of football, football parents play an essential role in supporting young footballers in their pursuit of their dreams.
If you’re a parent, relative, or close family friend of a young footballer, consider taking up the role of a football parent and watch as your child’s passion for football takes flight.
